It's real, it's here, and it saves Ontario students serious money
Big student uptake for 30 percent tuition grant

Ontario students can now apply for the new "30-percent-off" Ontario Tuition grant to help with their fees for the 2012 winter semester. The new grant will ensure postsecondary education remains accessible and affordable. It will save university or college degree students $800 and college diploma, and certificate students $365 for this semester.

This September, the permanent 30-percent-off tuition grant will apply for the full school year, meaning a savings of $1,600 for university or college degree students, and $730 for college diploma and certificate students.

During lean fiscal times, Ontario remains committed to building the best-educated workforce in the world to help us attract more jobs and new investment.

Q & A on the tuition grant

What is the new 30 Percent Off Ontario Tuition Grant?

The new 30 Percent Off Ontario Tuition Grant is a new grant for full-time undergraduate university and college students. For the January 2012 semester, students can get 30% off their tuition: $800 for university and college degree students; and $365 for college diploma and certificate students.
Starting in September 2012, the grant pays: $1,600 for students in a degree program at a college or university; and $730 for students in a certificate or diploma program at a college.

How many students could potentially benefit from the new 30 Percent Off Ontario Tuition Grant?

More than 300,000 students could benefit from the grant each year.

Who is eligible for the new 30 Percent Off Ontario Tuition Grant?

Students are eligible for the 30 Percent Off Ontario Tuition Grant if:

• They are a full-time student at a public college or university in Ontario;
• It's been less than four years since they left high school;
• They are in a first entry program — that is a program applied to, and entered directly from high school;
• Their parents' gross income is $160,000 or less;
• They are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a protected person;
• They are an Ontario resident.

Why is the Province introducing a tuition grant?

Postsecondary education is a key pillar of our economic strategy to build the best-educated workforce in the world to help us attract more jobs and new investment. The Province must make postsecondary education accessible based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay. The new 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grantwill help ensure postsecondary education remains within reach. By providing a grant, Ontario is directly helping students while ensuring that colleges and universities continue to have the funds they need to offer high-quality programs to Ontario’s students.

Do low- and moderate-income families qualify for the new 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grant

OSAP is available to help families with low and moderate incomes. The new tuition grant will expand on the financial assistance Ontario provides through OSAP to help ensure that postsecondary education remains accessible and affordable to middle-income families.

Why provide a grant? Why not just lower tuition?

Our plan targets students who need it most — more than 300,000 students are eligible to receive the new grant. Last year that number was zero. That is progress. Under the plan, full-time undergraduate students with family incomes of $160,000 or less — and who are less than four years out of high school — will qualify for the new tuition grant. The new grant will ensure postsecondary education remains accessible and affordable — it will save university or college degree students $800, and college diploma or certificate students $365 for this semester. In September 2012, the permanent 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grant will apply for the full school year.

What other, existing programs will change to implement the 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grant?

The new tuition grant will provide additional financial aid for students who need it the most by redirecting funding from efficiencies, as well as from an existing scholarship program and a few grant programs. The Province found efficiencies and savings to fully offset the costs of the new tuition grant.

• The Ontario Textbook and Technology Grant and the Ontario Trust for Student Support are cancelled beginning 2012-13;
• The Queen Elizabeth II scholarships will be phased out gradually over three years so that no current student receiving the award loses funding;
• No new Queen Elizabeth II scholarships will be awarded in 2012-13;
• Savings from reduced spending in other programs will also go towards paying for a portion of the new 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grant. The Province will redirect savings from efficiencies found in OSAP, postsecondary programs, and from lower client uptake in employment and training programs due to an improving economy.

If tuition increases next year, will the tuition grant also increase?

For 2012-13, the tuition grant will be $1,600 per student in degree programs at university or college and $730 per student in college diploma or certificate programs. In subsequent years, the grant will adjust with average tuition costs.

What is the deadline to apply for the new 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grant?

Students must apply by March 31, 2012 to be eligible for the January 2012 semester.

Will the grant be retroactive?

No. The new 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grant will not be retroactive to semesters starting before January 2012.

When will the new tuition grant be implemented?

Beginning January 2012, full-time undergraduate students who qualify will begin to receive the tuition grant for terms starting on or after January 1, 2012.

How do students apply for the new grant?

The definitive source is on-line at the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

How will the grant be paid?

If students receive OSAP, the grant will be deposited directly into their bank account. If they receive OSAP and do not have a direct deposit account on file, a cheque will be sent to the mailing address that OSAP has on file. If they are applying only for the new 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grant, a cheque will be sent directly to the mailing address provided on the application.

How long will it take to receive the new 30-Percent-Off Ontario Tuition Grant?

The grant can be expected within four to six weeks after students apply and the signed pages are received by the Student Financial Assistance Office in Thunder Bay. Once an application is completed, and the signed declaration forms have been received from both the student and their parent(s), the ministry will verify the parent(s)’ income, and that the student is enrolled full-time in an eligible college or university program.

What if I need help with the grant or the application?

Students can call the tuition grant hotline at 1-888-449-4478. The phone centre will be open from 8:30 am to 7 pm from Monday to Friday, and 12 noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, from the launch date to the end of January. Students can also send questions through Twitter or Facebook. Students will be able to check on the status of their application by visiting www.ontario.ca/30off.

What is I have a qustion that is not answered here?

Go to the Ministry's Questions and Answers web page. You'll find some of this information there, and just about any other question you might raise answered for you.