Dependent and independent students

You are considered to be an independent student if any of the following apply to you:

• You are married;
• You are in a common-law relationship;
• You are a sole-support parent;
• You are separated, divorced, or widowed;
• You have been out of high school for at least four years before the start of this study period;
• You have not been a full-time student at a high school or post secondary institution for at least two years before this study period.

If none of the above statements are true, you are considered to be a dependent student.

Brock student ID number

The Brock student ID number is a seven-digit identification number that is assigned to all applicants and students at Brock University. You will need this number for all forms submitted on this website. This number can be found on your offer of admission letter.  If you are an applicant to the University and do not know this number, you can use your OUAC reference number instead.

Dependent children

Dependent children are preschool children and children attending elementary or high school. Children 16 years of age or older either must be full-time high school or post-secondary students (taking 60 per cent or more of a full course load), or must have a disability. Do not include children who have been out of high school for at least four years or who have been in the workforce for at least 12 months in a row on two or more occasions.

Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) reference number

This is the 11-digit number found on all your OUAC application form pages. It begins with the four-digit year and is located in the top right of each page. It will also be quoted on other OUAC and admission documents you get from the University. Do not type any spaces or dashes when you are entering your OUAC reference number in an application on our website. If you know your Brock student ID number, please use it instead of this number.

Ontario residency requirements

Many of our awards require Ontario residency status. For the purpose of determining residency status for these awards, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a protected person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada). Citizenship must be obtained prior to receiving the award; and

• be a resident of Ontario as defined below.

You are considered a resident of Ontario if:

• you have lived in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months before beginning your full-time post-secondary studies;

• you are married or in a common-law relationship. Your residency can also be based on the amount of time your spouse or common-law partner has lived in Ontario. In this situation, you are considered a resident of Ontario if your spouse has lived in Ontario for at least 12 months in a row up to the beginning of your study period, and your spouse was not enrolled in full-time post-secondary studies during this 12-month period;

• for OSAP purposes you are considered a dependent student. Your residency can be based on the residency of your parent(s), step-parent, legal guardian(s), or official sponsor(s). In this situation, you are considered a resident of Ontario if your parent(s), step-parent, legal guardian(s), or official sponsor(s) have lived in Ontario for at least 12 months in a row up to the beginning of your study period.

• Note: If none of the above situations apply to you, you are not considered a resident of Ontario.

Pre-study period

This is the period of time between your last full-time enrolment in a secondary or post-secondary institution. It’s typically the summer months between study periods. Students already in post-secondary study generally will have pre-study period of a maximum of 16 weeks. Students from secondary school will have a pre-study period of approximately eight weeks.

Pre-study period income

This is the gross income earned in the period of time between your last full-time enrolment in a secondary or post-secondary institution. It’s typically the summer earnings between study periods.

Study period

This is the period of full-time enrolment in a secondary or post-secondary institution. It’s typically the fall and winter months.

Study period income

The gross income earned in the period of time of full-time enrolment in a secondary or post-secondary institution. It’s typically the part-time earnings during the fall and winter months.

Permanent disability

For the purposes of this application, permanent disability is defined as a functional limitation that is caused by a physical or mental impairment that restricts your ability to perform the daily tasks necessary to participate in studies at the post-secondary level or in the labour force, and that is expected to remain with you for life.

If you indicate that you have a permanent disability, you are considered to be full-time if you are taking at least 40 per cent of a full course load. If your course load is between 40 and 59 per cent of a full course load, you may be required to submit documentation to confirm that you have a permanent disability. Acceptable documentation includes a medical certificate or a learning disability assessment completed by a qualified practitioner.

Valid forms of identification

To pick up your loan documents you must provide both of the following:

• One piece of valid photo ID issued in Canada by the federal, or a provincial or territorial government (a legible photocopy is acceptable).  Examples of acceptable ID are: a valid driver’s licence, passport, provincial health card with photo, permanent residency or citizenship card, etc.

• One document proving that the social insurance number on your loan or grant authorization document is your own; for example, you may present your social insurance number card (a legible photocopy is acceptable) or an official Government of Canada document that indicates your social insurance number (e.g., a Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment, a Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions, or a Confirmation of Social Insurance Number from Service Canada).