Government of Ontario Media Release
Ontario is making college and university more affordable for students and families in Thunder Bay and across the province by making tuition free for over 150,000 students.
Today, MPP Bill Mauro met with community members at Confederation College to talk about how the province is transforming the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). The new OSAP will make average tuition free for students whose families make less than $50,000 a year.
Students from families that earn more will also benefit from more generous grants and loans, and about 80 per cent of all OSAP recipients will graduate with less provincial debt.
“Affordable access to post secondary education is crucial to success in today’s knowledge based economy," said Mauro.
"This announcement of a reformed Ontario Student Assistance Program will enable 150,000 students across the province to attend college or university for free including students here in Thunder Bay, Atikokan and Northwestern Ontario.”
More Ontario students are now graduating from postsecondary programs than ever before, but some people hesitate to apply for college or university because they worry about the cost.
The new OSAP will help more students seek an advanced education, regardless of their family's income.
By entering basic information at Ontario.ca/osap, in just a few clicks students will learn whether they qualify for free tuition and how much aid they could receive from the new OSAP.
Expanding access to college and university is part of our government’s plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
QUICK FACTS
- Students applying to college and university for September 2017 will be the first to benefit from the new OSAP.
- The new OSAP will allow mature students to qualify for more grants so they can go back to school to upgrade their skills.
- If you are a single parent, have three children and earn $60,000 a year, for example, the new OSAP calculator will tell you that you are eligible for over $16,000 of non-repayable aid, making average university tuition free with money left over for books and fees.
- Ontario will work closely with colleges and universities in Thunder Bay to ensure that families clearly see upfront the difference between the sticker price for tuition and what students would need to pay.
- In 2014-15, Ontario issued almost $1.3 billion in grants and loans to students.
