Ontario's student funding is changing. The Fall 2026 OSAP grant cut (maximum grant share down from 85% to 25%) changes the funding math for every family entering post-secondary that year. If you're an Ontario student starting in 2026 or later, you'll carry significantly more debt per year than the cohort ahead of you did, which makes every scholarship dollar mathematically more valuable, not less.
Who this page is for
You're an Ontario resident (or planning to become one via school) applying for post-secondary in Ontario or elsewhere. You're looking at the full provincial funding stack: OSAP, provincial merit programs, bursaries, tax credits, and institutional awards at Ontario universities and colleges.
The 2026 OSAP reset
For study periods starting August 1, 2026 or later, the OSAP grant maximum drops from 85% of assistance to 25% (your actual split depends on the ministry's income assessment). Practical meaning:
- The same "funded" dollar amount comes through, but it's mostly repayable loan now, not grant.
- Students entering in 2026 will graduate owing materially more than the 2024 or 2025 cohort.
- Interest accrues starting six months after graduation on the federal portion; Ontario's provincial portion is separate.
Our detailed coverage (OSAP 2026 Changes Explained, How to Apply for OSAP in 2026, and 10 Ways to Close Your Funding Gap After OSAP Cuts) is linked below. What to do: apply for every entrance scholarship you're eligible for, use your RESP and CESG money in year one, and claim every tax credit available.
Provincial merit and targeted programs
Ontario runs several province-specific funding programs, some of them part of OSAP:
- Ontario Learn and Stay Grant: eligible students in nursing, paramedic, and practical nursing programs at select Northern, Eastern, and Southwestern Ontario institutions who commit to working in the same region for at least 6 months per year of study funded. Covers full tuition, books and direct educational costs upfront. The amount depends on the program.
- Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD): additional grant-only funding on top of OSAP for students with verified disabilities, covering disability-specific education costs.
- Ontario Tuition Grant: need-based grant portion of OSAP; replaced the older 30% Off Tuition Grant and is itself being reshaped under the 2026 OSAP grant-share cut.
- Indigenous bursaries: beyond Indspire + federal supports, Ontario runs targeted bursaries for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students through the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. Confirm current program names with your school's awards office, provincial Indigenous programs have been renamed multiple times in the last decade.
(Note: the Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for the Top Scholarship, which older guides still mention, was discontinued in 2011 to 12 and has not accepted new applicants since. If a guide tells you to apply, the guide is stale.)
School and local awards
Ontario has 22 publicly funded universities and 24 community colleges, each running its own scholarship + bursary ecosystem. Examples:
- U of T: Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship (for international students, full ride), National Scholarship ($10K/year × 4), in-course continuing awards.
- Waterloo: President's Scholarship, co-op earnings, engineering-specific Schulich Leader + Loran candidacy referrals.
- Queen's: Chancellor's Scholarship, Principal's Scholarship, tri-colour suite.
- Western: National Scholarship, Dean's Entrance, in-course awards.
- McMaster: Chancellor's Awards, Iron Ring-stream engineering scholarships.
At many Ontario universities, the continuing-student bursary application opens in September and closes in October, so watch for it.
Community and industry awards
- Ontario community foundations (Toronto Foundation, Ottawa Community Foundation, Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation, London Community Foundation, etc.) give out named scholarships every year.
- Industry associations with Ontario presence (Ontario Trucking Association, Professional Engineers Ontario, Ontario Veterinary Medical Association) run trade-specific awards.
- Employer programs: RBC, TD, BMO, Loblaw, Rogers, Bell, OPG all run scholarships or match-your-parent's-employer programs.
What's next
Our "Complete Guide to Student Funding in Ontario (2026)" (linked below) covers this stack from start to finish: OSAP calculations, all provincial programs, tax credit stacking, and post-cut strategy. Below the fold on this page: every Ontario-eligible scholarship in our directory, filterable by level.