Ontario Learn and Stay Grant

The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant is a new student financial aid program which started in the 2023-24 academic year and will continue for the 2024-25 academic year. It is a key component of Ontario’s A Plan to Stay Open, announced in March 2022, which includes a number of measures to recruit more doctors, nurses and personal support workers to the province’s health system.

The grant will support postsecondary students enrolled in targeted priority programs in underserved communities by providing upfront non-repayable funding for tuition, books, and other direct educational costs, in exchange for committing to serve in these communities after graduation.
 

The grant will cover the full costs of tuition, books and other direct educational costs (e.g. supplies, equipment) of specific programs identified by the ministry.
 

The exact funding for eligible students will vary depending on the program and institution. However, the grant funding will cover all direct educational costs of the identified program, including tuition and books.
 

Applications for the grant will open in the spring of 2024.
 

In the 2024-25 academic year, the grant will continue to support specific human health resources programs, including:

• Nursing programs in Northern, Eastern and Southwestern Ontario;
• Medical laboratory technologist programs in Northern and Southwestern Ontario; and
• Paramedic programs in Northern Ontario.

For a full  list of eligible programs, you can click here to visit the Ontario website. 
 

As the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant is a key component of Ontario’s A Plan to Stay Open, which includes measures to enhance the province’s health system, human health resources programs were identified as the top priority for the first year of the grant.

Working closely with other ministries, including the Ministry of Health, the specific human health resources programs of study for the 2023-24 academic year were determined as the programs and regions of the province that have the greatest need to target in the first year.

In future years, other programs and communities may be included, as the ministry will go through a program selection process each year based on regional needs and government priorities.
 

Consistent with OSAP, full-cost recovery programs will not be eligible for the Learn and Stay Grant. We will be finalizing the list of eligible programs following consultation with the institutions delivering them. Any identified full-cost recovery programs will be removed from the final list of eligible programs, which we will share in the coming weeks.
 

To be eligible for the grant, students must:

• successfully apply to and enrol    in the first year of an eligible Sault College program for a September 2024 start OR have started your studies in an eligible Sault College program in September 2023 and are proceeding your studies in September 2024
• be an Ontario resident who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person
• commit to fulfilling a service agreement and work in the same region where you studied after you graduate
• not be receiving  funding from any of the  three government programs: The BEGIN Initiative: Bridging Educational Grant in  Nursing, Better Jobs Ontario or Skills Development Fund

Consistent with full-time OSAP definitions, students will need to be enrolled in at least 60%, or 40% for students with disabilities, of a full course load to be eligible for Learn and Stay.

International students are not eligible for the grant.
 

Learn and Stay is an Ontario grant and will have its own eligibility requirements. However, in certain circumstances (e.g., if students withdraw from their studies or do not meet the service requirement after graduation), the grant will be converted to an Ontario Student Loan and will be administered as part of the Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan.
 

The Learn and Stay Grant was first available to students that enrolled in the first year of an eligible program  for 2023-24.   For the 2024-25 academic year, along with students enrolling in the first year of an eligible program , students proceeding with their studies after beginning in 2023-24 will also be eligible to apply for the grant. 

Learn and Stay is an entitlement program and there will be no cap on the number of students who can apply each year.
 

Scholarships awarded by institutions will not have an impact on either the student’s eligibility or their amount of the Learn and Stay Grant.
 

Yes, the grant will be available to students who choose to enroll in spring/summer courses, provided they maintain full-time status during spring/summer (60% of a full-time course load or 40% for students with disabilities).
 

You must fulfill a service commitment after you graduate to receive this grant. This includes   working in the   same service region of the province where you studied for at least 180  days (6  months) for every full year of study    funded by the grant.

For example, if your program of study is 4  years long and you received funding all 4  years you studied, you must work in that same region for 24  months (2  years) after your graduation. The duration of your service commitment will be adjusted to reflect the amount of Ontario Learn and Stay Grant funding you receive. (For example, if you repeat a course and receive additional funding for it, the duration will be longer).

Your funding will be converted to a repayable loan if you do not meet all required conditions, including completing the service commitment.

You will see the full Service Commitment Agreement when you apply for the grant.
 

The service requirement will be prorated to reflect the course load that students took. For example, 60 per cent of a full course load in a year would result in a minimum service requirement of 108 days (i.e.    60 percent of 180 days).
 

The ministry is working with the Ministry of Health to determine the conditions for graduates to fulfil their service requirement. These details will be identified in the service agreement that students will need to sign with their application to the grant. Further details on this will be provided in the coming weeks.
 

Students have up to six months following their graduation to find an acceptable role that fulfils their service commitment. If they are unable to fulfil their service commitment, their grant will be converted to an Ontario Student Loan, which will need to be paid back to the ministry.
 

Yes, the ministry is currently working on the details regarding exceptional circumstances review, and they will be shared as soon as they are finalized.
 

Upon completion of their studies, students will have six months to secure employment in the region in which they studied. Details on the service requirements, including service location, will be provided in the service agreement that students would need to sign before they receive grant funding. The ministry may build some flexibility in the service agreement to allow students to work in another region covered by the grant if it is determined that the other region has sufficient labour market need. The service agreement will provide further details on this process.
 

Students who apply for the grant can also apply for OSAP if they need more support with costs not covered by the grant, such as living expenses.
 

While Learn and Stay Grant is separate from OSAP and will be promoted distinctly to avoid confusion, it will be housed on OSAP platforms, avoiding the need to create new infrastructure. This includes using the existing OSAP service provider to manage the disbursement of the grant, service commitment compliance, and grant to loan conversion; administering client profiles and accounts using OSAP systems; and using established OSAP rules where possible. The Learn and Stay Grant application will provide applicants with the option to apply for OSAP, if they need support with the costs that are not covered by Learn and Stay, such as living expenses and childcare.
 

In designing the Learn and Stay Grant, the ministry plans to use established OSAP rules as much as possible. We expect the Confirmation of Enrollment to mirror the process used with full-time OSAP. We will provide more details on this in the coming months.
 

Before the launch of the Learn and Stay application, the ministry will provide further information on the Learn and Stay Grant, including funding estimate and the service commitment requirement, to help students decide whether this grant meets their financial needs without impacting their future goals. In addition, the application process will start with an information session on Learn and Stay, which will provide students with an overview of the grant, the financial supports they can expect to receive and their obligations as recipients of the grant. Students will be required to read the information session prior to proceeding with the application.

If students change their mind after starting their program with Learn and Stay funding, they have the option to apply for full-time OSAP to be considered for funding for any remaining years of their studies. However, grant funding they received from Learn and Stay will be converted to a loan, which they will be required to pay back to the ministry.
 

The Learn and Stay Grant has no impact on OSAP for Micro-credentials. Recipients of the Learn and Stay Grant can still apply for OSAP for micro-credentials funding if they are enrolled in an eligible micro-credential program.
 

The ministry has worked closely with other ministries and partners to select these programs based on evidence that indicates a need for them. The ministry will continue to monitor enrollment trends to inform future direction.
 

More information on the grant and the application process will be available in the coming months and will be included on the    ministry’s website.
 

The grant became available starting in the 2023-24 academic year, and it will continue the 2024-25 academic year. However, programs and institutions eligible for the grant might change in future years, depending on identified labour market needs, which will be determined on a yearly basis.