Anyone enrolled in an Ontario post-secondary institution has heard about the recent changes made to students’ OSAP, but few know exactly what’s happening or how it will affect them.
Beginning with the facts, as of Fall 2026, the grant portion of financial assistance will be capped at a maximum of 25%, a huge cut from the previous maximum of 85% that students have been receiving. Additionally, this means that the amount received will be at least 75% loans. Seeing as 66.5% of students and alumni have, at some point, received financial aid from OSAP, this change is highly impactful. Many students feel that this modification will lead to fewer students entering post-secondary schooling, as “they will most likely delay any future plans for attending higher education” since “they will leave [it] riddled with debt.” Furthermore, the Ontario government announced it would lift the seven-year tuition freeze, a move that restores the ability of colleges and universities to increase their fees. The last time tuition was allowed to increase, in 2018, Canada was rated third in the world for the highest student debt. Many question the wisdom behind such a decision, as it implies that the Ontario government is actually pushing for a debt-based system, an implication met with many critiques: “they care more about completing their quotas than they do about the next generation of workers.” For some perspective, the average amount of student loan debt for a bachelor’s degree is $28,000 CAD, and it takes nearly 10 years for an individual to fully pay it back. Keeping this in mind, how can we expect graduates to be able to get married, buy homes, and have children while still paying back their student debt?
This puts the entire population in an unstable position, but if you think this will affect every student equally, you’re wrong. The provincial government has also announced that anyone attending private career colleges will only have the option of receiving loans, with no eligibility for grants. This means that those pursuing careers in the skilled trades, dental hygiene, medicine, law, and many other fields will be racking up student debt. This is especially impactful since these programs are geared toward specialized training for in-demand jobs that they may enter immediately following graduation. Upon seeing that they will not obtain any grants, many prospective students may feel discouraged from attending such schools, as they would rather avoid the debt, leaving these jobs severely lacking in much-needed workers. The government has made excuses for these changes, stating that the funding, $6.4 million over four years, will be shifted directly to universities themselves to stabilize them. However, the benefits clearly do not outweigh the costs.
I believe that every individual stands to gain something meaningful from obtaining a post-secondary education, no matter the program. As such, everyone should have that opportunity. To consciously deprive millions of students of the help they need to accomplish their goals is abominable, to say the least. Rest-assured, this lack of morality has not gone unnoticed. Following the news, a surge of student-led protests has emerged province-wide, refuting these policy changes. So far, they have been to little avail, but there is still hope. Elected officials meant to represent our needs are failing us. What will you do about it?
- Quotes originate from university and college students of various financial backgrounds.