OSAP Grants Slashed — Loans Jump from 15% to 75% of Student Aid
The Ford government announced that beginning fall 2026, provincial OSAP grants will be capped at 25% of aid — down from up to 85% — with the remaining 75% issued as repayable loans. Students at private career colleges lose grant eligibility entirely. Combined with lifting a seven-year tuition freeze (allowing 2% annual increases), the changes dramatically increase student debt burdens. A student who previously received $8,500 in grants on $10,000 of aid will now receive just $2,500 in grants and $7,500 in loans.
📚 An in effect Education policy from February 2026 · Implemented · Well sourced
Updated · Created
"Sustainable Student Aid"
Restructuring OSAP to ensure long-term sustainability. Investing $6.4 billion in postsecondary institutions and creating 70,000 new seats in in-demand programs.
"What we were doing was unsustainable. The taxpayers expect the students to go through courses that are going to drive economic growth."
— Doug Ford, February 2026
"Downloading Education Costs onto Students"
Slashing grants from 85% to 25% of aid and converting the rest to repayable loans. The $6.4B goes to institutions, not students — students absorb the debt. The same playbook as 2019, taken further.
- Loan share jumps from 15% to 75% — a student receiving $10,000 now gets $7,500 in loans instead of $1,500source
- Private career college students lose all grant eligibility — 100% loanssource
- Nursing students — the field Ford is promoting — face the highest debt due to expensive programs with limited work hourssource
- Seven-year tuition freeze lifted — 2% annual increases starting fall 2026source
This section represents editorial interpretation of documented evidence.
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