Note: Maximum amounts of potential OSAP aid can be found on the government OSAP website.

Once your application is completed and reviewed, the government sends you a “Notice of Assessment” with the amount of your actual OSAP entitlement. Use this information to begin planning your budget for the academic year.

Please note that your OSAP funds may arrive in your bank account in two parts. If at first the deposit is not what you were expecting, check your account over the next few days for the remainder to be deposited.

How will my OSAP funding be released?

In the fall/winter session, OSAP funds are released in two instalments: one in Fall (60% of funds) and one in Winter (40% of funds). Students who apply for OSAP aid only for one term of the fall/winter session receive only one instalment, at the start of that term.

Once your enrolment is confirmed, the Ministry will automatically send part or all of your funding instalment to York to be applied directly to the outstanding balance of your student account. As of the 2018-19 academic year, this remittance by the Ministry is no longer optional. The amount and date of the direct payment(s) made to York will be visible on the government OSAP website. Any remaining balance will be sent to you by cheque or by direct deposit.

To avoid late payments and interest charges, you must ensure you check your monthly student account statement and your OSAP web account to ensure that the amount directed to your student account covers your outstanding fees. If the amount directed by OSAP to your student account is less than the amount due on your student account statement, please ensure you make a payment to cover the difference.

If you have applied for OSAP aid by June 30, then no late charges will be applied to your account for the fall/winter session until October 10.

For more information about how the redirection is calculated, please visit the Directing OSAP Funds to York University web page.

How and when do I receive my 2^nd instalment?

You will receive your 2^nd instalment for the fall/winter study period in the first two weeks of January if you are enrolled in a full-time course load and no supporting documents are outstanding.

Around late November the government will notify you, via email, to go online to confirm or update the income information you provided on your OSAP application. This step is important so that your OSAP entitlement is calculated correctly.

As you are probably aware, the government performs an income verification with Revenue Canada at a later date (usually in June/July) to confirm that income on your OSAP application is consistent with the income you reported on your income tax forms. If you reported incorrect income to OSAP, you may be reassessed; ultimately, this may affect your future OSAP eligibility.

What if I am taking courses only in the fall or only in the winter?

Students who apply for OSAP for only one term (fall or winter) will receive their full OSAP entitlement in one instalment.

OSAP overpayment

Students are considered to have an overpayment if they have been issued Full-Time OSAP grants and/or loans in excess of their entitlements as of the end of their academic year.

Students are ineligible for Full-time OSAP in subsequent academic years if they have:

• Overpayments in three (3) or more academic years of $2,000 or more; or
• Overpayment(s) in one or more academic years totalling $10,000 or more.

Only grant and/or loan overpayments of $2,000 or more are counted as payable toward an overpayment restriction.

Students with an overpayment restriction who are in full-time studies can continue to receive Continuation of Interest Free Status (CIFS). Students with a restriction who are not in full-time studies remain eligible for the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).