In this section . . .

Find general information about:

• Objective and purpose
• How student financial assistance works in Ontario
• NSLSC - National Student Loans Service Centre
• Loan life cycle - a typical academic year
• Social Insurance Number - you'll need one to apply
• Authority for collection and use of personal information - understand what information we can get and share

• Your Responsibilities, Consents, Instruction, and Declarations
• OSAP Definitions

General Information

Objective and Purpose

The objective of student financial assistance is to assist eligible students who do not have the resources to meet the costs of postsecondary education. The intention is to promote equality of opportunity for postsecondary studies by providing financial assistance for educational costs and basic living expenses where students (and their families) do not have the resources to meet these costs.

The purpose is to supplement, not to replace, the financial resources that you (and your family, if applicable) are expected to contribute. Assistance is based on financial need as established by the federal and/or provincial governments and as determined by the ministry through an assessment of your Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) application. Educational costs (such as tuition fees, books and supplies, basic living expenses) and the resources that you (and your family, if applicable) are expected to contribute are taken into consideration. It is not the purpose of student financial assistance to supply all the assistance you may need to meet your educational and living costs. As the amount of funding you are entitled to receive is based on the information you provide, it is essential that you promptly notify the ministry or your financial aid office of any change to your financial, academic, family, and/or study period status.

The Province of Ontario is committed to ensuring that all qualified students continue to have access to high-quality educational programs that will provide them with the skills and expertise they need for future success. The Province of Ontario provides the Ontario Student Loan portion of the Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan.  Access grants are provided to first-time, first-year and to second-year postsecondary students to help them with their tuition costs.  In addition, a number of scholarships, grants, and bursaries are offered to assist eligible students, and the province provides a  range of initiatives to help students manage their student loans.

The Government of Canada believes that lifelong learning is essential in order to keep pace with the changing needs of today’s global, knowledge-based economy. In today’s job market, education brings personal success. It holds the key to a better job and a higher income while helping Canadians to gain a better understanding of the world around them, play a more confident role as Canadians, and lead more satisfying lives.

Through the Canada portion of the Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan, Canada Access Grants, Canada Study Grants, the Canada Education Savings Grant Program, and the Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the Government of Canada helps students receive the support they need to gain access to postsecondary education. In addition, it helps them acquire the knowledge they need to succeed in an increasingly well-educated, adaptable, and skilled workforce.

How Student Financial Assistance Works in Ontario

Financial assistance for postsecondary students is available through a variety of programs that are funded by the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada. Program policies are the responsibility of the funding agency, and program processes and procedures are developed in cooperation by the two levels of government. 

Full-time students may be eligible to receive an integrated student loan. The Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan is funded by both the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. Because this loan is integrated, you are only required to complete one application form, the Application for Financial Assistance for Full-Time Postsecondary Students, and if you are eligible, you will receive only one loan certificate. There is also a loan for part-time students, funded solely by the Government of Canada. In addition, each level of government provides has other student financial assistance programs in the form of grants, scholarships, and/or bursaries. For these other programs, separate application forms may be required.

Access grants are provided to qualifying first-time, first-year and second-year students to help them with their tuition costs. If you are a first-year, first-time student who qualifies, you will be able to receive a grant from the Government of Canada and a grant jointly offered by Ontario and the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.  Together, these can cover as much as $6,000 or 100 per cent of your tuition.  If you are a second-year student, you will be able to receive an Ontario access grant that can cover as much as $3,000 or 50 per cent of your tuition.  Eligibility for access grants will be determined using the information that you and your parents submit through the regular OSAP Application for Full-Time Students.   

Ontario continues to provide Ontario Student Opportunity Grants that limit the amount of Canada-Ontario Student Loan debt that an eligible student has to repay to $7,000 for two-terms of study. 

In Ontario, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities administers student financial assistance programs on behalf of the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario through the Ontario Student Assistance Program. Generally, the ministry is responsible for providing students with the tools and information they need to apply for assistance, assessing students for the level of financial assistance available from each of the programs, and providing a mechanism for the release of funding (e.g., cheque, payment to reduce debt load, or the loan document used by the student to negotiate his or her loan). 

The ministry works in partnership with the financial aid offices at Ontario postsecondary institutions. These offices play a vital role in the administration of student financial assistance because they act as a student’s direct resource for questions and issues. The ministry acts as the financial aid office for students attending out-of-province postsecondary institutions.

There is another partner involved in the administration of student financial assistance in Ontario: the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC). The NSLSC will:

• process your loan certificate;
• arrange for your loan funds to be deposited to your bank account;
• help you keep track of the amount of your loan and the amount you have to repay;
• administer interest-relief and debt-reduction programs; 
• work with you to set up a loan repayment schedule.

The NSLSC consists of two divisions, the Public Institutions Division and the Private Institutions Division. Which division will administer your student loans is outlined below. Each of your loan certificates will have either "PUBLIC NSLSC" or "PRIVATE NSLSC" printed in the upper right corner. 

Loan and Grant Life Cycle

Social Insurance Number

You must have a valid permanent Social Insurance Number (SIN) in order for your OSAP application to be processed. A temporary SIN, which begins with '9' is not considered to be a valid SIN for OSAP purposes unless you hold current Protected Person status, as deemed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

If you do not have a valid Social Insurance Number, contact any office at Human Resources Skills and Social Development Canada, Employment and Insurance, for information about how to obtain one. They are listed in the blue pages of local telephone directories.

Authority for Collection and Use of Personal Information

Your personal information provided on this application form and in all other communications related to your application and award of financial assistance, including your Social Insurance Number, is used by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to administer and finance the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) to administer and finance the Canada Student Loans Program and by the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation (CMSF) to administer and finance the Millennium Bursary and Millennium/Ontario Access Grants. Your SIN will be used as a general identifier in administering OSAP. In administering these programs, the ministry, HRSDC and CMSF also use your personal information in respect of this and previous applications and awards of assistance to conduct policy analysis, evaluation and research related to all aspects of the programs, including developing key performance indicators about your postsecondary institution such as the aggregated Ontario Student Loan default rates of its students. The ministry, HRSDC and CMSF may use contractors or auditors for any of these activities. Under agreement with the ministry and HRSDC, the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) uses your personal information to administer OSAP and the Canada Student Loans Program. Under agreement with the ministry, your postsecondary institution and, where authorized by the ministry, its agents who administer OSAP and its auditors use your personal information to administer OSAP and the Canada Student Loans Program.

Administration includes: determining your eligibility for an award of financial assistance; verifying your application; verifying any award of financial assistance and any relief granted from any payment you are required to make; considering any applications for review or appeals of determinations relating to your financial assistance or eligibility for relief from any payment; maintaining and auditing your file; collecting loans, overpayments, and repayments; enforcing the legislation set out below and your agreements with the ministry, the Ontario Student Loan Trust, and HRSDC; and monitoring and auditing the NSLSC and your postsecondary institution or its authorized agents to ensure that they are administering the programs appropriately; and conducting policy analysis, evaluation and research. Financing includes: funding or arranging funding of the programs.

The ministry administers OSAP under the authority of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.19, as amended, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 773, Reg. 774, and Reg. 775, as amended, and O. Reg. 268/01, as amended; the Financial Administration Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F. 12, as amended; the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act, S.C. 1994, c. 28, as amended; the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations, SOR 95-329, as amended; and the Budget Implementation Act, 1998, S.C. 1998, c. 21, as amended. If you have any questions about the collection or use of this information, contact the Director, Student Support Branch, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, PO Box 4500, 189 Red River Road, 4th Floor, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6G9.