Hey everyone, I’m trying to get a realistic idea of what OSAP (including grants) might look like for my situation. I’d appreciate any insight, especially from people who’ve been in similar circumstances.
Here’s the breakdown:
- I’m 21 years old
-Graduating Adult High School this year.
- Permanent resident in Canada for about 2.5 years
- My family has been on social assistance the entire time (about 1.5 years continuously) ,to this very moment.
- Single-parent household (mother, not remarried), she has diabetes(plus some heart problems) and is not working
- Family size: 5 (me, my mom, my twin sibling, a 16-year-old brother, and a 12-year-old sister)
- We currently live in a city-funded social assistance hotel in Ottawa
- No one in my family has worked since arriving in Canada except me
- I worked part-time for about 4 months, earning ~$1,800/month before tax
- No savings, no assets, no scholarships or bursaries
School situation:
- Starting September 2026
- Full-time student
- Attending St. Francis Xavier University (Nova Scotia)
- Living on campus (so I’ll have residence + meal plan costs, plus out-of-province tuition)
What I’m trying to understand:
Given all of this, what would OSAP likely give me in terms of:
Grants (non-repayable)
Loans (repayable)
Total funding vs expected costs
Would OSAP realistically cover most of my expenses, or should I expect a large funding gap because I’m going out-of-province?.What would I even do since I have no source of income to pay for school in case OSAP doesn’t cover everything(can’t get student line of credit coze no sufficient credit history plus no co-signer since mom is unemployed as mentioned above).
If anyone has gone through OSAP with high financial need + out-of-province school, I’d really appreciate hearing your numbers or experience.
Thanks in advance.