The Institution-Funded Special Bursary (IFSB) offers financial aid to help cover your eligible educational costs, such as tuition, books, travel and child care.
Eligibility
Your continued eligibility for IFSB funding depends on the successful completion of all IFSB-funded academic sessions.
You may be eligible for an IFSB if:
- you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- your family income is below the threshold for a given family size
- you are not receiving grant or loan funding from:
- the Ontario Student Assistance Program
- a student financial assistance program from another province, territory or country
- the Canada Student Loans Program
- the Better Jobs Ontario program (formerly called the Second Career program)
- you are registered for English as a Second Language at the York University English Language Institute
- you are taking courses at York:
- on a part-time basis for a postsecondary program that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate; or
- on a full- or a part-time basis to upgrade your academic skills.
Check with Accessibility Services to find out which programs are approved.
- your study period is at least four weeks in length.
You are considered part-time if you are enrolled in less than 60% of a full course load (see Calculating Course Load for more information).
If you have a permanent disability and have between 40% and 60% of a full course load, you can choose to be treated as full- or part-time. If you choose to be considered part-time, you are eligible to apply for a Special Bursary through IFSB.
In some cases, factors other than courses or credits can be used to determine course load. Contact Accessibility Services if you cannot determine your own course load.
If you leave school or drop a course, you may be required to repay a portion of the IFSB. You may not be entitled to the full amount of the Special Bursary if you do not finish the course(s) as planned.
IFSB funding is taxable. In February we will issue you a T4A tax slip showing the total amount of bursary assistance.
How to Apply
Submit your completed IFSB application form to Accessibility Services.
If you are married or in a common-law relationship, both you and your spouse must complete the form.
The table below explains how to complete certain sections of the application. Contact Accessibility Services if you need more information or help.
| Section | Item | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Address | All correspondence will be sent to the address you enter on the application. |
| 1 | Marital Status | Your marital status as of the last day of the month when your academic program begins.
If you are in a common-law relationship, check “Married/Common-law.” For IFSB purposes, a common-law relationship exists when:
|
| 1 | Citizenship Status | If you are a protected person as defined in subsection 95(2) of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, you must provide a photocopy of your valid Protected Persons Status Document and a photocopy of your temporary Social Insurance Number card.
If you are a permanent resident, you must provide a photocopy of your Canada Immigration Record or a photocopy of the front and back of your Permanent Resident Card. |
| 2 | Type of income you expect to receive during your program of study | Check all boxes that are relevant to you.
If you check “Other,” give details about the type(s) of aid you expect to receive on a separate sheet and attach it to your application form. |
| 3 | Type of income you expect to receive during your program of study | |
| 2 and 3 | Estimated gross income | Include income from all sources except:
Do not include pain and suffering awards (including WSIB non-economic loss awards) unless they exceed $100,000. Any amount over $100,000 is considered income in the period it was received. If multiple payments are made for different incidents, the payments related to each incident are exempt up to $100,000. |
| 6 | Proof of marital status | Indicate the name and address of your spouse (if any).
If you are married, provide a copy of your marriage certificate. If you do not have one, you must provide a jointly signed legal affidavit confirming you are married. If you are in a common-law relationship, provide a jointly signed legal affidavit confirming this. If you are separated, provide a copy of your legal separation agreement or court order. If you do not have one, you must provide a legal affidavit indicating the date of separation. If you are divorced, provide a copy of your divorce judgment or order. If you are a sole-support parent and have never been married, provide a signed legal affidavit confirming this. If you are widowed, provide a copy of your spouse’s death certificate. If you have dependent children, provide proof of your child(ren)’s date(s) of birth, such as a Canada Child Tax Benefit statement. |
| 6 | Proof of the income/benefits you have entered on your application | You must provide proof of your income and your spouse’s (including common-law) income, if applicable.
This includes:
If you are unemployed and supported by a third party, you must submit a signed and dated letter from them confirming support. |