Does OSAP gives money for residence to a person who are living in the same city where college is located??????

Question

I need to know if OSAP gives money (social assistance) for residence to a student who is living in the same town where college is, like can a student keep on getting money for school and residence because can't live with parents because of family problem relationship. In reason that my college in my town is located very far from my home and it's more than 40 km.

Answer 1

It depends.

OSAP is calculated based on tuition, books and living costs while you are in school.  Living costs are calculated based on Stats Canada data for your province, not on your actual living costs.  If you have been out of high school for at least 4 years, you are considered an "independent" student and your parents' income or place of residence is not taken into account.

If you have not been out of high school for at least 4 years, OSAP expects that you will be living wth your parents (one of them anyway if they are divorced).  If your parents live within 40 km of the school, then you are expected to live with them.  If their residence is more than 40 km from the school, then OSAP will accept that you are not living at home.

The maximum you can get from OSAP is $350/week multiplied by the number of weeks in your program.  I'm not sure if you mean "residence" as in living at the college in a room or you mean just living in a regular open market apartment.  Either way, it is going to depend on what your living arrangements cost.  You may or may not be able to afford to live on your own.  This year there are some additional grants that are available to students who qualify but they are not large and may not cover the expenses of residence.

One more thing -- OSAP is NOT social assistance.  Social assistance is welfare and you do not pay it back.  OSAP is a loan and 6 months after you finish going to school, you will be expected to start making payments on your loan.