The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is shifting from a grant based system to a loan-based system. At the same time, the provincial government has ended the seven year domestic tuition freeze, allowing annual increases of up to 2% beginning September 2026. 

The non-repayable grant portion will drop from a maximum of 85% of provincial aid to 25%, while the loan portion will rise from 15% to 75%. For a maximum-need student, this means approximately $3,500 per year will be converted from grants to debt, totaling over $7,200 in additional interest bearing debt obligations by graduation.

OPIRG Kingston is conducting a research study to find out how concurrent changes to OSAP funding and the lifting of the seven year tuition freeze is impacting students in Kingston and surrounding area, paying close attention to how these austerity measures impact already marginalized students. 

If you are a student in high-school, at St. Lawrence College, or at Queen’s university, we want to hear from you. 

Please take ten minutes to fill out our survey, and let us know if you are able to join us for an interview or focus group.

For more information please visit the project website at osapopirg.com.