Assistance with Tuition

Universities and accredited colleges in Ontario are partially funded by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. This offsets students’ tuition fees to a large extent, but for many students financial assistance is still required. The Provincial and Federal governments offer loan and bursary programs to make postsecondary education more accessible.

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is designed to promote equality of opportunity for postsecondary studies by providing financial assistance for educational costs and basic living expenses where students (and their families) do not have the resources to meet these costs. OSAP’s purpose is to supplement, not to replace, the financial resources that a student and his or her family are expected to contribute towards postsecondary education.

Students participate in an application process which assesses a student’s available financial resources and the cost of living, tuition and learning materials before receiving a loan. OSAP loans are designed to be repaid over an extended period of time following graduation at a reasonable rate of interest. In some cases, grants are offered which do not require repayment. In other circumstances, loans have been forgiven in part or entirely based on individual merit.

Canada Student Loans (CSL) are available to students applying for OSAP, who will be automatically considered for Canada Student Loans as well. Upon approval these loans will further supplement the assistance provided by OSAP. Qualifications are similar to those for OSAP, as are the repayment terms.

In addition to these assistance programs from the Provincial and Federal governments, schools themselves and numerous private organizations offer bursaries, scholarships, grants and loans to assist students based on criteria of merit or need. Students should contact their local school to ask about financial aid and awards.