The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a mix of federal and provincial loans and grants for students to help students afford the cost of post-secondary education. It provides eligible students with financial assistance to help pay for tuition, books, living costs, and transportation.  These loans and grants are administered by and paid through the National Student Loan Service Center (NSLSC).  Students are strongly encouraged to complete the on demand, online NSLSC orientation presentation.

You must be an Ontario resident and be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a protected person.  For more information, please see https://www.ontario.ca/page/learn-about-osap.  You must also be enrolled in approved programs of study.  Generally, these lead to a degree (Undergraduate, Graduate or PhD)  Open studies is not a degree program and OSAP is not available for non credentialed programs unless specifically approved by the Ministry (approved Micro-Credentials, upgrading courses that are required and part of an offer of admission into a degree program).

To determine if you qualify for full time or part time OSAP, there are minimum registration requirements and satisfactory academic progress requirements to maintain eligibility.

No averaging of course loads is permitted; for example, if you take 80 per cent of a full course load in your first term and 40 per cent in your second term, the course loads cannot be averaged to equal 60 per cent to meet the minimum requirement. In this case, you would not be eligible for an integrated loan in the second term. If you are not sure of your percentage of a full course load, please contact us and we would be happy to let you know.  Graduate students in per term programs should apply for OSAP based on their admission as either a full time or part time student.  Graduate students in per credit programs must still meet minimum 60% course load requirements for their program for full time OSAP.

If you reduce your course load during a term (drop or withdraw) you MUST submit a course load change form.  If you increase your course load and would like to be considered for additional funding, you may also submit a course load change form to have your OSAP file reviewed.  Not all course load increases will result in additional funding. You can only be funded for a course once if you have obtained credit for the course unless you must obtain a higher grade to remain in your program or transfer to another program.

To request a SP/SU extension to your Fall and Winter, Fall or Winter full time application, please complete the Undergraduate or Graduate extension form once available.  Remember that OSAP year is Sept – Aug.  If you need to complete a new app rather than an extension, be sure you are submitting for the correct OSAP year.  Example:  Current SP/SU term (2024) is the 2023-2024 OSAP year.  2024-2025 OSAP year begins September 2024 and runs to August 2025.  Duplicate courses that you have previously received a passing grade for are not eligible for OSAP funding unless a higher grade is required to remain in your program or to be eligible to enter/transfer to a new program.  Students must contact their Academic Advisor and request they complete the required MS Office form, which will then be submitted to our office.

You can use the OSAP Aid Estimator without completing an application to see what funding you may be eligible for.  It’s also important to use the Brock Fee Estimator to understand what the approximate cost of your studies will be.  We highly recommend reviewing the Brock$ense guide, watching our financial literacy podcasts and attending Smart Start for first year students.

You can submit an OSAP application when you have an offer of admission and the OSAP application is open for the year of entry.  You can submit applications for multiple schools, however, only one school can confirm your enrolment.  Make sure to close applications for schools you are not attending and be sure your have fully deregistered from any classes you may have enrolled in if you do not intend to study there, in accordance with their policies and procedures.  You should complete your application by the end of June to ensure you have time to obtain and upload any required documents to process your application.  Normal processing times are 4-6 week.  All applications must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the end of your study period and all documents completed and uploaded to your OSAP portal at least 40 days before the end of your study period.  It’s very important that you log into your OSAP portal at OSAP.ca regularly to review the status of your application and any communications or requests for information/documents that have been sent to you.

When your application is complete and the Ministry opens the confirmation of enrolment period (about 14 days before the study period start date) our office will confirm your enrolment.  This will start the disbursement process at the National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC).  This process normally takes about 7-10 business days.

OSAP is paid directly to the University for the anticipated balance owed in the current OSAP disbursement period.  The anticipated balance owed to the University includes any past due amounts owed plus current tuition, ancillary fees, program fees, residence fees, meal plan fees and any other fees identified as being charged to your student account.  Any OSAP entitlement over and above the anticipated amount owed to the University will be paid directly to the student by the National Student Loans Service Center.   It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their OSAP application is complete and a confirmed assessment has been obtained in order for payment to reach the University in a timely manner and meet due dates.  Any remaining balance not covered by OSAP must be paid by the student in accordance with the University payment due dates. Interest charges will accrue on outstanding balances as noted in the overdue account policy.  Information on how to make a payment:  Making a Payment.

It’s important to review your student account often and 1-2 days after each registration change as the amount due may change.

We recommend that you apply for and accept all funding available to you each year, even if you think you won’t need it.  You can put unused funds into a savings account and repay NSLSC immediately after you stop being a full time student.  If you have made the decision to not apply for OSAP but are still a full time student, you can log into your OSAP portal and complete the online Request for Continuation of Interest Free Status.