1. Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development
OSAP Transformation We’ve come a long way
Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development

2. OSAP and other considerations
The Ontario Student Assistance Program

3. OSAP is financial assistance
The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is an integrated program funded by both the federal and provincial governments.
OSAP provides needs-based assistance through grants and loans to help qualified students and families with the cost of postsecondary studies.
OSAP is based on financial need, not grades.
OSAP is an entitlement program. No cap is set on the number of students who can qualify for funding; eligibility is determined based on student need assessments.

4. Who is eligible for OSAP?
To be eligible for OSAP, students must be:
A Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person
An Ontario resident
Attending or entering an OSAP-approved program and school
Enrolled in or entering a certificate, degree or diploma program that is a minimum of 12 weeks in length
Students can receive OSAP if they enroll in a public college or university outside of Ontario. If they want to study outside of Canada or enroll in a private institution outside of the province, they will only be eligible for the federal portion of OSAP assistance.

5. OSAP aid is based on students’ unique circumstances
Allowable educational costs
Expected financial contribution
Calculated financial need
minus
equals
Tuition
Compulsory fees
Books and supplies
Equipment
Computer costs
Personal living expenses
Child care
Travel
Student fixed contribution
Student assets
Parental income
Spousal income
Spousal assets
To determine who much aid a student is eligible to receive an OSAP needs assessment is run. Financial need is based on their allowable educational costs less their financial contribution.
Costs → list all costs
All students, with the exception of students with dependent children, crown wards and recipients (student or spouse) of social assistance (OW and ODSP) are expected to contribute toward their education. It is not expected that students show that they have this amount, but it is assumed that they do when the OSAP need assessment is calculated.
If a student’s parents earn above a certain amount, it is assumed that they are contributing towards their child’s education. The amount they are expected to contribute is based on parental earnings.

6. Student Access Guarantee
Through the Student Access Guarantee (SAG), our partners at Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges and universities will continue to ensure that students have enough financial aid to cover assessed need for expenses directly related to their programs, including tuition, books and mandatory fees that are not fully covered by OSAP.
Student flat rate contribution
Costs,
$25,747
Need,
$22,747

7. OSAP transformation

8. OSAP isn’t the same program that it was years ago
Through the 90s, the application continued to be in a paper format and was not interactive or responsive to student input unlike the application we are familiar with today. The use of personal computers became increasingly popular, and the ministry was required to meet the demand by offering online services for students. As you can, the application included the first visible sign of technology on the cover. As of students could check the status of their submitted application or make address changes online. The first online OSAP application was released on May 1, 1998.
Website was static and only one page.
The approach of the millennium caused panic among computer users worldwide, including programmers within our branch. To refresh everyone’s memory, a Y2K or “Millennium Bug” was projected to wreak havoc in computer systems at the start of the year The early 2000s were a critical time in the continued formation of our partnership with the Ontario Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, transferring our service delivery to FAOs as our front line. Other partners also came into play, such as the National Student Loans Service Centre as the OSAP lender and repayment office in 2001, and our strong partnership with the Canada Student Loans program through which we harmonized a majority of policies and loan administration.
OSAP Application
The static, one-page OSAP Website as seen in 1997
There have been lots of improvements!

9. Low income students less likely to participate in postsecondary education
Note: Percentage of families with at least one child in full-time postsecondary education, of couple and single-parent families with one or more children aged 18 to 21 residing at home.
Source: Statistics Canada - custom data prepared using tax data, 2015.

10. What is OSAP transformation?
Ontario continues to move forward with the single largest modernization of OSAP. The government is redesigning OSAP to help the people who need it the most, to access the education they need to succeed in the workplace.
We made changes to OSAP by reallocating existing government funding that is already supporting postsecondary students, and we are using those funds in a more timely and targeted way.
The cost of tuition was seen as a daunting hurdle to overcome for some students – especially those from low-income families – which is why OSAP grants will now be focused on offsetting the cost of tuition first.

11. The new OSAP helps students when they need it most
Ontario is combining many provincial grants with a single new up-front grant to help students with their education costs as they are incurred.
New OSAP
30% Off Ontario Tuition grant
Ontario Distance Grant
Ontario Student Opportunity Grant
Ontario Child Care Bursary
Ontario Access Grant
Tuition & Education Tax Credits

12. Support will be provided upfront
New distribution of financial support
Financial support previously provided at various times (e.g., start of studies, end of studies, or years later) will now be provided to students upfront to help with education costs as they are incurred.
1ST OSAP instalment
2nd OSAP instalment
Sept. 2017
Jan. 2018
2nd OSAP instalment
TETCs
OSOG
Aug. 2016
Jan. 2016
Previous distribution of financial support
Future tax credits
Sept. 2015
1ST OSAP instalment

13. Expanded support for mature and single-parent students
All types of full-time postsecondary students, including mature learners, married students, students with children and students in graduate programs will qualify for OSAP.
Eligibility for the new OSAP grants will not depend on the number of years out of high school or program level.

14. Availability of grants based on family size and income
A student’s family size and income are taken into consideration for OSAP grants, because the same amount of income goes further when there are fewer people in a family to support.
Family size
Maximum family income per year
1 person
$160,000
2 people
$165,000
3 people
$170,000
4 people
$175,000
5 people
$180,000
6 people
$185,000
7 or more people
$190,000
For a family of 4, grant funding is available up to a family income of $175,000 per year

15. In 2018-19, we’re introducing net tuition
Improved planning
Integrated application
Net estimates
Net billing
Improved financial planning for students and their families, along with improved communications. New/updated tools to help students understand what the changes to OSAP can mean for them.
Integrated applications with university and college through OUAC/OCAS, so students only need apply once. This will streamline applications and allow for timely net estimates.
Estimated net tuition, OSAP aid, and institutional aid will be communicated to applicants in a net estimate letter to assist students with understanding their net tuition costs.
Net billing will occur after the actual OSAP assessment has been calculated. A student’s OSAP assessment/ disbursement information will be sent to institutions to net out the student’s balance owing.

16. New tools to help students plan and apply
Improved planning
Integrated application
Net estimates
Net billing
The OSAP Calculator is a tool to help students find out how much OSAP funding they may be eligible for. It’s been used more than 1.4 million times since its launch in November 2016.
We also introduced a video to guide students through the application process.

17. Integrated application will streamline process
Improved planning
Integrated application
Net estimates
Net billing
The ministry partnered with 45 Ontario universities and colleges along with the central application centres – OUAC and OCAS – to streamline and simplify the student experience.
When the OSAP application is launched in November, students will complete a fully integrated application by setting up a link between OUAC/OCAS and OSAP. Setting up a link allows certain profile fields and program-specific information to be prefilled with information from the student’s OUAC and/or OCAS account.
If they’re already in college or university, or applying to a school outside of Ontario, they can apply for OSAP at ontario.ca/osap.

18. How the integrated application works
After student applies for college/university, they click on the OSAP banner and are redirected to the OSAP website.
After student registers, they start/finish OSAP app. Certain app fields will populate with OUAC/OCAS data.
Student registers for OSAP and sets up “link” to OUAC/OCAS.
Certain profile fields populate with OUAC/ OCAS data.
Student submits app and gets OSAP estimate
Walk through demo of college application centre through to OSAP.
Students that submit their university application through OUAC are presented with the green OSAP banner which re-directs them to the OSAP website

19. How the integrated application works
After student applies for college/university, they click on the OSAP banner and are redirected to the OSAP website.
After student registers, they start/finish OSAP app. Certain app fields will populate with OUAC/OCAS data.
Student registers for OSAP and sets up “link” to OUAC/OCAS.
Certain profile fields populate with OUAC/ OCAS data.
Student submits app and gets OSAP estimate
After a student clicks on the green OSAP banner from the Payment Details page, they are directed to this page.
A new student would select “Register”. Then after agreeing to the profile user agreement, they are taken to another screen where they can set up a link to both OCAS and OUAC if they applied for postsecondary studies using both online application services.
If a student sets up a link to both OCAS and OUAC, the ministry will prefill the student’s profile using information from the first online application service that was successfully linked.

20. How the integrated application works
After student applies for college/university, they click on the OSAP banner and are redirected to the OSAP website.
After student registers, they start/finish OSAP app. Certain app fields will populate with OUAC/OCAS data.
Student registers for OSAP and sets up “link” to OUAC/OCAS.
Certain profile fields populate with OUAC/ OCAS data.
Student submits app and gets OSAP estimate
Certain profile fields (e.g. name, OEN, mailing address, etc.,) have been prefilled. Students can correct or update any of the prefilled information, as required. A green banner will alert the students to the prefill concept.
Once the student has completed the OSAP registration process, they can proceed to start a new application. These applications will be prefilled with the postsecondary school and program name (information pulled from OUAC/OCAS).

21. How the integrated application works
After student applies for college/university, they click on the OSAP banner and are redirected to the OSAP website.
After student registers, they start/finish OSAP app. Certain app fields will populate with OUAC/OCAS data.
Student registers for OSAP and sets up “link” to OUAC/OCAS.
Certain profile fields populate with OUAC/ OCAS data.
Student submits app and gets OSAP estimate
Full-time application
Nov 10/17
Nov 10/17
Nov 10/17
School and program information will be prefilled.
Nov 10/17
Nov 10/17

22. How the integrated application works
After student applies for college/university, they click on the OSAP banner and are redirected to the OSAP website.
After student registers, they start/finish OSAP app. Certain app fields will populate with OUAC/OCAS data.
Student registers for OSAP and sets up “link” to OUAC/OCAS.
Certain profile fields populate with OUAC/ OCAS data.
Student submits app and gets OSAP estimate
Full-time application

23. Net estimates Improved planning Integrated application Net estimates
Net billing
Beginning winter 2017, net estimates will be available online for all students shortly after they submit an application for OSAP.
In spring 2018, prior to the university and college acceptance deadlines, first-year applicants will be mailed a net estimate – a letter and chart outlining their estimated OSAP aid, institutional aid and net tuition.
The ministry has received both internal and external feedback on the net estimate letter and chart.

24. Net estimates available online
Students are provided with an online estimate after they complete their OSAP application(s). As estimates turn to assessments it will be noted in the online view.
The Net Estimates Guide, which provides an overview of net estimates process including: file transfer, data fields and samples views, was posted on the FAO portal and sent to all net tuition leads at the end of October.

25. Net billing provides clarity about the cost of tuition
Improved planning
Integrated application
Net estimates
Net billing
The goal of net tuition is to consolidate information for students and make it easier for them to understand:
The amount of OSAP aid that will be applied against their account
How much they owe to their school net of their OSAP aid
Their net tuition
Example of the University of Waterloo’s online net bill
Surveys have been developed for students and staff at each pilot institution to better understand student and staff perceptions of net billing.
Student surveys touch on ease of understanding, helpfulness of the net bill and improvements that could be made to the presentation of financial information.
Staff surveys touch on improvements that could be made to ease implementation and student understanding. 
Technical meetings with staff at non-pilot schools will commence after the survey data has been analyzed and corresponding changes to data files have been made.

26. Net billing pilot
Twenty-six Ontario postsecondary institutions participated in a net billing pilot starting August 1, The ministry is conducting a review and analysis of the pilots to help inform the broader rollout to all institutions.
The Ministry developed and disseminated three surveys for students and staff at participating institutions as a means of assessing the successes and challenges associated with the net billing pilot as well as gathering suggestions for improvements.
Surveys were sent to:
Students
FAOs and registrars
Technical staff

27. Net tuition will benefit students in many ways
Increased clarity and transparency about the out-of-pocket cost of tuition.
Improved financial planning for students and their families.
More informed postsecondary education decision making.
Simplified payment process – payments will be made directly to institutions by OSAP on students behalf.

28. Further changes to the program

29. RESPs
Ontario is increasing access to OSAP for students by no longer requiring families to report their RESP withdrawals during the application process. Students and their families will no longer have their OSAP aid reduced because their parents have invested savings to put towards their children’s education.
The Ontario government is aligning with the federal government and creating an incentive for parents to invest in their children’s education through RESPs.

30. Indigenous students
Ontario is committed to increasing Indigenous peoples’ access to and success in postsecondary education. Ontario recognizes that many First Nations, Metis and Inuit students face unique financial or other barriers to postsecondary education.
That’s why beginning in , Ontario will exempt Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) from the OSAP assessment and will waive the student fixed contribution for Indigenous learners who self-identify.

31. Communications and outreach

32. We used a multi-pronged approach to our outreach
Updated and tailored resources
Improvements to OSAP website and application
New tools to help students plan and apply
OSAP presence at large-scale events
Advertising campaigns
Public education campaigns
Outreach to educators, key influencers, partners

33. Examples of our outreach efforts
Updated and tailored resources
Monkey ad targeted at high school students
Public outreach campaign
High schools will receive updated OSAP material for the academic year in December!

34. Impact of OSAP transformation
If the changes to OSAP were in place today over 210,000 students would receive free average tuition.
Impact of OSAP transformation

35. Impact of OSAP transformation
210,000
Over
students
Three-quarters of all full-time OSAP recipients attending college have free tuition.
FREE TUITION
have
in , one year earlier than initially projected.
Free Tuition
for eligible students
The year-over-year increase in the number of total OSAP awards, as of late October, is 19%.
Half of all full-time OSAP recipients attending university have free tuition.
3 in 4
95%
Over
of students who are receiving OSAP have grant funding.
full-time Ontario students will receive OSAP this year.

36. We’re seeing a large increase in OSAP applications
Number of OSAP applicants have increased by 19%
Low-income students
There is a 20% increase in applications submitted by low-income students.
Indigenous students
There is a 35% increase in applications submitted by students self-identifying as Indigenous.
Mature students
There is a 32% increase in applications submitted by mature students.

37. Questions?