The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a financial aid assistance program from the Federal and Provincial Government that can help you pay for college tuition, books, supplies, living and childcare expenses. OSAP offers two types of funding:

• Grants: Money you don’t have to pay back.
• Loans: Money will you have to payback.

When you apply for OSAP, you are automatically considered for both grants and loans. If you don’t want to take a loan, you can decline it after your application is approved.

There are also programs to help you repay your student loan once you’re done school.

Additional funding programs are available through OSAP for students who self-identify from these groups:

• Indigenous students
• Current and former individuals in extended society care (previously known as Crown wards)
• First generation student
• Students with a disability

OSAP applications for the current academic year are available on the OSAP website.

If you have been approved for OSAP funding, your enrolment will be confirmed starting 15 days before the semester starts, if you have:

• Selected your timetable
• Registered to at least 60 percent course load hours (40 percent if you have a documented disability)
• Submitted all required OSAP documents
• No “holds” on your student account
• Been successful in the previous semester(s)

You can try the OSAP Calculator now to see how much funding you could be eligible for!

Other Financial Aid Programs:

• Bursary for Students with Disabilities(BSWD)
• Canada Student Grants(CSG)
• Ontario Student Grant(OTG)
• Part-time Canada Student Loan(PTCSL)

The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities announced that there will be changes to OSAP effective the 2019-2020 academic year. To help you understand what these changes mean and how they may impact you, please review the following updates:

Interest-free grace period

The six-month loan repayment grace period remains unchanged. During the first six months of discontinuing full-time studies (e.g. after finishing the final year of your program), students are not required to make any loan payments.

During the six-month loan repayment grace period, however, students will accrue interest on the provincial portion of their loans.

Changes to grant eligibility

All OSAP applicants will receive a minimum of 10% of their funding as a loan (however, students can still continue to select the “grant only” option on their OSAP application to not take on any debt). The percentage of funding that will be a loan will depend on a few factors, including the student’s income (and if applicable, their family’s) and the student’s status (dependent, single independent, married/common-law, or sole-support parent).

Students whose families have a household income of $140,000 or more will no longer be eligible for the Ontario Student Grant (compared to $175,000 or more in 2018/2019).

Change of the definition of ‘independent student’

Independent students will now be defined as a student who has been out of high school for six years (compared to four years). This means that students will need to continue to report their parents’ income on their OSAP application if they have been out of high school for less than six years.

Grant-to-loan ratio for graduate students

Graduate students’ OSAP funding will be, at minimum, 50% loan or more. This means graduate students may receive less grant funding compared to previous years.

Changes to expected student, family, and spousal contributions

The purpose of OSAP is to supplement a student’s contribution to their educational costs. The amount that students will be expected to contribute will increase from $3,000 to $3,600 for 2019-20. This expected contribution is automatically calculated into students’ OSAP assessments.

The expected family and spousal contributions (if applicable) will increase in 2019/2020, which may impact students’ OSAP assessment differently compared to previous years (see “Affordability of Postsecondary Education in Ontario”).

Compulsory fees

For the 2018-2019 academic year, an OSAP assessment included service and education-related fees charged and paid by the student (i.e., mandatory and optional fees paid by the student). In 2019-2020 the OSAP assessment will only include the mandatory fees related to the campus-wide services all students must pay (see the OSAP website). Students will have the option to opt out of the optional fees during the registration process.

Scholarships, awards, and bursaries

We are aware that the changes to OSAP in 2019/2020 may have significant impacts on your funding compared to previous years. There are other supports available to help you pay for your education. We encourage all students to explore and apply for the many scholarship, bursaries and awards we offer. Applications are available on your myCambrian portal effective August 1^st.

Students approved for OSAP funding are responsible to pay the minimum deposit in order to confirm registration. Your deposit is not paid by OSAP. All students are responsible to ensure their tuition is paid in full by the deadline date noted in the academic schedule.

Full-Time Students

• You must be a Canadian citizen, protected person or permanent resident of Canada.
• You must be an Ontario resident (living in Ontario for at least 12 months immediately prior to your study period).
• You must be registered in full-time studies taking at least 60% course work load; 40% for students with a permanent disability.
• You must maintain academic progress.
• You must be in good academic standing.
• Your program of study is at the post-secondary level (degree, diploma or certificate program)
• Your total family gross income falls below the applicable maximum based on your family size.

Part-Time Students

• You must be a Canadian citizen, protected person or permanent resident of Canada.
• You must be an Ontario resident (living in Ontario for at least 12 months immediately prior to your study period).
• You must be registered in a full-time studies taking at least 20-59% course work load.
  1. Students taking less than 20% of their course load are not eligible for OSAP.
• You must maintain academic progress.
• You must be in good academic standing.
• Your program of study is at the post-secondary level (degree, diploma or certificate program)
• Your total family gross income falls below the applicable maximum based on your family size.

Students with a confirmed permanent disability:

• 60%+ of a full course load = full-time student
• 40-59% of a full course load = either full- or part-time student (you choose)
• 20-39% of a full course load = part-time student.

Please note: Part-time OSAP only covers the cost of tuition, books, transportation and child care costs if applicable. Unlike full-time OSAP it does not cover living expenses.

Effective April 3, 2018, in order to receive student loan/grant funding, new applicants requiring a Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) will be required to follow a two-step online process. Please see the MSFAA section for details.

We highly recommend you apply at least 3 months before your studies begin in order to allow time for your application and supporting documents to process. We want to make sure you have your funding prior to starting your studies.

1. Online is the Fastest Option

• Your application and the OSAP website is available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Submit your application by the deadline date to avoid delays.
• It’s important to be accurate. Any changes you need to make after you submit your application need to be done through the Enrolment Centre.
• Make sure to have your Ontario Access Number (OAN) and Social Insurance Number. (If this is your first time to apply for OSAP, you will be given your OAN at the time of application).
• It is quick and easy to use and your information is secure.
• Built-in prompts will help you avoid making entry errors.
• You can get an on-the-spot estimate of the amount of funding you may receive.
• There is no application fee when you apply online.

2. Paper

If you requested paper notifications from OSAP, it could take a few weeks to reach you.

To change your preference for OSAP notifications: log in and update your profile information through “Email & Correspondence Options” on the left navigation bar.

Check your application status Online

As soon as you submit your application, status information is available online. OSAP will send you email reminders about any changes.

Notice of Assessment/Entitlement

Once the application has been processed and your financial need is assessed, you will receive a “Notice of OSAP Assessment.” The “Notice of OSAP Assessment” outlines your entitlement for Canada Student Loan and/or Ontario Student Loan funding. You may receive a “NIL assessment”, which means that your resources appear to be sufficient to meet your allowable educational costs 

Confirmation of Enrolment

Your OSAP funding will be deposited into your bank account shortly after your enrolment is confirmed by Financial Aid (usually 3-5 business days from the confirmation date or from the negotiable date, whichever is later). Your funds will be deposited electronically by the National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC) to your bank account. 

Updating your Income

OSAP always verifies:

• your income information
• your parent(s) and/or spouse’s income

If the information on your application differs from Canada Revenue Agency records, your OSAP could be re-assessed.

If this happens:

• your next instalment of money could change
• you could have to repay the money you’ve already received (called an overpayment) before you can receive more OSAP funding

Please check your application on an ongoing basis to ensure that all outstanding requirements have been met and are satisfied.

Cancelling an OSAP application

You can cancel your application online or contact the Enrolment Centre. To cancel a paper application, contact the Enrolment Centre.

Resetting your Password

If you forget your password you will need to visit any Financial Aid Office at a public college or university. You will need to bring your valid government-issued photo ID and Social Insurance Card to retrieve that information.

Note: If you do not have a SIN card, proof of SIN for OSAP purposes includes: SIN card (or photocopy), CRA Notice of Assessment, Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions or receipt for a new SIN card from Service Canada. (T4, T1, T5 forms are NOT accepted)

To view what documents you need to provide, click on View Application Details on your OSAP online account. PLEASE NOTE: Incomplete applications cannot be processed.

Common documentation: 

Consents, Declarations and Signature Form

• Print and sign (in dark ink) all required areas of your and parent(s)/spouse/common-law’s (if required) Consents, Declarations and Signature Form. You can also request that the Ministry mails the documentation to you.
• Upload the signed form(s) online or submit to the Enrolment Centre at Cambrian College. Incomplete forms will not be processed. 

Other Supporting Documentation

• Any additional required supporting documentation (ie. a marriage certificate, proof of parent(s) income, proof of dependents etc.) should be uploaded online or submitted (photocopies) to the Enrolment Centre at Cambrian College.
• Additional documentation will be listed under the “View Documents & Print/Upload” section of your online OSAP application. 

Parent/Spouse Information

On the application, your parent(s) and/or spouse may need to:

• provide their personal information (e.g., name, address)
• state their annual income
• sign a declaration and signature page

Know which of your parent(s) will provide information on your application

• If you are a dependent student and your parents are married or in a common-law relationship with each other, both of them must provide information on your application.

Required documents must be uploaded directly to your OSAP account. Here is what the upload notification in your OSAP account will look like:

When you click this link, you will be brought to a page which outlines:

• How to scan a document to create a PDF file
• All of the steps to upload a document
• Details on what you will require for your Declaration and Signature pages.

Once your uploaded document has been reviewed, you will see the document status on your OSAP portal changed to: APPROVED

• If your document is not accepted, it will be denied, and you will be contacted notifying you of why it was not accepted.

Repayment starts when there is a 6-month break in full-time study (regardless of intent to return to full-time study shortly after the 6 months). During this 6-month grace period, you will:

• Not be charged interest on the Canada portion of your loans.
• Be charged for the interest on the Ontario portion of your loans.

You will be making your payments back to the National Student Loan Service Centre.

Here, you can:

• see the status of your loan
• update your contact information
• change your monthly payment amount
• apply for the Repayment Assistance Plan

You will receive a notice in the mail that your loan repayments are about to begin.

If you don’t receive notice by mail, make sure you contact NSLSC before your six-month non-repayment period is over. You’ll want to review all aspects of your loan(s) and finalize details concerning repayment

View video on how to repay OSAP.

To track your loan and print documents such as your T4A for income tax purposes, please visit your Can Learn account.

For more information on how to pay back your OSAP loan, please visit Pay Back OSAP

Here are some OSAP definitions to help provide clarity when filing out your OSAP application.

Ontario Residency

To be considered an Ontario resident, you must meet one of the following residency criteria:

• You have always resided in Ontario, or
• Ontario is the last province you resided in for 12 consecutive months without being a full-time postsecondary student.

In certain circumstances, you can meet Ontario residency requirements on the basis of the residency of your spouse (if applicable) or parent(s) (if applicable)

Common-law relationship

For OSAP, you’re living in a common-law relationship if you and your spouse:

• have cohabitated continuously for a period of at least 3 years or
• are in a relationship of some permanence and are the natural or adoptive parents of a child

Crown ward (Now referred as “Child to extended society care”)

A Crown ward is a term previously used to describe a child in Ontario who became a ward of the Crown by a court order made under the former Child and Family Services Act. A Crown ward is now referred to as a “child in extended society care”.

“Dependent” means that you:

• you’re not married or in a common-law relationship
• you’re not separated, divorced or widowed
• you’re not a sole-support parent
• you’ve been out of high school for less than 6 years before the start of your study period
  • if you applied for 2018-19 OSAP for Full-Time Students and you were 4 or more years out of high school in 2018-19, you are still considered an independent student
• you haven’t worked full-time for at least 24 months in a row since finishing high school

Student Income Information

When reporting income for your study period, you must include your total estimated income for the entire study period. (E.g. September to April) from the sources identified on the application, ie. Employment, awards/scholarships, government, etc.

Parental Income

When completing the parent(s) income section, students must use the figures from their parents’ Tax Returns – T1 General or Notice of Assessment from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

To prevent OSAP loan and grant overpayments, students must report income accurately on the OSAP application and any income/status changes during the academic year to the Financial Aid Office.

Overpayment

There are 2 types of overpayment:

• A loan overpayment occurs when you receive more loan funding than you should have. This may happen if things change from when you first completed your OSAP application. For example, you take fewer courses than you anticipated or you earn more than expected while in school.
• A grant/bursary overpayment exists when you receive more grant or bursary funding than you should have. You may be required to repay the overpayment to be eligible for further student aid. Some grant overpayments are converted to a loan to repay.

To learn more about OSAP definitions, please visit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/osap-definitions#section-29

The Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) replaces previous federal and provincial loan agreements. Since it is a multi-year agreement, it is more efficient and easier to use. For instance, you will not need to sign a new agreement the next time you apply for student financial assistance (unless you take a two-year break in study or establish residency in another province/territory).

The MSFAA outlines your responsibilities and the terms and conditions of accepting and repaying your student loans.

Your MSFAA will not show you how much you are getting in federal and provincial loans or grants. You will receive a separate Notice of Assessment from your province or territory that tells you how much student financial assistance you will receive.

New Electronic Identity Verification and Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) Process

Loans for applicants requiring an MSFAA

Effective April 3, 2018, in order to receive student loan/grant funding, new applicants requiring a Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) will be required to follow a two-step online process. The MSFAA is a legal agreement between you, your province/territory and the Canada Student Loans Program about borrowing and repaying your provincial/territorial and federal student loans.

Step 1

The first step to registering your account with the NSLSC is to confirm your identity via GCKey or Sign-In Partner. You will also be required to input your 10-digit MSFAA number as part of the identity verification process.

SecureKey Sign-In Partners are private sector companies and organizations that have partnered with SecureKey Technologies to enable their customers to use their online credentials (e.g. card numbers or usernames and passwords) to access Government of Canada services.

GCKey is a Government of Canada service that issues credentials (username and password) that are used to access (log in to) federal government services online. The GCKey service can be used by clients who do not have, or choose not to use, a credential they may already have with one of the Sign-In Partners.

Step 2

Next, you will be asked to complete their MSFAA. This step includes:

1. Confirming personal and contact information
2. Completing communication preferences
3. Entering banking information
4. Accepting the terms and conditions

A new MSFAA will be issued to applicants if the applicant is:

• A first-time loan or grant recipient enrolled in full-time studies
• An existing loan or grant recipient who has experienced a break in studies of more than two years
• An existing loan or grant recipient who has established residency in another province/territory

How will I receive my MSFAA number?

You will be provided with your MSFAA number 2-3 business days after you submit your OSAP application.

NOTE: Within two to three business days of receiving this Notice of Assessment that includes your 10-digit MSFAA number, you will receive a “Welcome Email” from the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC). It will invite you to register for your online account with the NSLSC and complete your MSFAA.

You’ll receive a “Welcome Email” from info@msfaa-emafe.cibletudes-canlearn.ca, with a subject line of “Register now to set up your online account”.

Use the URL in the “Welcome Email” to register an account with the NSLSC so you can complete your MSFAA online. You will need to copy and paste this URL into a new browser window to start the NSLSC registration process.

For more information, visit: https://csnpe-nslsc.cibletudes-canlearn.ca/eng/default.aspx

OSAP Reviews and Appeals

A student may request that their OSAP assessment or bursary eligibility be reviewed if they have a special situation which is not recognized in the standard OSAP or bursary assessment of financial need.

The following appeal outlines and forms will assist you in determining if your situation falls within an allowable review.  If you have determined that your situation falls within one or more of the allowable reviews below, print off the cover page, attach all letters and supporting documentation and submit your package to the Financial Assistance Office for review.

All letters must be legible, signed and dated and your student number must be clearly noted.  Letters from third parties must include contact information for the person who is corroborating the situation and making a recommendation.

The deadline date for submission of a review to the Financial Assistance Office (FAO) or Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities, including requests for reconsideration, is 40 days before the end of your study period ALL required supporting documentation must be submitted by the deadline.

Requesting a review of your full-time funding

Depending on your situation, you can ask for a review of the financial aid you are eligible to receive.

Some examples include:

• you have unanticipated financial difficulties
• you’re unable to make your expected contributions
• you’ve experienced a family breakdown since submitting your application
• you’re not progressing academically due to circumstances beyond your control
• you’ve declared bankruptcy

To start a review: you need to meet with your Financial Assistance Officer.

Review request deadline

You need to submit a request for a review 40 days before the end of your study period.

Situations that do not qualify for a review:

• you’ve received the maximum amount of aid
• your parent(s) arbitrarily refuse to contribute to your education-related costs
• your citizenship status
• requests past the deadline

Upon receiving any OSAP loan aid, you assume the following responsibilities:

• To read and follow all the terms and conditions in the Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) form.
• Agree to use this loan aid first to pay your tuition and fees to Cambrian College, then to cover other educational and living expenses related to your studies
• To make appropriate repayment arrangements with your lender when you cease full-time studies.
• To the Enrolment Centre if you:
  1. reduce your course load
  2. change your program of study
  3. fail to progress academically
  4. withdraw from your studies
  5. experience a change in marital status
  6. experience a change in your personal or familial financial situation.

The Ontario and federal governments take these responsibilities very seriously, and so should you. If you fail to meet loan obligations the possible consequences include:

• Reassessment and reduction of your OSAP entitlement
• Refusal of future student loan assistance
• Poor credit rating
• Additional interest charges
• Collection proceedings
• Legal action
• Loss of income tax refunds.

If you want someone to have access to information about your OSAP application, you need to give permission first. This is called granting consent.

To grant consent – Fill out the Release of Information to Others section in your profile. You can do this online or on your paper application.

Your consent gives the person access to all information in your OSAP file for a five-year period.

To update or delete consent – Log into your OSAP account. Update or delete your consent through “Release of Information to Others” in your profile.

In addition to the minimum academic requirements, students are expected to progress through the successive years of their program of study.

Frequent or multiple program switches, dropping from a full course load to a part-time course load, withdrawing from a program, repeating a program and/or taking multiple programs at the same level of study may be considered lack of progress and lack of academic direction on the part of a student which could affect your OSAP funding.

If you have defaulted on your student loan, you may still be eligible for OSAP. However, you must clear your default first. Contact the appropriate organization to find out what to do.

You may not be eligible for OSAP if you:

• Have enough financial resources to cover your expenses allowed by OSAP
• Receive other government aid that covers your postsecondary education expenses
• Have defaulted on a student loan
• Failed a credit check
• Don’t meet the academic progress requirements
• Have multiple loan overpayments outstanding
• Have outstanding grant or bursary overpayments(s)
• Tell us your income is one number and there’s a significant difference between that number and the one on file with the Canada Revenue Agency
• Declared bankruptcy or consumer proposal, or consolidation orders under the Orderly Payment of Debts
• Have reached your lifetime limit of student loan funding

Appeal for failed credit check

If you failed the credit check, you may still be eligible to apply for OSAP. You will have to show the exceptional circumstances why you failed and prove you’ll be able to repay your student loan.  You can review the appeal credit check appeal process by clicking on the “OSAP Appeals” tab.

Once you submit your online OSAP application, you can no longer edit it.

If, however circumstances in your life change before or during your study period like your income, marital status, family size, access to transportation, etc., you must notify the Enrolment Centre in order to update your OSAP application.

Changes Can Affect Your Funding!

Your OSAP entitlement is based on the number of course hours in which you are enrolled. If you drop or change courses after you apply, it could affect your OSAP entitlement and may cause delays in receiving your funding.

When applying for OSAP you provide personal and financial information that is used to determine your eligibility and funding entitlement. If this information changes during the academic session in which you receive OSAP assistance, then you are responsible to notify the Enrolment Centre so that we can update the information on your OSAP record. These changes may increase, decrease, or not affect your funding entitlement.

If change(s) impacts your entitlement, then you will be notified by the Ministry. You can also check your status by logging into the OSAP website to see if the change has been completed.

Income Changes

When you applied for OSAP you may have reported income from several sources, and need to report changes to any of those sources.

• Your Own Income
• Your Parents Income
• Your Spouse’s Income

Before you begin your studies, you need to:

• report the amount of social assistance you receive on your OSAP application
• let your caseworker know how much OSAP you receive

If you are in receipt of ODSP support, or if your spouse or common-law partner is in receipt of ODSP support, OSAP will cover only your direct educational costs, including tuition, compulsory fees, books, supplies, equipment and local travel costs. This calculation will be done automatically when you apply for OSAP.  You can continue to get ODSP funding to help with living costs while receiving OSAP.

If you get financial support through the Ontario Works program, you need to apply for OSAP to help cover both your education and living costs.

If you are receiving EI, Second Career, or CPP support, you will need to declare it as income on your OSAP application. OSAP can act as a “top-up” in these cases if the OSAP calculation deems that more support is required.

OSAP Overpayment

Any time there is a change in a student’s OSAP account it can result in a reassessment of their funding. For example:

• reducing your course load
• opting out of student activity fees
• receiving more award funding
• earning more at a part-time job than you originally reported on your application

Any of these situations could result in a reduction in your OSAP entitlement.  If after these changes are made a student is no longer entitled to all the OSAP funding they received they will have an OSAP overpayment. In other words, an overpayment occurs when a student has received more OSAP than they were entitled to receive.

It is a student’s responsibility to contact the Financial Assistance Office when they have made changes in their course load, income or student status that may impact on their OSAP entitlement.

Please review the Review and Appeals section for further instructions.

If there is a discrepancy between the income reported to OSAP and the income information received from Canada Revenue Agency or the time that you were enrolled, your application will be reassessed using the Canada Revenue Agency information. As a result, your eligibility and the amount of assistance you are eligible to receive may change.

You may run into access problems when you have 3 instances of $2,000 or more OR have total overpayments of $10,000 or more.

If you have made payments to the NSLSC towards an overpayment, provide the Enrolment Centre with a copy of your loan statement so the payment can be recorded for you.

Income Variance

If the ministry determines that there is a significant variance between the income information reported to OSAP and the income information received from Canada Revenue Agency, you will not be eligible for any further assistance from OSAP for up to five years. The Ministry will send you a letter requesting an explanation of the amount and source of your income. It will use this information to conduct a review to determine if you are eligible for further assistance. It is important to note that if there is a significant variance between the income reported to OSAP and the amount reported to Canada Revenue Agency, you may be subject to further investigation and possible legal action.

Previous Loan Restrictions

If you have defaulted on payments of previous loans and now have a restriction, you may need to contact the following offices for further information:

Provincial Restriction (Ontario Shared Services) 1-800-387-5604
Federal Restriction (National Student Loan Service Centre) 1-888-815-4514

The federal and provincial governments have announced a 6-month, interest-free moratorium on the repayment of student loans for people already in the process of paying back their loans. To see a list of other financial measures to assist both international and domestic students, go to the question “What support is the Federal Government offering students?” found on this page.

If you have questions about OSAP, please contact our Enrolment Centre at enrolmentcentre@cambriancollege.ca

Treatment of CERB and CESB on OSAP Application

Canada has announced two programs to provide temporary income support for individuals who have lost income due to COVID-19 and are unable to work. These are the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB).

• The CERB is available to support students who made at least $5,000 (before taxes) in the last year, but only if they had been working and lost their source of income when the pandemic struck. More information can be found at: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/questions.html#eligibility
• The CESB is available to support students and new graduates who are not eligible for the CERB. More information can be found at: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2020/04/support-for-students-and-recent-graduates-impacted-by-covid-19.html

Reporting Income on OSAP Applications

For students with an OSAP application, the CESB and CERB are to be reported in the same way as employment and other non-employment income.  Therefore, only report CESB and/or CERB in the following scenarios:

• 1-term study period (12-20 weeks): income received over $5,600
• 2-term study period (21-40 weeks): income received over $11,200
• 3-term study period (41-52 weeks): income received over $16,800

Only report income on your OSAP application if it exceeds the threshold above for the length of your study period from the following sources:

1.  Employment Income
2.  Teaching or Research Assistantships
3.  Child support and/or spousal support
4.  Foster parent payments
5.  Rental income
6.  Investment income including interest and dividends
7.  CERB
8.  CESB

Do not report CERB or CESB as government income.  Continue to report EI as you normally would as government income.

To see a list of other financial measures to assist both international and domestic students, click here.

You may be eligible for OSAP if you are an Ontario residents who is a:

1. • Canadian Citizens
   • Permanent Resident
   • Protected Person (Protected Person Status Document is required)
   • Have Ontario residency, that is, have lived in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months without attending full-time postsecondary school.

You may be ineligible for OSAP if:

1. • You are in default on a previous OSAP student loan or on OSAP restriction
   • You haven not maintained satisfactory academic progress while receiving OSAP
   • You reported incorrect income information (student, parents or spouse) on your original application

There are a number of reasons why a student may not have received their funding yet. If you have not received your funding, it is likely that one of the situations below applies to you:

• If you recently applied for OSAP, your application is being reviewed. It can take up to 6 weeks for the Ministry to review and verify your information.
• You have not submitted your MSFAA or supporting documents. Your application will be on hold until the MSFAA and supporting documents have been processed.
• There may be errors in your application. Check your OSAP application status online on the OSAP website.
• You may have made changes to your application after it was submitted that have changed your loan assessment such as income, course load, living arrangements or transportation costs. When the changes are made, the Ministry has to review your application again to assess your OSAP.
• If the college has just received your file, it can take 3 business days for the college to confirm your enrolment. It can take 5-10 business days for the funds to be deposited in your account.

Login to your OSAP account to see updates on your file. You will find out if there are any errors or if the Ministry requires any additional information from you before they can process your loan. Your status will be updated throughout the assessment process. Once your status is ‘confirmed’, National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) will be given your funding information and they will start to process the payments to your bank account.

If you have not received your funds after 10 business days after confirmation of your enrolment, call the National Student Loans Student Centre at 1-888-815-4514.

Federal and Provincial funds are deposited separately, as are loans and grants, so you could see one to as many as six deposits.

No, you will be required to make a $250.00 deposit on or before the deposit due date even if you are expecting to receive OSAP funding. OSAP does not pay the initial tuition deposit for you.

You are responsible for paying your tuition fees. However, when your enrolment is confirmed, the Financial Aid Office will request up to your balance owing or the amount of your OSAP (the lesser of the two) to be paid directly to the College.  The National Student Loans Student Centre will direct your funds to the college to cover your semester’s fees. You need to check your account status on myCambrian to confirm your fees were paid in full.

If you forgot your password, you can either:

• Use your Challenge Questions and Answers that you created in your OSAP application to log in to the OSAP website.
• Obtain a temporary password in person at a Financial Assistance Office of any College or University. Make sure you bring your Social Insurance Card and one piece of valid government-issued photo I.D. to confirm your identity at the Financial Assistance Office.
• Use the Temporary Password Request Form.

Confirmation of your assessment will be provided by the Ministry. Login to the OSAP website to check the status of your application periodically.

Be sure to speak with our staff in the Enrolment Centre. if you have any changes to your situation (i.e. course load, income, award funding, marital status, etc.)

You can visit the Enrolment Centre and talk to one of our Financial Assistance Advisors for options.

Check the status of your OSAP application and assessment on the Ontario Student Assistance Program website.

If a student drops a course(s) their OSAP funding could be reduced or they may lose eligibility for further funding.

A student may also be placed on OSAP restriction due to an overpayment.

Students unsure of how dropping a course will affect their funding should email or make an appointment with the Enrolment Centre.

Students on OSAP are allowed to make up to $5,600/semester.

• i.e. a student studying for 2 consecutive semesters (i.e. September – April) are allowed to make $11,200. Anything over that may affect funding and must be reported to the Financial Aid Office.

A loan overpayment occurs when you receive more funding than they were entitled to receive, usually due to some piece of information in their application has changed. (For example, dropping to part-time status, withdrawal or earning more income than estimated.)

A grant overpayment is when you receives more grant funds than you should have (For example, your study period plans changed after receiving their funding)

The financial aid office or the ministry will let you know when and how you need to repay the overpayment.

You may be required to repay the overpayment before you can be considered for more funding from OSAP.

Visit CanLearn for more information.

Difference between a dependent and independent

• A dependent is a student who is:
  • Not married, in a common-law relationship, separated, divorced or widowed
  • Not a sole-support parent
  • Been out of high school for less than 6 years before the start of your study period
  • Haven’t worked full-time for at least 24 months in a row since high school and out of high school
• An independent is person who is:
  • Not currently married or in a common-law relationship and you don’t have any dependent children
  • Been out of high school for 6 or more years at the start of your study period
  • Worked full-time for at least 24 months in a row since high school
  • Both parents are deceased
  • Extended Society Care (current or former Crown Ward)
• If you are considered a dependent, OSAP requires your parents’ income in order to determine how much funding you are eligible for. This applies even if you are not living at home or whether your parents are contributing towards your schooling or not.
• Parental information is required unless you are estranged from your parent(s) due to extenuating circumstances (e.g. documented mental, physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse or drug or alcohol addiction).

• Confirmation of enrolment is done by the college
• Confirmation of enrolment happens once you registered for your program (picked your timetable)
  • The only time confirmation does not happen upon registration is for the Fall Semester. Registration normally opens August 1^st, confirmation of enrolment does not happen until last week of August.
• Once your enrolment is confirmed, funding is released between 3-5 business days after the negotiable date.
• Typically, students receive 60% of their entitlement for the first semester and 40% for the second semester.
  • OSAP only comes in 2 installments, if a student is in a 3 semester program, they must pay their tuition with the money already provided by OSAP.

Usually you will not know if you are the recipient of a Cambrian College scholarship or bursary until your schooling is underway.

The financial aid office will report any scholarships and/or bursaries won on the student’s behalf.

However, you must report any scholarship and/or bursary funding they receive from an external source (other than Cambrian College).

The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) requires Post-Secondary institutions to participate in the Student Access Guarantee (SAG) and states:

• Qualified Ontario students should not be prevented from attending Ontario’s public colleges and universities due to lack of financial support programs, and;
• Students in need should have access to the resources they need for their tuition, books, compulsory fees, equipment, and supplies.

Student have to be identified by the Ministry as having unmet need for their direct educational costs (books, tuition and compulsory fees) as determined by OSAP.  This is a grant that is on top of their OSAP entitlement and does not affect their OSAP amount.

• This is not to be considered guaranteed money as the estimated amount MAY change due to changes to a student’s income, course load, program, tuition charged, if they withdrew/dropped to part-time status or aid issued by Cambrian prior to the release of these funds.

Should a student still qualify for the grant, it will go towards any outstanding tuition first and any additional funding will be released in a cheque.

Grants that you have received will be converted to loan you will have to repay if you are deemed to not be eligible for any or all of them any longer.

• Grant eligibility is based on number of weeks of full-time enrolment so you may have received more what you are entitled to if you stopped being full-time.
• If you have withdrawn during the semester or dropped to part-time studies you will be affected.
• Income reported on your application could not be verified with Canada Revenue Agency

You need to repay if:

• You have an OSAP loan
• You received a grant or bursary overpayment
• You grant got converted into a loan

You have to repay when:

• You OSAP loan six months after their study period ends.
• You need to make payments to the NSLSC, not to OSAP.

You do not need to start repaying loan if the school confirms your enrolment on an OSAP application for the next study period or if you complete a Continuation of Interest-Free Status request.

Continuation of Interest-Free Status:

• If you are back in school full-time and have previous OSAP loans. When your loans are in interest-free status, you do not have to make payments on the interest and principal.
• The Continuation of Interest-Free Status Application is the way the NSLSC is notified that they are back in full-time studies.
• You must apply for interest-free status through OSAP. You will log into your OSAP account and fill out the application.

With an account, you can:

• Check the status or your loan and balances
• Update your contact information
• Apply for repayment assistance
• Request a change to the terms of your repayment

Within 6 months after you graduate or leave full-time studies, you will get a package from the NSLSC with information about:

• The total number of payments
• The date of your first payment
• The interest rates used to calculate your payment

Students can visit www.canlearn.ca to set up an account