Top 10 Questions in SAFA

Last Updated: May 23

1. I received a letter from The National Student Loan Service Centre stating I have a loan overpayment. What does this mean?
2. I haven’t received my 30% off Ontario Tuition Grant yet. How can I check the status?
3. How many courses do I need to be eligible for Spring/Summer OSAP?
4. I will be graduating this year. When do I have to start repaying my loans?
5. When should I submit my OSAP application for the 2012-2013 academic year?
6. Can I apply for bursary assistance for the Spring/Summer session?
7. I need to apply for OSAP but have forgotten my OSAP Access Number and/or password. What do I do?
8. When do the scholarship applications open for the 2012-2013 academic year?
9. I’m not in full-time studies. Does that mean I can’t get OSAP funding at all?
10. I submit a Spring/Summer extension form for OSAP. Now what?
 

1. I received a letter from The National Student Loan Service Centre stating I have a loan overpayment. What does this mean?

An overpayment occurs when you are reassessed and no longer eligible for the amount of funding you initially received. There are many reasons why this may occur, including, but not limited to, change in income, change in course load, or a discrepancy between the income you reported on your OSAP application and those obtained from the Canada Revenue Agency.

The first overpayment that occurs on your account is non-payable and will not affect your future eligibility for OSAP funding. Any additional overpayments must be paid in full to The National Student Loan Service Centre before any other OSAP funding will be distributed.

If you have received a Statement of Loan Overpayment letter and would like further information about the overpayment, please contact the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office. Our office is located on the 4th floor of the Schmon Tower and our office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-4:30pm.

If you would like to repay a loan overpayment, please contact the National Student Loan Service Centre at 1-888-815-4514. Once you have re-paid your overpayment, be sure to have the National Student Loans Service Centre fax a receipt of the payment to the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office at (905) 688-3051.

2. I haven’t received my 30% off Ontario Tuition Grant yet. How can I check the status?

If you still haven’t received the 30% off Ontario Tuition Grant, we can check your status. Bring your social insurance card and a valid, government issued ID to the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office to inquire. Our office is located on the 4th floor of the Schmon Tower and our office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm.

3. How many courses do I need to be eligible for Spring/Summer OSAP?

In order to be eligible for OSAP funding for the Spring/Summer session, you must be registered in a 60% course load (40% for students with a registered permanent disability). If you were receiving OSAP funding during the Fall/Winter session, you can simply compete our Spring/Summer extension form on the Student Awards and Financial Aid website to have your OSAP application reassessed.

If you would like to receive OSAP funding for the Spring term only, you must be registered in at least 1.0 credit over a five week period or 1.5 credits over a 10 week period. If you would like to receive OSAP funding for the Spring and Summer, you must be registered in 1.5 credits over a 16 week period or a half credit in the Spring and 2 half credits in the Summer over an 11 week period.

If you were not receiving OSAP funding during the Fall/Winter session, you can apply for Spring/Summer OSAP by completing a new application on the OSAP website. Keep in mind that new OSAP applications must be for a minimum of 12 weeks in duration, so you would have to take both Spring and Summer to qualify.

4. I will be graduating this year. When do I have to start repaying my loans?

You will have a six month grace period after you are finished full-time studies before you are expected to begin repayment. During this time, interest will begin to accumulate on the Federal portion of your student loans. You can begin making payments on your student loans at any time.

You can learn more about repaying your student loans by visiting the CanLearn website.

Should you have any questions, you are also welcome to contact the National Student Loans Service Centre at 1-888-815-4514.

5. When should I submit my OSAP application for the 2012-2013 academic year?

If you would like to receive the first installment of your OSAP funding in September, it is recommended that an OSAP application is submitted by the end of June 2012.

OSAP applications must be submitted within 30 days of the study period start date if you are only studying for one term. If you are attending school for the full Fall/Winter 2012-2013 academic year, OSAP applications must be submitted no later than 90 days before then end of the study period (April 24, 2013). Submitting an application after the start of the study period may result in a significant decrease in your funding.

Please be sure to check out our step-by-step OSAP guide, as the process is changing for the upcoming academic year.

6. Can I apply for bursary assistance for the Spring/Summer session?

Yes. If you already submit an application for bursary assistance for the Fall/Winter session, you can submit another application for the Spring/Summer session. The Awards and Bursary Application is available on the Student Awards and Financial Aid Website. Bursaries are based on financial need and are non-repayable.

7. I need to apply for OSAP but have forgotten my OSAP Access Number and/or password. What do I do?

You can drop by the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office at Brock to retrieve your OAN number and have your password reset. Our office is located on the 4th floor of Schmon Tower and our office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30 pm. Please keep in mind that we close for lunch from 12-1pm.

If you are not in the St. Catharines area, you can retrieve your OAN number and password at any institution that administers OSAP (i.e. McMaster University, Fleming College, Queen University, etc.). OAN numbers and passwords cannot be given out over phone or email. Please be sure to bring valid government issued photo ID and your social insurance card.

If none of the above options are available to you, please fill out the Request for OSAP Access Number form on the OSAP website.

8. When do the scholarship applications open for the 2012-2013 academic year?

Brock’s in-course scholarships are open from April 1st until May 30th. You can fill out the “Awards and Bursary Application” at www.brocku.ca/safa to be considered. By filling out this single application form, you will be considered for all Brock scholarships.

9. I’m not in full-time studies. Does that mean I can’t get OSAP funding at all?

No; you might still be able to receive funding through the part-time OSAP application. The application is available on the OSAP website. Part-time OSAP funding may be able to assist with your educational costs, but does not fund your daily living expenses. If you have any questions, be sure to contact us.

10. I submit a Spring/Summer extension form for OSAP. Now what?
The Financial Aid Officers have to manually adjust each OSAP account, so you can expect the process to take a few weeks. Once your paperwork has been processed you will be sent a Notice of Reassessment from the Ministry (either by mail or email, depending on how you asked to be notified). You can also check out our step-by-step guide for more information about receiving Spring/Summer OSAP funding.