Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about OSAP

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1 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about OSAP WHAT IS OSAP? CAN ANYONE GET OSAP? WHICH AID PROGRAMS ARE AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED FOR BY COMPLETING THE DIFFERENT APPLICATION FORMS? WHAT IS THE NEW 30% OFF ONTARIO TUITION GRANT? STUDENTS JUST RECENTLY MOVED TO CANADA - ARE THEY ELIGIBLE TO APPLY? STUDENTS JUST RECENTLY MOVED TO ONTARIO - ARE THEY ELIGIBLE TO APPLY? A STUDENT IS GOING TO POSTSECONDARY SCHOOL OUTSIDE OF ONTARIO. CAN S/HE STILL QUALIFY FOR OSAP? A STUDENT IS NOT SURE HOW TO DESCRIBE HIS/HER LIVING SITUATION. WHAT IF A STUDENT IS NOT LIVING WITH HIS/HER PARENT(S)? WHAT IF A STUDENT IS LIVING WITH CHILDREN OF HIS/HER OWN? WHAT ABOUT ABORIGINAL STUDENTS? WHAT ABOUT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES? WHAT ABOUT STUDENTS RECEIVING SOCIAL ASSISTANCE? A STUDENT LIVES WITH HIS/HER MOM, MOM S BOYFRIEND, AND HIS 3 KIDS. WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD THE STUDENT PROVIDE FOR PARENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS? CAN A STUDENT S PARENT(S)/GUARDIAN(S) CALL OSAP IF THEY WANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE STUDENT S APPLICATION? WHAT HAPPENS IF A STUDENT NEEDS TO CHANGE SOMETHING AFTER SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION? WHAT S THE DEADLINE FOR APPLYING TO OSAP? HOW AND WHEN WILL STUDENTS FIND OUT WHETHER THEY VE BEEN APPROVED FOR OSAP? HOW AND WHEN DO STUDENTS RECEIVE THEIR OSAP GRANT OR LOAN? IF A STUDENT DOESN T HEAR BACK FROM OSAP, CAN THEY DEFER TUITION PAYMENTS? WHAT HAPPENS IF STUDENTS APPLY FOR OSAP BUT THEN DECIDE NOT TO GO TO COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY? DO STUDENTS HAVE TO APPLY TO OSAP EVERY YEAR? WHEN DO STUDENTS HAVE TO START PAYING BACK THE LOANS THEY RECEIVED FROM OSAP? IS FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE OTHER THAN (OR IN ADDITION TO) OSAP? IS THERE A CONTACT NUMBER OR FOR OSAP? WHAT IS THE ONTARIO STUDENT ACCESS GUARANTEE? CAN I SUBMIT MULTIPLE OSAP APPLICATIONS? DO I NEED TO SUBMIT ANY SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION? 1

2 What is OSAP? OSAP is the Ontario Student Assistance Program, and helps Ontario students pay for their post-secondary education Can anyone get OSAP? Every student with a Social Insurance Number (SIN) can apply for OSAP, but not all will be eligible to receive it. The application collects information on program costs, their parent s income, and their assets and income. A formula is then used to determine the student s eligibility for grants and/or loans, and how much of each will be received. Which aid programs are automatically applied for by completing the different application forms? For Full-Time Studies: 30% Off Ontario Tuition Canada Student Grant for Persons with Permanent Disabilities Canada Student Grant for Persons with Low-Income Families Canada Student Grant for Persons from Middle Income Families Canada Student Grant for Persons with Dependents Canada-Ontario integrated Student Loans Canada Access Grant Canada Access Grant for Crown Wards Ontario Distance Grant Commuting For Part-Time Studies: Canada Student Grant for Persons with Permanent Disabilities Canada Student Grant for Part-Time Students with Dependents Canada Student Grant for Part-Time Studies Ontario Part-Time Grant Part-Time Canada Student Loan What is the New 30% Off Ontario Tuition Grant? It s a grant to help pay for tuition, and students could still qualify even if they do not receive OSAP. Among other requirements, they must be a full-time undergraduate student at an Ontario college or university. Students just recently moved to Canada - are they eligible to apply? To be eligible for OSAP, you must be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident, or a Protected Person. Citizenship must be obtained prior to submitting the Application for Full-time Students in order to be eligible to apply for assistance for the study period starting in September. 2

3 Students just recently moved to Ontario - are they eligible to apply? To be eligible for OSAP, Ontario must be the last province in which they resided for 12 consecutive months without being a full-time postsecondary student. If they lived in another Canadian province or territory within the last 12 months, they must contact that province s or territories student assistance program to determine eligibility for assistance. Exceptions can apply so if in doubt, they should contact the Financial Aid Office of the college or university they plan to attend, or call the OSAP toll free line if they attend or plan to attend a post-secondary school outside of Ontario ( ). A student is going to postsecondary school outside of Ontario. Can s/he still qualify for OSAP? Yes. OSAP provides financial assistance for Ontario citizens to study at approved institutions outside of Ontario or overseas. A student is not sure how to describe his/her living situation. The OSAP application process requires that students be assigned a category which most closely fits their living situation. The categories reflect whether the student is 1) dependent on or independent of parental support; 2) living at home or away from home; or 3) married or is a sole support parent. Fortunately, specific questions are asked during the application process that helps to ensure their living situation is accurately described (e.g., Where will they be living before attending college/university? Will they be living with your parent(s) during college/university? e.t.c.). If they are unsure about how to answer questions about their living arrangements, it may be helpful to have them contact the college or university s Financial Aid Office or call the OSAP toll free line if they attend or plan to attend a post-secondary school outside of Ontario ( ). What if a student is not living with his/her parent(s)? The Personal Information section of the full-time or part-time OSAP online application form includes questions on living arrangements, including arrangements in which students are not currently living with their parents. Students should be advised to complete the information in this section in a way that most accurately describes their current living arrangements and that the online application form will automatically bring students to only those sections of the application that apply to his/her circumstances. Students not living with their parents may or may not be required to complete the parent/family income section. What if a student is living with children of his/her own? The Personal Information section of the full-time or part-time OSAP online application form includes questions on living arrangements, including arrangements in which students have and/or are living with children of their own. Students should be advised to complete the information in this section in a way that most accurately describes their current living arrangements and that the online application form will automatically bring students to only those sections of the application that apply to his/her circumstances. 3

4 What about Aboriginal students? The Aboriginal Postsecondary Education and Training Bursary provides support to First Nations and Métis students with financial need. For more information, students should contact their postsecondary school's Financial Aid Office. Many schools offer other scholarships and bursaries specifically for Aboriginal students. Students may also be eligible for funding through their band they should apply for this before they complete their OSAP application, as this funding will be part of how OSAP calculates how much aid students can get. For more information, students should contact the Financial Aid Office at their postsecondary school. What about students with disabilities? In addition to student loans, OSAP offer a number of grants and bursaries to students with permanent disabilities according to the following guidelines: If a student is taking 60% or more of a full course load, s/he must apply for OSAP for Full-Time Students. If a student is taking 40% or less than 60% of a full course load, s/he can choose to apply for OSAP for Part-Time Students or OSAP for Full-Time Students depending on which program best meets his/her financial needs. If a student is taking between 20% and 40% of a full course load, s/he must apply for OSAP for Part- Time Students. Grants and bursaries available only to students with a disability include: Bursary for Students with Disabilities Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Persons with Permanent Disabilities Canada Student Grant for Persons with Permanent Disabilities Specialized student loan repayment assistance for students with permanent disabilities includes: Severe Permanent Disability Benefit Canada Permanent Disability Benefit What about students receiving social assistance? If a student is receiving social assistance under a program such as the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or Ontario Works (OW), s/he may also apply for OSAP grants, bursaries, scholarships and fellowships, and loans. When they fill out their OSAP application, they must indicate the type and amount of social assistance that they expect to receive. Likewise, they must let their ODSP or OW caseworker know how much OSAP aid they have received. It's important to do this before they begin their studies and no later than when they pick up their funding certificate. 4

5 If a student is receiving funding from ODSP, they ll continue to receive that funding for their living costs. If their OSAP aid exceeds their direct educational and local transportation costs, they may choose to have their ODSP income support reduced or they may request a reduction of OSAP aid to maintain full ODSP income support. Students should contact their ODSP caseworker for more information. If students are receiving funding from OW, they must apply for OSAP aid for their educational costs and living costs. If they are a single student studying full-time, they are not eligible for OW funding if they receive OSAP aid. If they are a sole-support parent or married they may be eligible for an OW top-up if the amount of funds from OSAP aid for living costs is less than their OW income support. Students should contact their OW caseworker for more information. A student lives with his/her Mom, mom s boyfriend, and his 3 kids. What information should the student provide for parental contributions? For the purpose of assessing parental contributions, parents include natural parents, step parents, legal guardians, and sponsors. Parental contributions also vary by family income and family size. For example, any dependent children listed in the OSAP application and the parent(s) themselves, are counted to determine the number of members in the family. To ensure the right information is entered, it may be helpful to have a student contact their postsecondary school s Financial Aid Office or call the OSAP hotline. Can a student s parent(s)/guardian(s) call OSAP if they want information about the student s application? In order for OSAP to share information or discuss the application, students indicate on the application the first and last name and date-of-birth of the individual (i.e. parent) being granted access. Up to two individuals can be entered. What happens if a student needs to change something after submitting the application? Some information in the application can be changed online by signing back in, such as the information in the user profile. Information in the application that affects the award such as income, parental income, would need to be revised at the institution Financial Aid Office. OSAP require students to sign and agree that applications aren't being submitted until the student is sure all this information is correct. What s the deadline for applying to OSAP? 5

6 The deadline for applying for OSAP depends on a number of things including type or length of programs. How and when will students find out whether they ve been approved for OSAP? How and when do students receive their OSAP grant or loan? As soon as their application for financial assistance has been processed (which normally takes 4-6 weeks), students will be sent a notification of assessment. This will tell students if they are eligible for aid, the type of funding they ve been approved for, the amount, when they ll receive their money, and where it will be sent. Their money will not be released until after they ve enrolled in their program. If a student doesn t hear back from OSAP, can they defer tuition payments? They will need to raise this issue with the Student Aid Officer and Financial Aid Office at the postsecondary school they attend. They may be able to establish an agreement until they have learned the outcome of their application. What happens if students apply for OSAP but then decide not to go to college or university? Students don t have to attend just because they apply for aid. When they receive your OSAP Notice of Assessment, they can choose whether or not to accept the offer and process their loan agreements. There are no consequences or penalties for deciding not to process the loan agreements, and any on-line applications that they start but don t finish within 45 days are automatically deleted from the system. If they decide later to attend, they ll need to start a new OSAP application. Do students have to apply to OSAP every year? Yes. But if they receive OSAP aid and then apply again for aid for another year of full-time studies, the online process will lead them to a shorter renewal application. This way, they don t have to give the same information all over again. When do students have to start paying back the loans they received from OSAP? They have to begin paying the loan back six months after they graduate, leave school, or if they switch from fulltime to part-time studies. Whether they graduate or not, they must pay back their student loan. For most students, their loan will include an Ontario portion and a separate federal portion. The Ontario portion is interest- 6

7 free during the six-month grace period, while interest accrues on the federal portion during this time. Repayment is coordinated by the National Student Loans Service Centre. Is financial aid available other than (or in addition to) OSAP? Yes. Many organizations (such as employers, volunteer and religious organizations, and civic groups) offer scholarships and bursaries visit and for ideas. In addition, almost all colleges and universities have their own financial aid programs. Is there a contact number or for OSAP? The OSAP toll free line can be called if students attend or plan to attend a post-secondary school outside of Ontario ( ). Otherwise, students should contact the Financial Aid Office of the school they plan to attend. What is the Ontario Student Access Guarantee? It s a guarantee that no qualified Ontario student will be prevented from pursuing post-secondary education due to a lack of financial support. The guarantee requires colleges and universities to provide enough financial aid to cover students expenses directly related to his/her program (including books, tuition and mandatory fees) that are not fully met by OSAP. Students will automatically be considered for the Ontario Student Access Guarantee aid based on their OSAP application. Can I submit multiple OSAP applications? Students can submit multiple applications for multiple schools. Only the programs they are enrolled in will be paid out. (The system does delete unsubmitted applications after 45 days, but if both applications are submitted, neither is deleted.) Applications remain open until a confirmation of enrolment has been issued by the institution, and the student is paid. If a student applies to two schools, and attends one, their application to that school is processed. The other remains open but unprocessed until that school sees that the student isn't enrolled, and closes it. Do I need to submit any supporting documentation? OSAP will indicate whether the student still needs to provide supporting documents. Once submitted, students can click on check status, which will bring them to the Status Summary screen. Outstanding supporting documents will be listed as part of the Checklist of things to do. 7