OSAP

OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program)

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a source of grants and loans for eligible postsecondary students. It is a program funded by the federal and provincial governments that you can apply for to help pay for your postsecondary studies.

You can apply for OSAP as a full-time student, a part-time student, or a student of an approved micro-credential program.



Eligibility

You are eligible to be considered for OSAP if you are an Ontario resident and meet the following criteria:

  • Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person
  • Maintain the minimum course load requirement
  • Maintain a satisfactory scholastic standard

For full-time OSAP, your approved program must be at least 12 weeks in length.

Course load requirements

  • You must maintain a minimum course load of 60 percent throughout the term of your OSAP study period. If you have a documented permanent, prolonged or persistent disability, you must maintain a minimum course load of 40 percent.
  • If you drop courses to less than the required course load for the term and program, it will be considered a withdrawal from full-time studies. In this case, your OSAP funding will be reassessed and an overpayment may result. Further funding for the academic year may be suspended.
  • Any loan will go into repayment six months from the date of your change in course load if you do not return to full-time studies. This policy applies to a reduced course load for any reason, including:
    • course exemption - transfer credit; or
    • when you stop attending college full-time

Contact the Financial Aid Office if you are taking courses that are compressed or do not run the full term as this may impact your eligibility for full-time or part-time OSAP. Retaking a course(s) that you have already achieved a credit for will not be included in your course load calculation for OSAP purposes.

The start and end dates of each course are considered when calculating course load. To determine the required course load:

  • refer to your program page
  • locate your affiliated term curriculum and compare it with the number of registered courses per term. For example, if you are taking three out of six required courses, you would have a 50 percent course load.

When to apply

You can apply for OSAP at the same time as you apply for your program provided the correct academic year application is available. We recommend you start your OSAP application early, as the sooner you apply, the sooner you learn how much aid you may receive. Deadline to apply for full-time OSAP is 60 days before the end of your study period and for part-time OSAP is 40 days before. For more information, visit the OSAP website.

Repaying your loans

  • You must contact the NSLSC to arrange repayment of your student loans within:
    • six months of your term's withdrawal or end date; or
    • six months of the last CIFS application completed
  • Please note that while you do not need to pay your loans for six months following the above-mentioned date, your loan will not be interest-free. Refer to the NSLSC website for updates.
  • Your Consolidation Agreement (produced for you by the NSLSC) established the terms and conditions of your repayment schedule.
  • If you cannot make your loan payments, you must contact the NSLSC immediately to discuss alternatives. You may be able to revise the terms of repayment or apply for the Repayment Assistance Plan.

For details, visit the OSAP website for the most up to date information on maximum loan/grant amounts, the OSAP aid estimator and more.

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