OSAP - Ontario Student Assistance Program

OSAP consists of several plans:

• Canada Student Loan

• Ontario Student Loan

• Canada Study Grant for Students with Dependents

• Ontario Special Bursary for Part-time Study

• Canada Student Loan for Part-time Students and/or
  Special Opportunity Grant

• Child Care Bursary

• Bursary for Students with Disabilities

• Work Study Program

These plans provide assistance based on your calculated financial need. They supplement, but do not replace, the financial resources that you should have available to meet the cost of your education. The OSAP application form provides the assessment for the first three programs.

Applications for Ontario Special Bursary and Ontario Work Study are available from the Financial Assistance Office. Your financial need and other eligibility criteria are considered to determine your entitlement to any of the above plans.

Canada Student Loan, Ontario Student Loan and Canada Study Grant for Students with Dependents
When you apply for OSAP you are assessed for the above three plans. You must be studying at a full-time level, 60 per cent or above. If you qualify for OSAP you could be eligible for Child Care Bursary if you have more that 2 dependents or Bursary for Students with Disabilities if you have a permanent disability.

How Do I Apply for OSAP?
Applications can be done on the web at http://osap.gov.on.ca at no charge. You can also apply on a booklet application that becomes available in late spring of each year. The fee for the booklet is $10.00. Students who have completed at least one year of a program and are continuing in the next year of the same program are able to apply online in early March of each year. Provided that you have not changed your marital status or college, this is the easiest way to apply. Submit your completed booklet application directly to the Financial Assistance Office. Renewal applications are done on the web.

When Will I Receive My OSAP?
After you have applied, either on the WEB or with a booklet, you will be notified in writing at the address that you have used on your application, what to do next. If there are no errors and all signatures are in place, your loan(s) are produced and sent to the college. As a first year student you can pick up your loans when classes begin at St. James, Ryerson, or Casa Loma Campus, provided that you have applied on time. You must be registered, attending, and have paid your deferral fee. Financial Assistance will post notices as to the exact location and dates of our services at all campuses. Remember that we will require your Social Insurance Card and another piece of Provincial or Federal Government issued photo I.D. in order to release the loan(s). Neither BYID issued by the LCBO nor college issued Student ID is acceptable due to Canada Student Loan policy.  College issued Student Identification is not acceptable.  You then take the loan documents to a designated postal outlet or make arrangements through a representative from the National Student Loan Service Centre on campus. All loans are processed by the NSLSC.

As a returning student, if the college receives your loan(s) on time we will mail them to your current address with instructions. Remember to return the signed "Confirmation of Enrollment" to our office for processing. It is the form that produces your next funding. Any questions can be addressed to the Financial Assistance office at your campus. Do not return the loan document to the Financial Assistance office to cash it.

Child Care Bursary
If you have more than 2 dependent children who require daycare or babysitting costs, you might be eligible for this bursary. You must qualify for OSAP. If you do not receive an application form with your OSAP assessment contact the Financial Assistance Office.

Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for the Top Scholarship
The Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship Aiming for the Top Scholarship is designed to recognize students who have shown academic excellence at the high-school level and to assist student with financial need.

Details are available in the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship publication or from the guidance office at your high school or on the OSAP Web site, at http://osap.gov.on.ca

Renewal Requirements for the Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for the Top Scholarship

In order to maintain this scholarship from year to year at George Brown College, students are required to achieve an “A” average. This is the renewal threshold for the Scholarship. Because we use two grading methods at GBC, the requirement for students who are in a diploma or certificate program that uses the Grade Point Average is that you maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5. We cannot renew your scholarship if you do not meet this minimum requirement. A GPA of 3.49 does not meet the threshold for renewal. If you are in one of the Degree programs that compile grades as percentages, the minimum percentage is 79.5%. An average of 79.49 does not meet the requirement.

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Revised: October 6, 2009