Scholarships and Bursaries in Ontario: What Exists and Who Qualifies

OSAP grants cover less starting August 1, 2026

The Ontario Student Assistance Program combines grants and loans in one application. From August 1, 2026 the province capped the provincial grant portion at 25% of your assessed aid package, down from a previous maximum of 85%, according to The Globe and Mail . The change pushes an estimated extra $3,500 a year into loans for students who previously qualified for grant-heavy packages.

The province also lifted its seven-year tuition freeze starting fall 2026, letting Ontario colleges and universities raise domestic tuition up to 2% a year for three years. Apply for OSAP every year through your school's portal at osap.gov.on.ca before you look at other funding, since it sets the baseline for what you still need to cover.

Types of funding at a glance

Entrance and in-course scholarships from your school

Every Ontario university and college runs its own entrance scholarship program for incoming students, layered on top of OSAP. Many are automatic: the admissions office reviews every accepted applicant's final average and issues a scholarship offer alongside the admission letter, with no extra form. Others need a short application, an essay, or a reference.

In-course scholarships work the same way for returning students, usually tied to your cumulative GPA at the end of a term or year. Check your specific school's financial aid or awards office page every year, since amounts, cutoffs and renewal rules differ by institution and change with each academic year.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship and QEII-GSST

Graduate students in Ontario apply for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) or the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) through their graduate program's awards office. Both pay $5,000 per term, for two terms ($10,000) or three terms ($15,000), according to University of Waterloo . QEII-GSST is restricted to research-based STEM programs, while OGS covers every discipline. Your graduate department nominates candidates internally, so ask your program coordinator about the internal deadline rather than applying directly to the province.

Needs-based bursaries

A bursary differs from a scholarship: it rewards financial need rather than academic merit, and most schools require a separate application beyond your OSAP file, sometimes with a budget breakdown or proof of unexpected costs such as a family emergency, a lost job, or a medical expense. Ask your financial aid office about emergency bursaries mid-term if your circumstances change after you already applied for OSAP, since many schools hold a pool of funds set aside for exactly that situation.

Community, employer and named awards

Beyond your school, several Canada-wide programs are open to Ontario students and worth checking each admissions cycle:

• The Loran Award funds character and leadership, renewable through an undergraduate degree at a partner university.

• Schulich Leader Scholarships go to Canadian high school graduates entering STEM programs, nominated by their high school.

• Indspire runs bursaries and scholarships specifically for First Nations, Inuit and Metis students at any level of study.

Local community foundations tied to your city or county, and employer scholarship programs through a parent's workplace, a union, a local Rotary or Legion branch, fund smaller and less competitive awards that many students overlook. Ask your high school guidance office or your university's awards office for a current list, since these rarely appear in national scholarship search tools.

How to stack your funding

Apply for OSAP first each year, since it determines your grant and loan split. Layer your school's automatic or applied-for scholarships next. Add named external awards you qualify for, and only then look at a bursary application if a gap remains. Most institutional awards let you hold multiple scholarships at once, but some cap the combined total against your full cost of attendance, so read the terms on each offer letter before assuming every award stacks without limit. An entrance scholarship, an OSAP package, and a community bursary usually stack without conflict unless the scholarship's terms specifically cap combined aid, so ask your awards office directly if you're unsure whether two specific awards work together.

When to start applying

Entrance scholarship consideration happens automatically when your university admits you, so there's no separate timeline to track beyond submitting a strong application and, where asked, a short scholarship essay by your admission deadline. Apply for OSAP as soon as the application opens each spring for the upcoming fall, since processing takes several weeks and a late application delays the funds you need for tuition and residence deposits.

External named awards run on their own calendars, often tied to your final year of high school or a specific term in your program. Build a simple list of deadlines as soon as you start researching, since the biggest named awards close months before the school year they fund.

Documents OSAP and most awards ask for

Gather these before you start any application: your Social Insurance Number, your school's OSAP institution code, your parents' or guardian's income information if you're a dependent student, your own prior-year income if you worked, and your school's confirmation of enrolment. Needs-based bursary applications often add a short written statement explaining your specific financial situation, so keep that statement factual and specific rather than general.

Most institutional and external scholarships ask for a transcript, at least one reference letter, and sometimes a short essay. Start reference letter requests early: a teacher, coach, or employer writing on your behalf needs real time, not a few days' notice before a deadline.

Renewal and GPA requirements

Most multi-year entrance scholarships and the OGS or QEII-GSST require you to maintain a minimum GPA to keep the award in following years. Read the specific renewal terms on your offer letter, since a scholarship that looks guaranteed for four years often has an academic standing condition attached that isn't obvious from the headline amount.

OSAP eligibility also depends on maintaining satisfactory academic progress. Falling below your program's minimum course load or repeatedly failing courses suspends your OSAP eligibility until you meet the standard again, so talk to your financial aid office early if you're struggling rather than after your funding gets cut.

Avoiding scholarship scams

A real scholarship never charges a fee to apply, and no legitimate funder asks for your banking password or a wire transfer to release an award. Verify any unfamiliar award through your school's financial aid office before you submit personal information, and treat any offer that arrives unsolicited by email with suspicion.

Stick to your school's own awards office listings, the funder's own website, and the sources listed in this guide. Skip generic scholarship search sites that ask you to create an account and hand over personal details before showing you a single real award.