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OSAP Summer Income

If you are receiving OSAP student aid through the Ontario Student Aid Program, or OSAP, you may wonder how you can continue to receive summer OSAP income through the program during the summer months. There are actually two different ways that you can get or qualify for OSAP summer income.

The first option is to continue to attend school during the summer months. In this way, you can receive your OSAP student aid even during those months, because you are still attending classes. This is the easiest way to obtain OSAP summer income, but that OSAP income must be used to pay tuition, fees, books, supplies, transportation, and living expenses.

These funds are provided to you during the second payment that you receive during the school year – which occurs at the beginning of the second term. Therefore, you must decide that you will be attending OSAP summer school when you initially apply for your funding.

The second way to obtain summer income through the OSAP is through student work programs. These funds, however, do not come from the OSAP. Instead, this work is generally obtained through the financial aid office at your school. These jobs are awarded based on numerous different factors, but for those who qualify, the jobs are awarded on a first come, first serve basis – so you should check into this early.

Another option is to win scholarships or fellowships. Fellowships provide a stipend, as do apprenticeships. Summer apprenticeships can typically be obtained through the department for your program at your school, but again, you must qualify for those positions, and you will have some competition for them as well. Note that scholarships or fellowships may affect the amount of funding that you receive through the OSAP.

You can also get a OSAP summer job that is dependent of school or the OSAP. However, if you do this, you need to check with the OSAP to make sure that the income that you earn will not have a negative affect on your OSAP student aid for the following school year.

It is also important to understand that even if you do not have a summer job, the OSAP expects you to work full time during the summer months. The expected income from this job that you do not have is automatically figured in, in terms of contribution, when the amount of funding that you will receive is determined. For this reason, it is vital that you keep track of the jobs that you apply for during the summer – even if you do not get those jobs – so that adjustments can be made to raise the amount of funding that you receive from the OSAP the following school term.

Otherwise, there really are no direct funds available from the OSAP for summer income unless you are still attending school during the summer months. Remember that the OSAP funding is meant to pay for school, and the expenses surrounding your attendance of school – and even then, they are not meant to provide full funding for your education. Therefore, if you are not in school during the summer, you cannot expect or receive funding for the summer months, unless you take part in some type of student employment or you receive funds for various bursaries, which will affect your award during the regular school term. For more information visit the OSAP website at: OSAP summer income.