Ontario First Generation Bursary

If you are a student pursuing postsecondary education, and if your parents never had the opportunity or access to one, then you can avail benefit from the Ontario First Generation Bursary. This provincial financial aid is offered only to students applying or studying at a publicly-assisted college or university in Ontario.

The purpose of this bursary is to financially support first generation postsecondary students.

Ontario First Generation Bursary – Eligibility, How to Apply & Amount

Eligibility Criteria

Only students who meet all the following criteria are eligible for applying to the First Generation Bursary:

• The college or university you apply to/ or are studying at is in Ontario and is publicly assisted.
• Your parents have never enrolled into a full-time or part-time postsecondary course anywhere in the world.
• The course you are enrolled in, is a first-entry undergraduate program. Students enrolled in graduate courses or second entry programs are automatically ineligible for this bursary.
• This is the first postsecondary degree, diploma or certificate you are applying for.
• The Second Career Program is not providing you any assistance.
• You meet the citizenship and Ontario Residency requirements that are listed in the OSAP Application for Full-Time Students.
• Your application fulfils all the requirements of your school’s financial need criteria for this bursary.

It is crucial for you to check whether the school you are applying to has any other eligibility requirements along with the ones mentioned here. For instance, some schools might award this bursary only to students enrolled in full-time courses.

In order for you to be considered for this bursary, you are not required to apply for either OSAP for Full-Time Students or OSAP for Part-Time Students.

How to apply

You need to fill out your school’s Ontario First Generation Bursary application. This application will take you through supporting documents required, if any.

Deadlines

Check your school’s financial aid office for deadlines. For this bursary, each school might have different timelines.

How much can you get

You can receive anywhere between $1,000 to $3500 depending on your needs and the school you are going to. Detailed information on this will be available with your school’s financial aid office.

How is the aid received?

This might be different for different schools. The school decides how the bursary is awarded [via cheque or by reducing outstanding fees etc]

Reach out the officials at your school’s financial aid office to know the status of your application and to ask any other questions related to the application.

Other Ontario Student Aid Options

You don’t have to press the panic button if you don’t qualify for Ontario First Generation Bursary. There are plenty of student aid options offered by the government of Ontario. Check out OSAP, Ontario Student Scholarships, and Ontario Student Bursaries to learn more!