The OSAP solution
We have all bemoaned waiting for
our Ontario Student Assistance
Program (OSAP) loan to come
through, and while most of us
received our money months ago,
some students are still waiting.
First-year Broadcast Journalism student Ian Campbell originally applied for his loan in April. He received an email of confirmation in July, but after that, nothing. "I waited even longer, then about a month ago I was asked to provide documentation regarding my disability," he said. "I sent in the required documentation and have not heard anything since." When asked if he went to Financial Aid directly, he replied, "The student loan office will not accept my identification. I brought in my passport, my government identification and tax forms. They refused to speak to me as I do not have my SIN card."
Several other students stated that while they did have to wait, they were approved and received their loan on or slightly after September 4, when the majority of student loans were released.
"It's pretty tedious; the long waits can be stressful," said Architectural Technology student Milo Wozniak. "I understand the employees have to deal with a bunch of annoying people and a bunch of crap, so I understand they are frustrated, which, in turn, rubs off on their clients and other students, this makes them frustrated as well. I guess the best system to replace that is some kind of online method, better organization, or even if they had more employees there."
Last spring and summer, several students wondered why the date of loan confirmation kept being pushed back. Frank Trovato, manager of the Financial Aid office, explained that the applications and deadlines for OSAP are dictated by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. "The year prior, the application opened up at the end of February. However this year it was extended due to changes the Ministry and OSAP was putting into place, including the Ontario Assistance Grant. These were all major changes to the OSAP system, changes to the guidelines they wanted to push through. The changes are very major and very positive."
When asked about what exactly those changes are, Trovato said, "(This year,) OSAP has gone to a more electronic, more self-service (setup), with the intent that the student does not need to come in and visit the office. In previous years there would be 6,500 students we would have to see individually — that's not the case anymore." Another change was made to OSAP in that the Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement is now going to be a lifetime agreement. This means that the student will be registered with their loan agreement as long as they are a post-secondary student.
Once Financial Aid confirms a student's enrollment, their information goes to the National Student Loan Service Centre. When the application is approved, the money is deposited directly into the student's account. Unlike previous years, the process is completed entirely electronically. This gives Financial Aid more time to answer any questions or review any appeals a student may have. Trovato was quick to add, "We can do it now much better than in prior years."
First-year Broadcast Journalism student Ian Campbell originally applied for his loan in April. He received an email of confirmation in July, but after that, nothing. "I waited even longer, then about a month ago I was asked to provide documentation regarding my disability," he said. "I sent in the required documentation and have not heard anything since." When asked if he went to Financial Aid directly, he replied, "The student loan office will not accept my identification. I brought in my passport, my government identification and tax forms. They refused to speak to me as I do not have my SIN card."
Several other students stated that while they did have to wait, they were approved and received their loan on or slightly after September 4, when the majority of student loans were released.
"It's pretty tedious; the long waits can be stressful," said Architectural Technology student Milo Wozniak. "I understand the employees have to deal with a bunch of annoying people and a bunch of crap, so I understand they are frustrated, which, in turn, rubs off on their clients and other students, this makes them frustrated as well. I guess the best system to replace that is some kind of online method, better organization, or even if they had more employees there."
Last spring and summer, several students wondered why the date of loan confirmation kept being pushed back. Frank Trovato, manager of the Financial Aid office, explained that the applications and deadlines for OSAP are dictated by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. "The year prior, the application opened up at the end of February. However this year it was extended due to changes the Ministry and OSAP was putting into place, including the Ontario Assistance Grant. These were all major changes to the OSAP system, changes to the guidelines they wanted to push through. The changes are very major and very positive."
When asked about what exactly those changes are, Trovato said, "(This year,) OSAP has gone to a more electronic, more self-service (setup), with the intent that the student does not need to come in and visit the office. In previous years there would be 6,500 students we would have to see individually — that's not the case anymore." Another change was made to OSAP in that the Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement is now going to be a lifetime agreement. This means that the student will be registered with their loan agreement as long as they are a post-secondary student.
Once Financial Aid confirms a student's enrollment, their information goes to the National Student Loan Service Centre. When the application is approved, the money is deposited directly into the student's account. Unlike previous years, the process is completed entirely electronically. This gives Financial Aid more time to answer any questions or review any appeals a student may have. Trovato was quick to add, "We can do it now much better than in prior years."
