OSAP

Want to report changes to your OSAP application? Please fill out the required form below and bring it to our office (or fax it to 416-487-6779).

More Than Just Loans – Grants and Bursaries, Too!

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) provides full-time students from Ontario with interest-free loans, as well as many grants and bursaries (that’s FREE money!). When you apply for OSAP, you also make yourself eligible to apply for bursaries given out by York and the Friends of Glendon through the Student Financial Profile.

If you’d like to learn more about the kinds of funding available from OSAP, how OSAP works, and to get an estimate of how much funding you could receive, check out the Access Window. This is a great site to show your parents, too.

OSAP Advice

OSAP – The Basics
OSAP Life Cycle

OSAP 101: 10 Things You Need to Know (Presentation: Sept. 2007)

OSAP 202: Preparing for Next Year (Presentation: 27 Mar. 2008)

Repaying OSAP (Presentation: March 2008)

OSAP FAQ

Am I eligible to receive funding from OSAP?
What’s the deadline to apply for OSAP?
How do I apply for OSAP grants and bursaries?
If I only qualify for a loan, do I have to take it?
When and how do I get my OSAP?
How do I update my OSAP application, because I got a job/dropped a course, etc?
More OSAP questions?

Am I eligible to receive funding from OSAP?
To apply for OSAP, you must be a resident of Ontario and either a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person. You must be a full-time student, meaning you must take at least a 60% course load (9 credits per semester) or a 40% course load if you are a student with a disability (6 credits per semester). For more information on OSAP eligibility, click here.  

What’s the deadline to apply for OSAP?
Now! The sooner you apply, the better. OSAP takes time to process and it’s a lot more likely that you’ll receive your funds in time for the start of classes if you apply early. We generally recommend students apply by June 15th for the upcoming fall. However, you can still apply up until 90 days before the end of your study period (this is usually late January if you are studying September-April). However, if you apply after t 45 days of the school year have passed, your funding will be pro-rated (in other words, you will receive less funding).

How do I apply for OSAP grants and bursaries?
Just fill out the OSAP application online, and every time it asks you if you want to be considered for a grant, say yes!

If you are looking for information on applying for the Bursary for Students with Disabilities, click here.

If I only qualify for a loan, do I have to take it?
No, you can choose to cancel your funding or to simply not cash it . Some students choose to take out the loan even if they don’t need it right away because they like knowing that they have the money available in case of an emergency or unexpected financial difficulties (i.e. a parent loses a job and can’t help pay tuition, etc.). At the end of the year, you can always turn around and pay the loan right back if you want to by contacting the National Student Loan Centre at 1-888-815-4514. Remember, as long as you are a full-time student, there is no interest on your loan.

When and how do I get my OSAP?
Assuming you submitted your application by June 15th, the first installment (about 60% of your funding) should be available to pick up when classes start in September.

You can check to see if you have documents available through the Financial Document Tracker.  

Once you have checked to make sure your documents have arrived, you will need to come to our office (C138 York Hall) with your original SIN card and a piece of government issued photo ID. We will ask you to update your income information and sign a confirmation of enrolment. We will give you your loan document and you must then take it for processing (It’s a good idea to bring a void cheque with you). Processing is handled by the National Student Loan representative who is on campus during the first two weeks of school, or by taking it to a designated Canada Post outlet (do not mail your document, simply give it to the person at the counter). The closest one to Glendon is at Yonge and Eglinton. It will normally take 3-7 business days for the money to arrive at the University and/or in your bank account. Until you take your loan for processing, the money from OSAP does not exist.  

In January, as long as there are no unreported changes to your file, you should receive your 2nd installment in the mail. If you are receiving certain grants or bursaries, such as the Millennium Bursary or the Millennium Ontario Access Grant, your documents must be picked up from the Financial Services Office. In both cases, you must then take it for processing just like you did with your September installment.

More OSAP questions?
Check out the York OSAP site, the Access Window or the OSAP website.

More Funding Options:

Scholarships & Bursaries
Work/Study
Funding for students with disabilities
Out-of-province students
US students
International students