Ontario Financial Aid

Wondering how to finance your education? At the University of Toronto, there are many financial resources and support options for Ontario students to help you finance your education.

In addition to this website, be sure to check out our handy guide — Within Reach: How to Finance Your University of Toronto Experience — which is specifically designed for prospective Ontario university students!

Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a government-funded student aid program. Funding consists of a mix of grants and loans.

OSAP assumes that your parent(s) or guardian(s), or spouse if applicable, will financially contribute to your educational expenses. The income of your parent, guardian, or spouse will be taken into consideration when you apply for OSAP.

Once you apply and qualify for OSAP, you’ll be considered automatically for other sources of funding, like non-repayable grants through the University of Toronto Advanced Planning for Students (UTAPS) program.


University of Toronto Advance Planning for Students (UTAPS) Program

UTAPS is there when government funds are not enough. UTAPS fills the financial gap for full-time students who already receive the maximum amount of government aid available, but whose funding doesn’t cover all of their educational costs (e.g., tuition, books, living expenses).

U of T is the only Ontario post-secondary institution to provide non-repayable grants over and above what is required by the government. Through UTAPS, U of T not only helps students like you with tuition and book costs not covered by government student aid, but with living costs too. If you’re an OSAP recipient, you are automatically considered for UTAPS — no application is required.

Do You Qualify?

To be eligible for UTAPS funding, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a protected person (recognized convention refugee); and
  • Receiving both government student grants and loans (OSAP), or only educational funding for Indigenous students (e.g., Band funding provided through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program), AND be assessed as still having unmet need; and
  • Enrolled in a UTAPS-approved program; and
  • Registered in a full-time course load per the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) requirements during the Fall and/or Winter terms.
  • For the summer term, UTAPS is only available to UTSC students who are registered in a full-time course load (per OSAP requirements) for the entire May to August summer session.

The following students are not eligible: international; part-time; enrolled in co-op, internship, or PEY work term(s); students who opt for grant-funding only; single students who are less than 6 years out of high school who opt out of providing parental information.

UTAPS Online Estimator

After you’ve applied to U of T, you can submit our Financial Aid/UTAPS Online Estimator to determine your eligibility for UTAPS. We may also use the information you provide on the Online Estimator to assess your eligibility for other need-based admission awards.

The Financial Aid/UTAPS Online Estimator only provides an estimate and doesn’t provide a guarantee of funding. It’s important that you accurately report the information requested. The Online Estimator is only used to assess your eligibility for financial aid—you will still need to apply for Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) after accepting a U of T offer of admission.

Only current applicants have access to the Financial Aid/UTAPS Online Estimator. You’ll need your JOINid to access the Estimator. The deadline to submit the Financial Aid/UTAPS Online Estimator is February 28, 11:59 pm EST.