For the purposes of OSAP, this refers to you,

• Completing each OSAP-funded term in full
• Achieving passing grades in the minimum required course load
• Progressing in your program of study

For more information please view the OSAP academic progress requirements.

Assists borrowers who are having difficulty repaying their loans. There are two stages of this program; Interest Relief & Debt Reduction. During periods of repayment assistance you will either be exempt from making monthly payments or asked to make affordable monthly payments. For eligibility requirements, terms, and conditions, visit the Repayment Assistance Plan page on canada.ca.

The period during which you are making monthly payments on your student loan(s). This may be the time after your grace period has ended and you are not, or have not notified the National Student Loan Service Centre that you are, a full time student, or after being notified of mandatory repayment (e.g. failed to meet satisfactory academic progress more than once). Our page on repaying your government student loans details the repayment process.

For OSAP, a permanent disability is any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment, or a functional limitation that:

• restricts your ability to perform the daily activities necessary to pursue studies at a postsecondary school level or to participate in the labour force
• is expected to remain with you for your expected life

A persistent or prolonged disability is any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation that:

• restricts your ability to perform the daily activities necessary to pursue studies at a postsecondary school level or to participate in the labour force
• has lasted, or is expected to last, for a period of at least 12 months but is not expected to remain with you for your expected life

At Carleton University, students with a permanent or persistent/prolonged disability are encouraged to contact the Paul Menton Centre. Source: OSAP definitions

A student who is enrolled in a post secondary institution and is taking a course load which is less than 60% (1.5 credits) of a full course load, or less than 40% (1.0 credits) for a student with a registered permanent or persistent/prolonged disability.

Occurs when you have been issued more OSAP funding than you are entitled to have received. This may happen because;

1. You have increased your personal resources (e.g. more employment income than expected)
2. You withdrew from your program, or reduced your course load while receiving OSAP

NOTE: If you have been notified of an overpayment, contact the Awards & Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.

Note: These are the Ontario residency requirements for OSAP. If you are applying for the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant (OLSG), then you will want to review the OLSG Ontario Residency Requirements.

Full-Time Students

• have always lived in Ontario or 
• Ontario is the last province you have lived in for 12 months in a row without being a full-time post-secondary student or
• you live in Ontario now AND have lived in Canada for less than 12 months in a row

If you are married/common-law, you can be considered an Ontario resident for OSAP if:

• your spouse has always lived in Ontario or
• your spouse has lived in Ontario for the last 12 months in a row without being a full-time post-secondary student or
• All of these statements are true:
  • you now reside in Ontario
  • you’ve lived in Canada for less than 12 months in a row
  • your spouse has lived in Canada for less than 12 months in a row

If you qualify as a dependent student, you’re considered an Ontario resident for OSAP if:

• Ontario is the last province in which your parent(s) have lived in for at least 12 months in a row or
• All of these statements are true:
  • you now reside in Ontario
  • you’ve lived in Canada for less than 12 months in a row
  • your parent(s) have lived in Canada for less than 12 months in a row

Part-Time Students

• have always lived in Ontario or 
• Ontario is the last province you have lived in for 12 months in a row without being a full-time post-secondary student or
• you live in Ontario now AND have lived in Canada for less than 12 months in a row

Permanent Resident

A permanent resident is someone who has been given permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada, but is not a Canadian citizen. Permanent residents are citizens of other countries. A person in Canada temporarily, like a student or foreign worker, is not a permanent resident. Source: “Understand permanent resident status”, from Government of Canada.

Protected Person

Protected persons can include convention refugees, humanitarian-protected persons abroad, and persons in need of protection. A protected person is defined in subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada). Source: OSAP definitions, from ontario.ca

The National Student Loans Service Centre administers student loans funded by the federal and/or Ontario governments. This includes:

• processing your Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA)
• arranging for your loan and/or grants to be deposited to your bank account
• keeping track of your loan debt and repayments
• giving you your repayment schedule
• administering the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)

Source: OSAP definitions

Also referred to as the Ministry, the MCU is responsible for the administration of laws relating to education and skills training programs in the province of Ontario, this includes;

1. Distributing funds allocated by the provincial legislature to colleges and universities
2. Providing financial assistance programs to post secondary school students (i.e. OSAP).

The Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) is a legal agreement between you and the federal and Ontario governments. It outlines your responsibilities and the terms and conditions of accepting and repaying student loans. It’s a lifetime loan agreement that you agree to once (some exemptions apply). You can complete the MSFAA through the National Student Loan Service Centre.

Allows you to postpone repaying your loans while you are registered as a full time post-secondary school student. The Government of Canada and/or the Province of Ontario will pay the interest on those loans on your behalf. This is contingent on you, the student, notifying the National Student Loan Service Centre of your enrollment.

If you’re applying to OSAP as a full-time student, you’re considered a single independent student if both of the following are true:

• you’re not currently married or in a common-law relationship
• you don’t have any dependent children

AND if at least one of the following applies to you:

• you have been out of high school for:
  • 6 or more years at the start of your study period (applies to the provincial funding calculation only)
  • 4 or more years at the start of your study period (applies to the federal funding calculation only)
• you have worked full-time for at least 24 months in a row
• both your parents are deceased
• you are currently a child in Extended Society Care or in the care of the Crown just prior to age 18
• you are currently receiving a Continued Care and Support for Youth program allowance from your Children’s Aid Society

Source: OSAP definitions