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Ontario students brace for 'vast amount' of debt amid OSAP changes, tuition increases
The province cut non-repayable grants from 85% to 25% and will allow tuition increases of up to 2% a year.
- As of Aug. 1, Premier Doug Ford's government reduced non-repayable Ontario Student Assistance Program grants from 85 per cent to 25 per cent while lifting a seven-year tuition freeze, allowing colleges and universities to raise fees by up to two per cent annually.
- Spokesperson Bianca Giacoboni, representing Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn, cited "unsustainable" costs for the changes, noting OSAP spending reached $2.7 billion in 2025-26 and projected to hit $4.1 billion by 2028-29.
- Incoming University of Toronto master's student Aidan Jeffers said he is "incurring a vast amount more debt" than during his undergraduate years, receiving around $19,500 this year with $12,000 directed toward tuition.
- Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance president Rory Norris, representing about 160,000 students, argued the province must modernize the loan repayment model, including removing interest charges to help manage debt.
- Statistics Canada data indicates that 50 per cent of university graduates held more than $25,000 in debt in 2020, while a recent student alliance report found bachelor's degree holders face nearly 12 per cent unemployment.
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Winnipeg Free Press+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
Ontario students brace for 'vast amount' of debt amid OSAP changes, tuition increases
As Aidan Jeffers begins his graduate studies at the University of Toronto, he says he will have to work more hours and possibly rely on food banks due to drastic changes to student financial aid in Ontario – and the resulting debt he expects to rack up.
·Winnipeg, Canada
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left10Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution91% Left
Bias Distribution
- 91% of the sources lean Left
91% Left
L 91%
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