Following through on a fall election promise, the provincial government starts rolling out a tuition grant this month for undergraduate students, meant to cover roughly 30 per cent of a student’s academic costs each year.
University students in undergraduate, first-entry programs will receive $1,600 annually. Eligible students who apply should expect to see the first instalment of $800 arrive this month, in time for the 2012 winter term, says Deb Matthews, MPP for London North Centre.
The Ontario Liberal party, led by Premier Dalton McGuinty, promised this post-secondary tuition grant if elected last fall. Awarded a minority government following the Oct. 6 election, the province is coming through on the promise at a cost of $201 million.
Matthews explains most undergraduate students will qualify for the grant, adding students have to be out of high school for four years or less and have a combined parental income less than $160,000.
“It’s really important that everyone has an opportunity to go on to postsecondary studies, regardless of income. This (grant) is a significant step in reducing the barriers,” Matthews says. “It will make a real difference to (roughly) 315,000 students in Ontario.”
This year, students funding their tuition through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) will see the grant directly deposited into their bank account, says Tanya Blazina, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Students who do not receive OSAP funding via direct deposit and those applying only for the grant – roughly 150,000 students – will receive a cheque in the mail.
In the future, Blazina explains, universities and colleges will receive the funds directly and the grant amount will be deducted from the tuition costs of eligible students.
Delivery methods aside, university students who qualify will receive $1,600 in September 2012, and qualifying college students will get a $730 grant.
Thanks to the grant, approximately 72 per cent of eligible, full-time college and university students will have their tuition fees reduced, Blazina says.
And that’s the best part of all, says John Doerksen, vice-provost (academic programs and students) at The University of Western Ontario.
“The big picture here is that the (grant) will help with accessibility to higher education,” Doerksen says. “At Western, at any given time, we have between 35-45 per cent of students on OSAP, all of whom will automatically benefit from this. And (consider) that the provincial estimate is that roughly 150,000 students not on OSAP will benefit. It’s an important access initiative.
“Short term, we have students that will benefit from the grant, but in the long term, it opens doors for prospective students.”
Patrick Searle, vice-president (university affairs) of Western’s University Students’ Council, agrees.
“The cost of tuition and post-secondary education in Ontario is continuing to rise each year, and students are finding it harder and harder to pay for their studies. Across Canada, Ontario students pay the most in tuition, so this tuition grant is a great first step towards alleviating the high cost of education,” he says.
As for the high cost of the grant itself, Matthews says the provincial government is tightening its belt to finance an important election promise.
“All of our ministries are being asked to see what (they) can do to support this initiative. There will be offset for any new spending. This is a priority for us; we want our workforce to be highly educated. It already is (highly educated), but we think we can do more,” she says.
While the initial delivery method of the grant doesn’t exactly ensure students will spend the grant on educational costs, Searle says some allowances have to be made.
“As a student myself, I know that I have allocated portions of my loans toward stress-relieving activities. What must not be lost is that students are paying a very high price for education, and often with loans and lines of credit attached to themselves when they finish.”
One potential concern, Searle adds, is eligibility criteria that inadvertently exclude some undergraduate students who could also use the help.
“One complaint students have had about the grant is that if they are in their fifth year, they are not qualified because they are four years removed from secondary school,” Searle says. “If students apply for OSAP after four years of being a dependent, parental contributions are no longer required and students tend to receive more funding because of the loss of dependence status.”