What financial aid is available to graduate students?

• Financial Aid is a broad term for money that is given or loaned to students to help pay for education, and it includes awards, scholarships, bursaries, in-course awards, grants, and loans.
• When students apply for government funding through agencies such as OSAP, they are applying for financial aid in the form of student loans.
• Financial Assistance that is in the form of student loans is applied directly to tuition and other associated costs that are charged against a student’s account.
• Financial Aid that is in the form of a loan will need to be repaid in part or in full, depending on the type of student loan it is, whereas a grant does not need to be repaid.

The University of Toronto Policy on Student Financial Support guarantees that no student offered admission will be unable to attend due to financial circumstances (Canadian students, Canadian permanent residents and protected persons only). This guarantee requires that students use all available means of student aid:

• OSAP and other government aid — a government financial aid program made up of a mix of grants and loans. Once you apply and qualify for OSAP, you will be considered automatically for other sources of funding, like UTAPS (see below). If you are from another Canadian province, territory or First Nations band, you can visit the central U of T page for more information.
• Professional Master’s Financial Aid (PMFA) —  a grant that attempts to cover a portion of the unmet financial needs of registered MI/MMSt/CDP students who receive the maximum amount of full-time Canadian government financial aid available, but whose funding doesn’t cover all financial need. Funding is assessed once each academic year.

The University of Toronto has created a new Indigenous Tuition Initiative to foster and strengthen relationships between U of T and Indigenous communities in Ontario, across Canada, and in the United States. This initiative includes three programs:

• The U of T Indigenous Tuition Grant covers the cost of tuition in eligible undergraduate and graduate programs for students from the nine identified First Nations communities
• Indigenous students from the rest of Canada may be eligible for domestic Ontario tuition fee
• Native American/Alaska Native students from the continental U.S.A. may be eligible for domestic Ontario tuition fee

Learn more about Financial Aid opportunities for Indigenous students here: https://www.indigenous.future.utoronto.ca/finances

The Professional Master’s Financial Aid (PMFA), offered through the Faculty of Information, is a grant that attempts to cover a portion of the unmet financial needs of registered students who receive the maximum amount of full-time Canadian government financial aid available, but whose funding still doesn’t cover all their financial needs. Funding is assessed once each academic year.

Eligibility:

• registered as an MI, MMSt, or CDP student with the Faculty of Information
• receiving full-time Canadian government financial assistance (students on part-time OSAP will not be eligible)
• receiving the maximum amount of government financial aid available (i.e. students need to have applied for and be receiving both the loan and grant portion of OSAP/provincial government student aid), but whose funding doesn’t cover all university costs. Students who only apply for the grant portion of OSAP/provincial government student loan programs are considered ineligible to be considered for the PMFA.

Students receiving OSAP will be automatically considered for the PMFA. Your OSAP information will be sent to us directly by Enrolment Services (i.e., UofT OSAP office). The earliest we receive a student’s OSAP information is mid-October. Students who received OSAP by early September can expect to hear from Student Services regarding their PMFA funding by late October or early November. No application is required – you will be automatically assessed.

Students receiving other Canadian provincial government student loans must complete the Out-of-Province Financial Aid Application form to be considered for PMFA, as the Student Services office does not receive your financial information directly from your province. The timeline for consideration depends on when you complete the above application. Once completed, it could take 3-4 weeks for the assessment to be completed and for you to be contacted.

Ontario residents with permanent disabilities may receive funds through the Canada Student Grant for Persons with Permanent Disabilities as part of their OSAP funding. In addition, grants are available through the Ontario Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD) and the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Persons with Permanent Disabilities to help with disability-related supports and services for students with permanent or temporary disabilities.

Students receiving aid from another province or territory should contact their province or territory to learn more about the disability-related programs that may be available.

To learn more about the associated funding through the Canadian provincial and federal government, please view the Enrolment Services page on Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities.

The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) also offers an Accessibility Grant to assist with accommodations necessary to meet unexpected needs arising from the particular demands of the graduate program. Students need to be registered with the UofT Accessibility Services to apply for this grant.

Grants are considered as financial assistance provided to students based directly on their economic needs and to help pay for tuition and associated school costs. All registered students are able to apply for grants.

For some grants, you need to apply directly and will need to demonstrate your financial need by submitting formal documentation in support of your need.  Grants are typically applied directly to your student account to off set your tuition fees, but might also need to be used for other emergency situations. Similarly with awards and scholarships, grant money that you receive does not need to be repaid.

• Faculty of Information Grant program is to assist currently registered Faculty of Information students who encounter an unanticipated, urgent, and/or serious financial need. 
• The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) has Emergency Grants and Emergency Loans available to students who are met with an unexpected financial crisis.
• SGS Financial Aid and Award Advisors are also available to assist you with managing educational expenses, budgeting and can provide advice on navigating the various financial aid and funding opportunities for graduate students.

Some grants/bursaries are donated to the university by organizations, individuals (or their heirs), who might expect a “thank you” from the recipient along with some information about how the financial support has impacted them and helped with their education.