Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The first installment is applied to your student account on the first day of the school term in September and the second installment on the first day of the school term in January. If you did not receive your scholarship after the start of the term, please contact Student Central.

Students awarded a renewable Academic Entrance Scholarship must maintain a minimum 80% or 90% average in each academic year, according to the terms found in the Scholarship Offer. A normal full course load is required in each year of study.  Your scholarship will be applied directly to your tuition and/or residence fees. This will take place on the first day of your classes in September and January, reducing the amount you owe to the University.

The myAwards portal will provide you an easy way to apply for all scholarships, bursaries and awards available to Lakehead students. The portal provides you with a general application and a financial need application.  By completing both of these applications you will be automatically matched to all of the opportunities available to you.

The myAwards portal opens annually on August 15. The portal closes annually on October 15.

How will I know if I am going to receive a scholarship or award? If you are a successful recipient of one of our many donor funded opportunities you will receive a message in late-November, early-December, congratulating you and prompting you on the next steps, including writing a thank you letter to your donor.

The OSAP application for Fall typically opens in Spring. Please check the OSAP website in May.

For information regarding important OSAP application deadlines and dates, please visit the OSAP section of the Student Central website.

Before you receive your first installment of OSAP funds, we will need to verify that you are registered in the correct course load. To receive full-time funding, you must be registered in at least a 60% course load, 40% for a student with a disability in both of your semesters.  If it is different or you are not registered, this can affect the amount or timing of your funding. Once received, your funds will be applied to your Lakehead Statement of Account. Normally this happens at the beginning of September and then again at the beginning of January.

When you log into your online OSAP account, navigate to your “Required Documents” page.  Once there you may upload all of your required documentation.  In order to upload your required documentation please ensure that your documents are saved as a PDF.  The fastest way to have your documents reviewed is to upload them yourself to your account.  Should you need assistance you may drop them off at Student Central, but please note that there would be an additional 6 – 8 week processing time for documents.

OSAP documents take time to be reviewed. Typically, the wait time is 6-8 weeks, depending on the document type. During peak periods, additional time may be required. Once all documents are approved and your application has been confirmed, you will receive your funding in 5-7 business days.

Any scholarships, awards or bursaries you receive from Lakehead directly will be automatically reported to your OSAP application. Any external awards you must report yourself to OSAP. Since OSAP is based on a need assessment any scholarships received over $1,800 will be counted as income and may reduce your overall OSAP assessment.

To update your banking information, log in to your secure National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) online account, click My Account and select Financial Institution Information. If you need help, go to Additional Resources Opens a new window to review a step-by-step process on how to update your banking information. 

To maintain full-time status, students must take at least 60% of a full course load (1.5 credits per term) or 40% (1.0 credits per term) if you are student with a permanent disability. Students who are on full-time co-op work term are also considered full-time.

If you submitted a full time OSAP application in the Fall/Winter terms, then you are only required to submit the OSAP extension form.

The National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) requests repayment beginning 6 months after your last study period for anyone who is no longer a Full-Time student. You may wish to call the NSLSC to negotiate a payment plan at 1-888-815-4514.

Similar to the Fall term, OSAP funding will be deposited after your enrolment has been confirmed for the winter term. We will confirm your OSAP application within the last few weeks of December. Once your application is confirmed, your funding will be ready for deposit within 5-7 business days from the beginning of the winter term.  Please monitor your online OSAP account for important updates and communications, as well as ensure all necessary documents have been uploaded.

If you have an outstanding balance on your account, your OSAP funding will be released to Lakehead to help pay your tuition and outstanding fees. If you are eligible to receive more funding than your tuition, only then will the outstanding funding be released directly to you (to the bank account you set up with the Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement).

OSAP and all government student aid programs are constantly changing, you are changing too.  Sometimes your situation has changed from the previous year to the current year.  In other instances, the changes that have been implemented by the federal or provincial governments have resulted in an increase or decrease of funding to you.  The governments work hard to maintain a consistency from year-to-year, but changes are inevitable over time.

If you choose to drop/withdraw from a course for the Winter, you are changing your course load and your OSAP eligibility may be impacted. Learn more about the impacts of course withdrawal(s) on OSAP.

Typically, it is available within the first week of March. The form can be found on this webpage.  It is important to submit your OSAP extension form once you have registered for all of your courses for the spring/summer, but also before the courses begin.  If you change your courses, you have to re-submit a new form each time.

All documents must be uploaded to your OSAP student portal. If you have attempted too many uploads for that specific document type, you must upload the document(s) in Optional Uploads. If the file size is too large, split the file into multiple smaller files with a naming convention to indicate that the files belong together (i.e. Document 1 of 3).  Only PDF files are eligible to be uploaded.

If you have uploaded all your documents and your documents have been approved, the final stage before receiving OSAP is the Confirmation of Enrolment stage. This means that a Financial Aid Officer will confirm your enrolment with OSAP. This cannot happen until at least two weeks before the start of your term. Once a confirmation of enrolment is completed, it typically takes 5-7 business days for the payment from the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) to reflect on your Lakehead student account or in your personal bank account if there is not an amount owing.

There are a few different reasons as to why your funding may be on hold but it is most likely a result of missing documentation.  Log into your online OSAP account and review your required documentation page.  Ensure that the documents are submitted no later than 40 days of your end of study period date of your OSAP application.  You may also not be registered in the correct course load, make sure that you are registered in at least a 60% course load (1.5 FCE) per term, 40% course load (1.0 FCE) per term for a student with an OSAP recognized disability.

If you have an outstanding balance on your student account then your OSAP funding will be released to Lakehead to help pay your tuition. If you are eligible to receive more funding than your tuition, only then will the outstanding funding be released directly to you (to the bank account you set up with the Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement).

If you have been placed on OSAP Academic Probation you can still receive OSAP funding but you must upload a completed OSAP Acknowledgement of Academic Probation Form from your OSAP account acknowledging and declaring specific information. For a list of information required visit OSAP Academic Probation and Restrictions. Once your Form is completed, upload all pages of the document to your OSAP account.

The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant (OLSG) is a grant that is available for nursing students to help cover the tuition, ancillary fees, and books. This is not needs-based funding but a return-of-service grant. The grant is made available to students who started in their first year of an approved Lakehead University nursing program beginning in the 2023-24 academic year. The program will be reviewed on an annual basis by the provincial government to either continue or discontinue program eligibility.

Yes, you may.  The OLSG is considered for your education costs and OSAP will help to cover some of your living costs.  You must complete two separate applications, one for OLSG and one for OSAP.

The programs that are approved are solely nursing-based programs.  Minors are not eligible for the program and you may not receive funding for courses that do not directly lead to your nursing degree.

In order to be eligible for OLSG, you must be studying full-time in your program.  If you are only taking one course that leads to your program you are most likely considered a part-time student for OLSG purposes and would not qualify for the program.

This agreement is that you must work in the same service region where you studied for at least 180 days (6 months) for every full year of study funded by the grant.  For example, if you received funding for 4 years of studies at Lakehead University, you must work for an eligible employer in any of the public health units within the northern region for 24 months (2 years) after your graduation.  Your funding will be converted to a repayable loan if you do not meet required conditions.

No, only approved OSAP for micro-credentials are available to be considered for funding.

No, your micro-credential courses cannot overlap.  Once you finish one, you can submit a new application for OSAP for micro-credentials for your new course that does not overlap with your first course.

You have two options, you can register and pay up front with your credit card, or you can submit a paper application after you have completed the OSAP for micro-credentials application and have been approved.  For the AQ applications form contact the Department of Professional Development in Education at AQYourWay@lakeheadu.ca

To learn more about the provincial program and how to apply please visit the following page: https://www.ontario.ca/page/micro-credentials-ontarios-postsecondary-schools

There are different amounts that are available, but if you qualify you can have the cost of your course and books covered by OSAP for micro-credentials.

Provided you have remained registered in your course your OSAP will be released directly to you based on the banking information that you submitted when you set up your Master Student Financial Aid Agreement with the National Student Loans Service Centre.

No, your application must be received by Lakehead University’s financial aid office no later than the last day of your study period.  All of your supporting documents must be received no later than 5 days after the end of your study period.