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Ontario universities are committed to ensuring that every qualified student can attend university.

Ontario is a leader in student support

• University students in Ontario receive more grants and loans than anywhere else in Canada.1
• Ontario has a fair and generous student assistance program to ensure all qualified students are able to attend university and that cost is not a barrier to access.
• Universities are committed to providing students with both merit-based scholarships and needs-based bursaries. In 2009-10, universities provided more than $660 million in bursary and scholarship funding that did not need to be repaid.2 The per-student amount is also steadily rising, averaging over $1,750 per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) student.3

The Student Access Guarantee

• The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and the Student Access Guarantee (SAG) help ensure that every qualified student, no matter their financial means, has access to university education.
• SAG provides financial aid to cover students’ assessed needs for tuition, books and mandatory fees, if these are not fully met by OSAP.4 In 2009-10, universities provided approximately $118 million to assist over 58,000 students through SAG.5

OSAP works

• OSAP supports students who need it the most: almost 2/3 of OSAP recipients have parental income of under $75,000.
• Only 4% of Ontario university students default on their OSAP loans, compared to 11% of college students, as most are able to find good jobs shortly after graduation that enable them to repay their loans.6

New changes to OSAP mean better access to loans for students

• Students now have a six-month, interest-free grace period after graduation before they start repaying their loans.
• Under the Repayment Assistance Program (RAP), no graduate is asked to pay more than 20% of their family income towards student loans. After 15 years, any remaining student loan debt is forgiven.
• Students are now able to earn and keep more of their savings before any reductions to their loan awards take place. In 2010, the new study-period income exemption more than doubled to $3,500.
• More non-repayable grants are now available, through the introduction of the Canada Student Grant and the Ontario Access Grant, that aim to provide support for students from low-income families and underrepresented groups.
• OSAP Interactive Tools are available at: https://osap.gov.on.ca/OSAPPortal/en/Tools/index.htm

Jennifer Grass, Senior Director, Communications & Public Affairs
416-979-2165 extension 261
Email Jennifer Grass

Published June 2011

1. Drewes, T., Accessibility in Ontario’s Postsecondary Education System: an Interprovincial   Comparative Analysis. Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (Toronto 2008).

2. Council of Finance Officers – Universities of Ontario (COFO-UO), Table 5, Line 25 (Scholarships and Bursaries) 2009-10.

3. Council of Ontario Universities, from MTCU enrolment data, 2009-10; includes eligible Full-Time Enrolments.

4. Undergraduate students are automatically assessed by the universities for non-repayable assistance, while students in second-entry programs, such as law, medicine, dentistry and teacher education, submit an application to the university. Part of the assistance may be provided through access to a student line of credit.

5. Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, 2009-10 Student Access Guarantee Expenditures, universities.

6. Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Ontario Student Loan Recipients and Defaults for Ontario Universities, 2009 and 2008. https://osap.gov.on.ca/OSAPPortal/en/PlanYourEducation/ChooseaCareerSchoolProgram/PRD003050.html