The OISE Bursary Program provides financial assistance to full-time OISE students who demonstrate financial need. The bursary is non-repayable and intended to assist you in financing your education. 

Full-time students may apply for the OISE Bursary once per session as follows: 

  • For teacher education (MT and MA CSE) students: Fall, Winter and Summer session.
  • For all other Master's students and Doctoral students: Fall and Winter session only.
  • Regardless of the program of study and session, a student who encounters an unexpected financial emergency can be considered for an emergency bursary.
    • ​An emergency might be anything that is i] unforeseen, ii] derails a student’s original budget plan for the session and iii] impacts their ability to continue in the current academic session.
    • If you consider your financial circumstances to be an emergency, please use the online application ‘Additional Information Student Statement’ section to briefly describe the nature of the unexpected financial emergency and how it has impacted your original budget plan for the session. After submitting the online bursary application, please email the OISE Financial Aid & Awards Coordinator (oise.financialaid@utoronto.ca) with the subject line “Financial Emergency” and report that you have successfully submitted the emergency bursary application.​

The program adheres to the University of Toronto Policy on Student Financial Support. However, it is also sensitive to extenuating personal circumstances and may consider these when assessing bursary applications.

Bursary Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be registered as a full-time student in an OISE graduate program. 

  • Applicants must demonstrate financial need over and above what is identified through the OSAP: Ontario Student Assistance Program (or other provincial/territorial government assistance or First Nations band funding) standard assessment.
  • Students are expected to rely on OSAP or other government assistance, including other provincial/territorial government financial aid or First Nations band funding, up to the maximum amount of financial assistance.
  • Any assessed need which remains unmet above the maximum government financial assistance, is expected to be covered by a combination of non-repayable grants from the University of Toronto [depending on your program, either UTAPS or OISE's Professional Masters Financial Aid (PMFA)] and other forms of loans or lines of credit.
    • Full-time students who are Ontario residents and who are receiving OSAP are automatically considered for either UTAPS or the PMFA (depending on your program) during Fall/Winter terms.
    • Full-time students receiving assistance from other provincial/territorial government financial aid or First Nations band funding must complete an application on the University Registrar's Office website, in order to be considered for UTAPS or the Professional Masters Financial Aid grant.

Each academic year, students are expected to contribute a minimum of $3,600 to their educational expenses.

  • International students are not normally eligible for support since they must demonstrate sufficient financial resources in order to be approved to study in Canada. 
  • They can access emergency assistance if their financial needs are the result of unanticipated circumstances (such as the impact of COVID-19 on expected income). Contact the Financial Aid & Awards Coordinator for more information.
  • The University of Toronto funding guarantee referenced in the Student Financial Aid policy does not apply to students who are ineligible for government support for reasons such as defaults on previous government loans, the under-reporting of previous income, disqualifying credit histories, or reaching maximum lifetime OSAP limits.
  • Students in this category should have a solid financial plan in place as the bursary program cannot and will not replace funds that OSAP and University of Toronto grants otherwise might have provided. Each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine the level of support that is appropriate and feasible.

Application Opening & Closing Dates

Winter 2024 Applications

Winter term applications are not processed until after U of T Financial Aid (UTAPS) or Professional Masters Financial Aid (PMFA-OISE) information becomes available at the University. We expect to receive this information in mid-February.

 Winter 2024 applications will open on January 9, 2024 and will CLOSE on February 27, 2024.

Winter term applications are not processed until after U of T Financial Aid (UTAPS) or Professional Masters Financial Aid (PMFA-OISE) information becomes available at the University. We expect to receive this information in mid-February.

Summer 2024 applications will open on May 1, 2024 and will CLOSE on July 23, 2024. (For full time students in the MT and MA CSE program and for other OISE students on an emergency basis.)

Application Process

Carefully review the eligibility requirements, then complete and submit your application. 

The OISE Bursary Committee considers reasonable general expenses (based on the academic year) without documentation. These include: tuition and incidental fees, books and related costs, rent or mortgage, utilities, insurance, maintenance fees, property taxes, food, transportation, communication, household supplies, recreation and entertainment, clothing, and personal and health care expenses.

Students are required to upload any supporting documentation before submitting the online application. All additional allowable expenses supporting documentation for consideration by the OISE Bursary Committee can be uploaded in the respective online application fields.  

Additional allowable expenses
If you are claiming additional allowable expenses, you must submit supporting documentation to clarify your eligibility.  Review what counts as an Additional Allowable Expense and what supporting documents are required.

Out-of-province students
Out-of-province students will need to upload a student loan assessment from their home province in the online application.

An assessment can take four to six weeks, but may take longer during peak periods which are typically at the beginning and end of each session. Assessments may also be delayed if OSAP, UTAPS and PMFA-OISE amounts have not been confirmed.


Information Request: Required Student Response

During the assessment process, should the application information submitted by the student require clarification so the OISE Bursary Committee can review it, an information request may be sent to the student through the online bursary portal.

It is the student’s responsibility to respond to the information request in a timely manner clarifying the bursary application details so the assessment process may proceed. 

A communication response will be sent to each applicant once the application has been assessed.

Bursaries are typically applied to outstanding fees first. However, if the student faces extenuating personal circumstances and identifies this in the online application, the OISE Bursary Committee will consider alternate arrangements.

Additional Allowable Expenses

The supporting documentation for any additional allowable expenses is uploaded by the student in the online application process.  Submitted documents must be relevant to the dates of the term that the student applies for a bursary.

We allow expense claims of 50% of the monthly required interest payments on credit cards, consumer loans and personal loans to a combined maximum of $250.00/month.  

If you are registered in a professional Master's program and are also using a student line of credit to cover assessed needs over the OSAP maximum, you can claim 100% of this debt servicing cost. There is a line on the bursary application to record this expense. 

An example of a non-OSAP or government loan(s) is a Scotiabank line of credit program arranged by the University of Toronto, or an equivalent loan agreement negotiated by the student. 

Supporting Documentation Required: Most recent credit card, loan, and/or line(s) of credit statements showing an interest charge.

For students with children, 12 years of age or younger, reasonable child care costs will be considered, provided that the student's partner is working.

A maximum of $547 of child care costs per child per month can be considered.

Supporting Documentation Required: Documentation from your child care provider. 

Because students are automatically covered by University of Toronto's student health plan, all eligible costs should first be claimed against that plan. However, we consider reasonable assistance for health care services provided by a regulated health care professional not covered by an insurance plan. 

A maximum of $1,500 per year for all professional/regulated services combined can be considered under this provision.

Supporting Documentation Required: Receipts, including assessed claim documentation from student health plan provider.

The costs of vehicle insurance is allowed to a maximum of $200.00 per month.

Supporting Documentation Required: Most recent statement.

Students with expenses that do not fit into an established category may provide information which will allow the bursary committee to determine if it is an expense which the University of Toronto policy will allow the committee to recognize. 

Supporting Documentation Required: Receipts or other documentation depending on the nature of the expense.

Ineligible Expenses

Examples of ineligible expenses include:

1. Debts

E.g., income taxes, unpaid tuition from previous years.

2. Obligations

E.g., court-imposed fines/payments. 

3. Vacations and gifts

 

 

Apply for an OISE Bursary