Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)
You must upload your OSAP documents through the OSAP portal. If you are unable to do so, please email them as PDFs.
Sign and date everything you will submit. Unsigned and undated documents cannot be processed: they will delay your application by several weeks.
What is OSAP?
The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is an application-based government aid program for Ontario resident students. It assesses your educational costs and expected financial resources and offers a mixture of repayable loans (money you must repay) and grants (money you will not need to repay).
Student Access Guarantee
The Student Access Guarantee is a partnership between York and the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities. It helps ensure your direct educational costs — tuition, books and mandatory course fees — are met when your OSAP aid does not cover all of those costs.
To be considered for the Student Access Guarantee, you must apply for and accept OSAP funding. You must also be identified to York by the Ministry as having unmet financial need.
We also strongly recommend that you submit a Student Financial Profile in every academic session to be considered for other financial aid opportunities at York.
Eligibility for OSAP
General Eligibility Requirements
To receive OSAP aid, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or have protected person status (international students are not eligible)
- have Ontario residency (lived in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months without attending full-time postsecondary school)
- register in an OSAP-approved academic program
- be neither in default on a previous OSAP student loan nor on OSAP restriction
- maintain satisfactory academic progress while receiving OSAP aid
- have demonstrated financial need as calculated by the government (gross family income as well as student resources and assets are taken into consideration).
What is the maximum amount of OSAP aid I could receive?
You can find the current yearly maximum aid amounts on the OSAP website.
Who is the National Student Loan Service Centre?
The National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) administers authorized loans on behalf of OSAP and similar provincial and territorial aid programs across Canada. It makes loans and receives loan repayments.
Set up your NSLSC account. We encourage you to register for one of NSLSC’s loan repayment webinars if you will be repaying your OSAP loans in the near future.
Calculating Course Load
Your course load is the number of your registered course credits for an academic session.
Fall/Winter Session
For most undergraduate students, a 100 per cent course load in the Fall/Winter session is 15 credits in each term —15 in Fall and 15 in Winter — for a total of 30 credits in the session. Students with a permanent disability have a lower course load eligibility requirement.
If a course runs through an entire session, its credit value is divided evenly across the two terms. For example, a six-credit Term Y course contributes three credits to your Fall term course load and three credits to your Winter term course load.
Your tuition, compulsory fees and books are calculated in the OSAP assessment based on your course load. Incorrect course load information will delay your aid.
Category of Student |
Fall/Winter Course Load Percentages |
Course Load Equivalent in Registered Credits |
OSAP Application to Use |
---|---|---|---|
Undergraduate student without a permanent disability |
At least 60% course load in both Fall and Winter |
At least 9 credits in both Fall and Winter |
Full-time application for both terms |
At least 60% course load in Fall and Between 20-59% course load in Winter |
At least 9 credits in Fall and At least 3 but less than 9 credits in Winter |
Full-time application for Fall only and Part-time application for Winter only |
|
Between 20-59% course load in Fall |
At least 3 but less than 9 credits in Fall and At least 9 credits in Winter |
Part-time application for Fall only and Full-time application for Winter only |
|
Between 20-59% course load in both Fall and Winter |
At least 3 but less than 9 credits in both Fall and Winter |
Part-time application for both terms |
|
Less than 20% course load in a term |
Less than 3 credits in a term |
Not eligible for OSAP aid in that term |
|
Undergraduate student with a permanent disability |
At least 40% course load in both Fall and Winter |
At least 6 credits in both Fall and Winter |
Full-time application for both terms |
At least 40% course load in Fall and Between 20-39% course load in Winter |
At least 6 credits in Fall and At least 3 but less than 6 credits in Winter |
Full-time application for Fall only and Part-time application for Winter only |
|
Between 20-39% course load in Fall |
At least 3 but less than 6 credits in Fall and At least 6 credits in Winter |
Part-time application for Fall only and Full-time application for Winter only |
|
Between 20-39% course load in both terms |
At least 3 but less than 6 credits in both Fall and Winter |
Part-time application for both terms |
|
Less than 20% course load in a term |
Less than 3 credits in a term |
Not eligible for OSAP aid in that term |
|
Graduate student |
Registered as a full-time student |
Credits are not considered |
Full-time application: indicate 100% course load on application |
Although the averaged course load across the two terms is the same (60%) in all three examples, the full-time OSAP aid eligibility is different for each example. Consider this carefully when you add or drop courses.
Summer Session
After You Submit Your OSAP Application
Log into your OSAP account to check your application status.
Processing Timelines
Processing can take longer if your OSAP application details or supporting documents are incorrect or incomplete. Therefore, it is very important that you submit an accurate and complete application.
If you still see no indication of an OSAP assessment after the timelines listed below, please contact Student Support and Advising.
In order for your OSAP funding to be released:
You will need to verify your income and registration status in order for your OSAP funding to be released.
Income Verification
The government performs an income verification with Revenue Canada to confirm that income on your OSAP application is consistent with the income you reported on your income tax forms. If you report incorrect income, your OSAP application may be reassessed. Such misreporting can also affect your future OSAP eligibility.
Around late November the government will email you to say that you should go online to confirm or update the income information you provided on your OSAP application. This step is important so that your OSAP aid is calculated correctly.
OSAP Funding Release
In the fall/winter session, OSAP funds are released in two instalments: one in fall (60% of funds) and one in winter (40% of funds). If you apply for OSAP aid only for one term of the fall/winter session, you will receive only one instalment at the start of that term.
In the summer session, OSAP funds are released in a single instalment.
Report Changes to OSAP Application Information
If information you submit on your application changes during the academic session where you receive OSAP aid, you are responsible to notify the University so that we can update the information on your OSAP record. Such changes might increase, decrease or have no effect on your funding.
It can eight to ten weeks to process your change request. If the change(s) impacts your entitlement, OSAP will notify you. You can also check your status on the OSAP website to see if the change has been made.
You must sign and date all forms and any supporting documents.
Do not submit duplicate forms. This will cause processing delays.
Situation |
What to Do |
---|---|
Your course load changes after your registration is confirmed |
Complete and submit the Change Request form |
Your academic program changes after your registration is confirmed |
Complete and submit the Change Request form |
You withdraw from your academic program |
Complete and submit the Change Request form |
Your personal income changes |
Complete and submit the Income Change Request form for the applicable OSAP study period |
Your parent’s income changes |
Complete and submit the OSAP Application Update: Request to Use Parent's Estimated Income form |
Your spouse’s income changes |
Complete and submit the OSAP Application Update: Request to Use Spouse's Estimated Income form |
Your banking information changes |
|
Your address changes |
|
Your OSAP application was submitted for the fall term only, but you plan to also take winter term courses |
Complete and submit the Winter Term Extension Request form |
You want to cancel your full-time OSAP application |
Complete and submit the Change Request form |
Other changes |
Complete and submit the Change Request form |
Academic Progress Standards
The government expects you to successfully complete and pass your courses as a condition for continuing OSAP aid.
OSAP Loans and Repayments
Conditions of receiving OSAP Loans
Upon receiving any OSAP loan aid, you agree to:
- use this money to pay your academic fees to York, and only then to cover other educational and living expenses related to your studies.
- promptly notify York Student Financial Services if you:
- reduce your course load
- change your program of study
- fail to progress academically
- withdraw from your studies
- change your marital status
- experience a change your personal or family financial situation.
Repaying OSAP Loans
When your studies end, you must arrange to repay your OSAP loans. You can use OSAP’s Repayment Calculator to estimate what your monthly loan repayments will be when your full-time studies end.
If you have or expect to have difficulty repaying your OSAP loans, look into OSAP’s Repayment Assistance Plan.
Frequently Used OSAP Forms
You must upload OSAP documents to your OSAP account. If you are unable to do so or have other financial aid documents to submit, please email them as PDF.
If you need to submit OSAP forms to complete your application, log in to your OSAP application. Select print/upload to access mandatory documents that you will need to download, complete, scan and upload through your OSAP application.
You can also download government forms on the OSAP site.
Connect with York University