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 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.

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

All income is verified with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). If there’s a discrepancy between the income on file at OSAP and the information received from CRA, we will use the income from CRA to reassess your application. That means that the amount of your funding could change. If there is a significant variance, you could be restricted from getting OSAP. If you (spouse/parents, if applicable) haven’t filed a Canadian Income Tax Return for the years that are being verified, then the verification process cannot be completed and you won’t be eligible. Therefore, it’s important to ensure all tax returns are completed in a timely manner.

Your Income

If you are asked to provide income information from a prior tax year, it will be verified with CRA. You may also have to provide income from the current tax year, which cannot be verified until next year (after you submit your income tax return). You will receive notification the next summer if there are any changes to your funding.

Parent’s Income

The income that your parents (if applicable) provided for the prior tax year will be verified with CRA and any changes will be used to recalculate your funding.  If there is a change to your funding, you will be notified.

Spouse Income

The income that your spouse (if applicable) provided for the prior tax year will be verified with CRA and any changes will be used to recalculate your funding.  If there is a change to your funding, you will be notified. Source: OSAP Verification of Income

To be considered for the full-time student assistance program (Full-time OSAP), you must be taking at least 60% (1.5 credits) of a full course load. If you have a registered disability, you may choose to be considered a full-time student if you’re taking at least 40% (1.0 credits) of a full course load. Note: Students completing a work-term for a co-operative program are considered full-time for OSAP purposes.

The amount of OSAP you have been approved to receive for the academic session based on the assessment of your application and supporting documentation. The amount you qualify for is called your encu_people_job_titlement. Your encu_people_job_titlement is based on information

• you provide on your application
• from your postsecondary school, and
• verified with third parties (for example, the Canada Revenue Agency)

As outlined in the Ontario Family Law Act, you’re living in a common-law relationship if you and your spouse:

• have cohabitated continuously for a period of at least 3 years or
• are in a relationship of some permanence and are the natural or adoptive parents of a child

Issued following the failure to meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements. If issued an academic warning, students will be placed on an academic probationary period lasting one academic year, during which time they are still eligible for OSAP funding. For more information please view the OSAP academic progress requirements.

The term(s) for which you are currently registered as a full time student. Your academic period may be fall or winter only, fall and winter, or summer.

Failure to meet OSAP’s minimum academic progress requirements while on academic probation will result in your probation being upgraded to a restriction. A restriction may last 1-5 academic years, during which a student is ineligible to receive OSAP funding.