Ottawa students are starting the fall semester with thinner wallets after the provincial government overhauled the Ontario Student Assistance Program, cutting the grant portion of aid packages dramatically.
What changed
The Ford government announced the changes to OSAP back in February, and they hit the provincial portion of the program hardest. Where students used to be able to receive up to 85 per cent of their OSAP funding as non-repayable grants, that maximum has been slashed to just 25 per cent. In practical terms, that means a much bigger share of what students receive now comes in the form of loans they will eventually have to pay back, rather than money they can simply put toward tuition and rent.
For a city with three major post-secondary institutions, that shift is being felt widely. Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College all draw heavily on OSAP to help students cover tuition, books and the notoriously expensive cost of living in the capital.
Ottawa students weigh in
Returning students in Ottawa say the timing could not be worse. Rent in the city has climbed steadily over the past few years, and with grocery and transit costs also up, many students were already stretching their budgets thin before this change arrived. Students who previously relied on a healthy grant portion of OSAP to avoid graduating with heavy debt are now recalculating how much they will owe by the time they finish their degrees or diplomas.
Some students told CBC Ottawa that the reduced grant funding is forcing them to pick up more shifts at part time jobs during the school year, cutting into study time. Others are reconsidering whether they can afford to live near campus at all, with some looking at longer commutes from cheaper parts of the city or nearby communities like Barrhaven and Orleans just to make the math work.
Why this matters for Ottawa
Ottawa is home to tens of thousands of post-secondary students, many of whom come from outside the city and rely on OSAP as their main source of financial support while studying here. A shrinking grant portion means more of them will leave school carrying larger loan balances, which can shape decisions about where they choose to live and work after graduation. Local student unions at Carleton and the University of Ottawa have said they expect more students to seek out emergency bursaries and food bank supports on campus this year as a direct result of the funding shift.
The change also puts pressure on the schools themselves. Financial aid offices across the city are fielding more questions from worried students trying to understand exactly how much less grant money they will see this year compared to previous years.
What students can do
Financial aid advisors at Ottawa's post-secondary institutions are encouraging students to review their OSAP assessments carefully and to reach out early if the numbers do not add up. Campus resources, including emergency bursary funds and food support programs, remain available for students who find themselves short this term.
As the new OSAP structure settles in, Ottawa's student population will be watching closely to see whether the province makes any further adjustments, or whether this year's cuts become the new normal heading into future school years.
Source: CBC Ottawa
