Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)

November 2022

Ministry of Colleges and Universities

Agenda

• OSAP Overview
• Sample OSAP Assessment
• OSAP Application Process
• Next Steps
• Ontario Learn and Stay Grant Overview
• Common Questions about OSAP

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What is OSAP? Who does it support?

• OSAP supports access to postsecondary education for Ontarians by assisting qualified students and families with the costs of postsecondary studies. It includes grant, loan, bursary, scholarship, and other aid programs.

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• Ontario and Canada have integrated their student financial assistance programs. Through OSAP, funding is provided by both governments, and Ontario administers the federal portion on behalf of Canada.

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• OSAP is available to eligible full-time students attending an OSAP-approved postsecondary institution and receiving a credential in a program that is at least 12 weeks in length.

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Program Overview and Objectives

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Who is eligible for OSAP?

• Postsecondary education financing is a shared responsibility between students and their families, Ontario and Canada, and postsecondary institutions.
• To be eligible for OSAP, students must be:
• A Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person;
• An Ontario resident; and
• Attending an OSAP-approved postsecondary institution and receiving a credential in a program that is at least 12 weeks in length.
• OSAP (provincial and federal) is also available to Ontario residents studying at:
• Private career colleges and private institutions operating in Ontario
• Public institutions in Canada.
• Federal funding (Canada Student Loans and Grants) is available to:
• Ontarians studying abroad
• Private institutions outside of Ontario, but within Canada.

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Program Eligibility

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How does OSAP work?

Program Delivery

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• Under OSAP, federal and provincial aid is integrated. Applying for, receiving, and repaying student financial assistance in Ontario is a single, streamlined process.

Students complete one OSAP application to be considered for federal and provincial grant and loan funding.

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Provincial and federal financial need assessments are completed simultaneously.

When students’ loans go into repayment, they make a single payment that goes towards the Ontario and Canada portions of their loans.

Students receive one financial package co-funded by Ontario and Canada in the form of grants and loans.

• OSAP is an entitlement program: there is no cap on the number of students who can qualify for funding.
• Eligibility is determined based on a financial need assessment.

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How does OSAP determine eligibility based on financial need?

• OSAP assistance is determined through a fact-based assessment of financial need based on an individual’s costs and expected resources:

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OSAP Need Assessment

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• Tuition
• Compulsory Fees
• Books and Supplies
• Equipment
• Computer Costs
• Personal Living Expenses
• Child Care
• Travel

• Student Contribution (based on income and assets)
• Parental Contribution (based on income)
• Spousal Contribution (based on income and assets)

• Federal Assistance

(about 60% of assessed need subject to maximum)

• Provincial Assistance

(about 40% of assessed need subject to maximum)

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Meet Eugene. Eugene is in Grade 12 and lives in Windsor with his parents and younger sister. His father is a janitor and his mother works in a day care; they have a combined annual income of $65,000. Eugene wants to attend the University of Toronto to study math.

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2022-23 Academic Year Sample Assessment

2022-23 Academic Year Sample Assessment

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*Note: Assessment is based on approximate values

OSAP Funding

$15,000

How can a student determine how much OSAP funding they are eligible for?

• The OSAP Aid estimator is available to students via the following link:
• OSAP Aid Estimator for Full-Time Students: Home Page (gov.on.ca)
• Alternatively, students can google ‘OSAP Aid Estimator’ and follow the first available link.

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OSAP Aid Estimator:

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OSAP Application:

• The best way for a student to determine eligibility for OSAP funding is to complete an application when it launches in late Spring.
• At the end of the application process, the student will receive a more accurate estimate based on their current situation.

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Note: For the purposes of OSAP applications, it is important for applicants and/or their parents to file taxes every year (even if they didn’t have a job in the previous year).

What does OSAP’s application process look like?

• The 2022-23 Full-Time OSAP Application launched on April 12, 2022. Students applying to college, university or an Indigenous Institute can go to ontario.ca/osap to apply for student financial assistance.

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School finalizes tuition and fees. Student receives OSAP assessment.

How do students pay back OSAP loans?

• Like receiving assistance, repayment is integrated into a single student loan (Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan) under OSAP. This means one payment and one repayment for borrowers.
• The National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) manages all aspects of the loan.
• Terms of repayment are typically based on a period of 9.5 years, although borrowers have the option to renegotiate payments for up to 14.5 years.
• OSAP loans differ from private loans in several ways:

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Student Loans – Payment and Repayment

Next Steps

Apply for OSAP:

• Advise students to apply for University or College through OUAC/OCAS.
• Students should apply for OSAP when the application launches in the Spring of 2023.
• The OSAP application is available through the OSAP website: ontario.ca/OSAP

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After they apply, who can students contact with questions?

• Students with questions about OSAP can contact the Financial Aid Office (FAO) of the school they are planning on attending.
• Contact information for FAOs is available via the following link: Welcome to the Ontario Student Assistance Program:OSAP: Financial Aid Offices (gov.on.ca)
• Students who plan on attending an institution outside of Ontario can contact the ministry’s general inquiry line: 1-877-672-7411.

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Ontario Learn and Stay Grant

Ministry of Colleges and Universities

Ministry of Colleges and Universities

Context

• On March 29, 2022, Ontario announced A Plan to Stay Open, which includes a number of measures to recruit more doctors, nurses and personal support workers to the province’s health system.
• A key component of this plan is an investment of $142 million to launch the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant (OLSG). Based on the public announcement:
• Students will be eligible to receive full, upfront funding for tuition, books and other direct educational costs.
• The program will start with $81 million over the next two years to expand the Community Commitment Program for Nurses to allow for up to 1,500 nurse graduates each year to receive full tuition reimbursement in exchange for committing to practice in an underserved community.
• Starting in Spring 2023, applications will open up for up to 2,500 eligible students each year who commit to stay in their region working in an underserved community after graduation.

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Our Goal

By providing upfront grants for tuition and books in exchange for years of service after graduation in specific professions and specific priority communities, our goal is to incent Ontarians considering postsecondary studies to:

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Learn: Choose to study in fields and professions where we need them most

Serve and Stay: Work in those fields and professions, and live and invest in the priority communities, where we need them most

The Student Experience

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Key OLSG Design Parameters

In consultation and engagement with other ministries and key partners, the program will use the following design parameters:

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2023-24 Priority Programs & Communities

In consultation with the Ministry of Health, the following program types and priority communities have been selected for eligibility in the 2023-24 academic year:

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Program selections will be confirmed in consultation with appropriate institutions. New or expanded programs may also contribute to the prospective pool.

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Relationship Between OLSG and OSAP

• OLSG and OSAP are separate programs and will be promoted distinctly to avoid student confusion.
• OSAP will be available to support OLSG students with costs above the tuition and direct educational costs covered by the OLSG, such as living expenses and childcare.
• Converted OLSG grants will become Ontario Student Loans and will be treated the same as OSAP loans.
• OLSG will benefit from being housed on OSAP platforms, avoiding the need to create new infrastructure
• This includes using the existing OSAP service provider to manage the disbursement of the grant, service commitment compliance, and grant to loan conversion.
• Client profiles and accounts will be administered using OSAP systems, though the ministry will ensure webpages are branded clearly to avoid confusion
• MCU will be using established OSAP rules where possible for the OLSG
• For example, OLSG will use the same residency rules or definitions of persons with disabilities, etc., to avoid creating an entirely new set of policies.

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Thank You!

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We’re happy to hear from you.

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ben.shannon@ontario.ca

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ontario.ca/LearnAndStay

Common Questions about OSAP from High School Students and Parents

Does a student need to be a Canadian Citizen to get OSAP?

• To be eligible for OSAP, students must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a protected person.
• If an individual is registered under the Indian Act (Canada) and has no other citizenship status in Canada or chooses not to identify as a Canadian citizen, they may be considered to have status in Canada only for the purpose of federal grant and loan assistance from Canada.

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New Canadians:

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• New Canadians are welcome to apply for OSAP, assuming they are Ontario resident and are either a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a protected person.

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Can a student only take the grant portion of OSAP?

• Students studying for OSAP on a full-time basis may opt to take just their OSAP grants and not the loan.
• A student can easily request grant-only funding through their online OSAP account. 
• To decline their entire Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan, students must submit a request for grant-only funding no later than 40 days before the start of their study period.
• To decline only the second instalment of their loan, students must submit a request for grant-only funding no later than 40 days before the release of the second loan installment.
• Students can change their mind and request the loan funding. The deadline to request the loan is 40 days before the end of their study period.

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Grant-only Funding Option

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Whose income do students report if their parents are divorced or separated?

When determining how much funding a student can receive, OSAP considers many different factors, including the financial resources that students have available to contribute towards their own education (i.e., family income, spousal income, student income, etc.).

For income, OSAP uses Line 15000 from a student, spouse’s or parents’ Canadian income tax return, where applicable. If income is earned from a foreign source or is non-taxable, the total gross income earned in the year prior must be claimed.

• If a student’s parents are divorced or separated, the student will need to provide the details for the parent who holds primary custody of them on their OSAP application. If parents share custody equally, the student can then choose whose information they want to provide.
• If the student’s parent has remarried or has been in a common-law relationship for three or more years, we consider the partner’s income when we calculate how much funding the student will be eligible to receive.

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What supports are available through OSAP for students with disabilities?

• If a student has a permanent disability or a persistent or prolonged disability, they could be eligible for full-time OSAP funding if they are taking 40% or more of a full course load.
• The student must self-identify as having a permanent or persistent or prolonged disability when applying for OSAP to be considered for this benefit. Once the student applies for OSAP, the application will request a Disability Verification Form which must be completed by the student and healthcare provider, confirming the disability status and nature of the disability.
• For the 2022-23 academic year, if the student’s disability status is approved on their OSAP profile, the student is considered for $4,000 in Canada Student Grant for Students with Disabilities (CSG-D).

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Additional Aid for Students with Disabilities:

• Eligible students can get additional aid to help pay for disability-related educational services and equipment through the Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD) and Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities (CSG-DSE).
• The amount of BSWD/CSG-DSE funding a student may receive depends on the costs of the eligible disability-related educational services /equipment they need while participating in postsecondary studies.

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Currently, how much BSWD/CSG-PDSE funding can a student receive per year?

• The maximum funding per academic year is:
• BSWD: $2,000
• CSG-DSE: $20,000

Each eligible service or equipment request is considered based on a student’s specific disability and their disability-related functional limitations.

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How can OSAP help with a student’s travel costs?

• Through the OSAP assessment, some students may be eligible for financial support to help with travel and commuting costs.
• When students apply for OSAP they are considered for:
• Ontario Student Grant – Distance Component, which provides grant assistance to students enrolled in a French Language Program, who incur high transportation costs because their permanent residence is 80 kilometres or more from the closest postsecondary institution of the type they are attending.
• Return Travel Allowance, which adds up to $1,200 in travel costs to the OSAP financial need assessment for single dependent students who are living more than 30 kilometres away from their parent’s home during their study period.
• The Review to Adjust Local Travel Costs adds travel costs to the financial need assessment for students who have a significant commute between their home and institution and incur additional local travel costs, whether using a personal vehicle or public transit.
• Students must submit a “Request for Review: Adjust Local Travel in Study Period” form to their financial aid office to be considered.

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What if the student is unable to provide parental information on their application?

• The Ministry recognizes that the OSAP assessment may not reflect exceptional circumstances some students may have. As a result, several reviews have been developed to allow students to provide additional information regarding their specific circumstances. This includes the Family Breakdown Review, for students who are estranged from their parent(s) due to documented mental, physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse or drug or alcohol addiction in their family.
• Students who wish to request a Family Breakdown must indicate so on their OSAP application. The application will advise the student what supporting documents they need to provide in order to be considered for a Family Breakdown Review.
• To learn more about the review process, students should contact the Financial Aid Office at the postsecondary institution they wish to attend, after they apply for OSAP.
• Students should also know that OSAP is not the only form of financial assistance available , as postsecondary institutions also offer a wide range of student assistance. For more information, students should contact the Financial Aid Office at the postsecondary institution they are planning to attend to find out more.

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Why could a student’s grants become loans?

• In certain circumstances, students who receive grant funding through full-time OSAP may have their grants converted into loans:
• Overpayments: If a student’s situation changes during their study period (e.g., drop in course load, family status change), the change results in a lower grant entitlement than what was already issued. The overpaid grant amount is converted to loan.
• Grant to loan conversions due to withdrawal may be reversed if students had to fully withdraw from studies because of exceptional circumstances beyond their control.
• Early Withdrawal: When a student withdraws from full-time studies within the first 30 days of their study period, the full amount of their grant is converted to loan.
• Income verification: If a student’s income cannot be verified, the student’s full amount of an Ontario Student Grant is converted to an Ontario Student Loan.
• Whenever a student’s entitlement is reassessed, details of the new entitlements and the amount of grant overpayment are communicated to students via the Message Centre.

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Grant to Loan Conversion

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Besides OSAP, what other financial assistance is available to postsecondary students?

• Private scholarship opportunities are available for review on the internet via the two following links
• Scholarshipscanada.com
• Studentawards.com
• Students are also encouraged to contact the postsecondary institution they would like to attend about the various scholarships and bursaries they offer.
• This includes scholarships for domestic and international students.

Ontario-Ukraine Solidarity Scholarship:

• In response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, on April 6, 2022, the provincial government announced the creation of a $1.9 million Ontario-Ukraine Solidarity Scholarship to support students attending Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges and universities.
• Ukrainian students are encouraged to contact the institution they are planning on attending for more information about the Ontario-Ukraine Solidarity Scholarship.

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Scholarships:

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Thank you!