Financial Aid Resources & Understanding the New OSAP Changes

Written by Communications on March 3, 2026. Posted in Blog Post.

What is OSAP?

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a provincial financial aid program that gives money to current or incoming university or college students to help pay for their education. The financial aid provided comes from both provincial and federal governments, which either comes in the form of grants (which don’t need to be paid back) and loans (need to be paid back). OSAP is generally available to Ontario residents or anyone who is considered a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or protected persons who are eligible. For more information on eligibility and an estimation on the extent of aid available to you, please visit the OSAP website.

What do the changes look like?

As of Fall 2026, OSAP is facing major changes. Most notably, provincial financial assistance is being reconstructed to be at a maximum of 25% provided as grants, where it was previously at 85%. This means that provincial aid will shift toward being a higher portion of loans, with at least 75% of aid provided as such.

In addition, the province is ending its seven-year tuition freeze, allowing institutions to increase tuition annually for three years by up to 2%. Following these increases, it will be capped at either 2% or at the rate of inflation (whichever is lower). Students attending private career colleges will also no longer receive grants.

What does this mean for Queen’s students?

Although OSAP plays a major role in funding education, it is not the only financial resource in place. Queen’s offers a range of financial resources designed to help students navigate tuition:

Office of the University Registrar

The Office of the University Registrar provides a range of services and supports related to tuition and financial aid. Within the Registrar’s Office, the Financial Aid and Awards Services assist with any inquiries related to OSAP, undergraduate scholarships, bursaries, and awards for Queen’s students.

The Queen’s General Bursary

One of the most important need-based supports available is the Queen’s General Bursary, a non-repayable grant available to Queen’s students who demonstrate financial need. Students must submit an application each year they wish to be considered, through SOLUS by navigating to the Financial Aid tile and selecting the Queen’s General Bursary Application.

The application opens at different points throughout the year depending on the study period:

Fall-only or Fall/Winter: Opens early September, deadline November 10
Winter-only: Opens early January, deadline February 23
Summer: Opens early May, deadline August 4

More detailed information, including step-by-step application instructions, can be found on the Financial Aid and Awards page of the Queen’s University Registrar website.

Support for Specific Student Groups

In addition to general bursaries, Queen’s offers specific bursaries and funding opportunities for specific student communities. Eligible communities include Consecutive Education students, part-time students, student athletes, Queen’s alumnae, mature women, Indigenous students, Black and racialized students, students with disabilities, and students attending Queen’s on Letter of Permission.

Students identifying as part of these groups can qualify for merit and/or need-based financial aid. Detailed information about eligibility criteria and the various financial aid options can be found HERE.

Queen’s Work Study Program

The Queen’s Work Study Program provides students with demonstrated financial need priority access to certain part-time campus jobs throughout the academic year. To be eligible, students must be enrolled full-time and in good academic standing. Undergraduate students must carry a minimum of 9.0 credit units per term (6.0 for students with disabilities), while graduate students must maintain full-time registration in both the Fall and Winter terms.

Students must also demonstrate financial need and be receiving at least $5,000 CAD in government student assistance across the Fall and Winter terms. Eligibility confirmation is typically emailed from the Financial Aid and Awards services.

Queen’s Scholarships & Awards

In addition to need-based funding, Queen’s offers a wide range of scholarships and awards. Some awards require a separate application submitted through Financial Aid or directly through a faculty. More information on available scholarships and awards can be found on the Queen’s University Registrar Website.

By: Alissa & Ramneek

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