Financial Aid


Financial Aid opportunities

On this page:

Emergency Grants

If you find yourself in financial hardship due to an emergency event, please know that the Faculty and the University of Toronto have grants available. Students will be required to elaborate on how the emergency situation/event placed them in financial hardship.

back to the top 

OSAP and other Government loans

ONTARIO RESIDENTS:

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a government financial aid program that assists eligible Ontario residents attending university through a combination of loans and grants. Visit the OSAP website to find out more and to apply for OSAP today: www.ontario.ca/osap.

    • For UofT-specific information about OSAP, visit the Enrolment Services website  and OSAP FAQs.
    • The National Student Loan Centre has also created a YouTube channel to support students in their student loan experience.

You are eligible to apply for full-time OSAP assistance if you are enrolled in at least 60% of a full course load (per term), or 40% of a full course load if you are a student with a permanent disability.

Part-time OSAP is available to students who take less than 60% of a full course load. Students with a permanent disability who are taking 40% of a full course load have the choice of receiving full- or part-time OSAP funding.

Course Credits per Term Course Load OSAP Funding Available
2.0 or more academic credits 100% Full time
1.5 academic credits 75% Full time
1.0 academic credits 50% Part time, or full time for students with a permanent disability
.5 academic credit 25% Part time

RESIDENTS OF OTHER CANADIAN PROVINCES:

Students who are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or protected persons may be eligible for financial assistance from their provincial or territorial governments. Please visit the UofT Enrolment Services webpage for more information.

    • Students receiving Canadian government financial aid outside of Ontario should use the Out-of-Province Request Portal to submit any forms that the University is required to complete. This request portal can be used to:
      • Submit government student funding forms that require completion by Enrolment Services (i.e., Program Information Form, Quebec Form 1121)
      • View their request status
      • Receive important notifications and communication updates on their requests

Students can get in touch with the central UofT financial aid office (Enrolment Services) at this email address: can.oop.financialaid@utoronto.ca to ensure that their Out-of-Ontario Government student loan application is in order.

STUDENTS WITH U.S. STUDENT AID:

Eligible US citizens/permanent residents may look into applying for US Direct Loans or alternative/private loans. More details can be found on the following pages:

FEE DEFERRALS – students who have applied for OSAP, other provinces’ loans and grants, and US Direct Loans may be eligible to request a tuition fee deferral. A successful tuition fee deferral registers you for the academic year without needing to make payment immediately AND extends your deadline for paying your outstanding ACORN fees.

back to the top 

Professional Master’s Financial Aid (PMFA)

The Faculty of Information provides financial assistance to students through a combination of grants and awards. The PMFA, offered through the Faculty of Information, is a grant that attempts to cover a portion of the unmet financial needs of registered students that 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.

Eligibility:

    • registered with the Faculty of Information and receiving full-time Canadian government financial assistance (e.g. 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 receiving both the loan and grant portion of OSAP/provincial government student loan), but whose funding doesn’t cover all university costs. Students that only apply for the grant portion of OSAP/provincial government student loan programs are considered ineligible to be considered for the PMFA.

For students receiving OSAP: you 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 around mid October. Students that applied and received OSAP by early September could expect to hear from Student Services by late October or early November on their PMFA funding. No applications required – you will be automatically assessed.

For students receiving other Canadian provincial government student loans:  you need to complete the Out-of-Province Financial Aid Application form to be considered for PMFA as we do 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 complete and for you to be contacted.

For students who are ineligible to receive OSAP or Canadian provincial government student loans: the PMFA is largely a funding resource for domestic students (i.e., Canadian citizen or permanent resident) who are receiving Canadian provincial government student financial assistance/funding. If you find yourself in financial hardship while registered with the Faculty, please know you can apply for the Faculty of Information Grant, SGS grant or the SGS loan program. You can also book an appointment with Student Services to chat about your financial circumstances.

back to the top 

UTAPS: University of Toronto Advanced Planning for our undergraduate students

University of Toronto Advanced Planning for Students (UTAPS) is a University of Toronto financial aid program, for our Bachelor of Information students, aiming to fill the financial gap for full-time students who receive the maximum amount of government financial aid available, but whose government funding and other assessed financial resources do not cover all assessed university costs. UTAPS funding varies depending on student need.

To be eligible for UTAPS funding, you must:

    • Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a protected person (recognized convention refugee); and
    • Be an undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Information program; and
    • Be registered in a full-time course load (per OSAP requirements) during the Fall and/or Winter terms; and
    • Be receiving both government student loans and grants (OSAP/other provinces or territories) or Band funding/community sponsorship, AND be assessed as still having unmet need.

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 is centrally administered by the University’s central Financial Aid office, Enrolment Services. Details on how to apply/access UTAPS can be referred to the main UTAPS website.

back to the top 

Bank loans & Line of Credit

Students in professional programs such as the Master of Information (MI) and Master of Museum Studies (MMSt) can apply for a low-interest bank line of credit through the Scotia Professional Plan for Students. Or if you’re a US citizen, the US Direct Loan Program could provide the support you need.

Learn more.

back to the top 

Students with Disabilities

Students 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.

 

For students interested in studies related to disability studies:

The Centre for Global Disability Studies (CGDS) at University of Toronto Scarborough have grants available for faculty, graduate students and researchers in your unit.   These easy-to-apply-for grants of $500-1500 can be used for accessible research, knowledge dissemination or community engagement, improving access for academic events, or any aspect of hosting a disability studies event on campus.

Common Questions:

Is my project sufficiently related to disability studies?

The Centre for Global Disability Studies promotes transdisciplinary research that understands disability as a social and political formation, and ableism as a historical system of oppression with intersections with racism, colonialism, sexism, and classism. We do not fund medical research, or clinical studies. We do fund social science and humanities projects that have a relationship to questions about ableism in the world.

You can see what folks have used small grants for in the past on the website if you need some inspiration. You can also get creative! Here are some ideas:

    • Do you want your published article to be open access but need to pay a fee?
    • Do you need an RA to update your website that helps community members find your research?
    • Do you need an RA to help you organize an meeting or prepare a letter or video to communicate research findings with research participants or the broader community?
    • Do you want to purchase a piece of technology that will help you communicate with research participants?
    • Do you need a piece of software that will make organizing your research more accessible for you?
    • Do you want to pay a research participant to serve as a community expert consultant for your project?
    • Do you want to pay a community disability advocate to speak in your working group or department?
    • Do you want your department colloquium to have live captioning?
    • Do you need to improve the accessibility in the grad student lounge in your department?
    • Are you organizing a campus event on a theme related to disability justice with another organization and need a cosponsor?

Is my research “global” enough?

    • The small grants are flexible. Please apply. You might hear back suggestions about how you could revise your research plan to be better aligned with anti-racist and anti-colonial justice; but, if you are already considering ableism as a pervasive, transnational system of oppression, your research is eligible. However, grant proposals for research that takes a curative approach to disability and/or does not substantively engage with disability studies will be returned for revision. Moreover, accessible events grants do not need to pertain only to disability studies, but can be requested for any campus event.

Click here to learn more or to apply 

back to the top 

Work-Study Program

Develop your skills, knowledge, and work experience through the University of Toronto’s Work-Study Program. You can be hired for paid work on campus.

Work Study is open to domestic undergraduate and graduate degree students studying on full time or part time basis (i.e., registered in at least 2.0 credits) and International undergraduate and graduate students studying on a full time basis, continuously from September to April. International students studying on a part time basis are NOT eligible to work on Campus – please see the Government of Canada website for rules and regulations.

back to the top