OSAP for non-degree, certificate and exchange students

OSAP eligibility for non-degree students

As a full-time, non-degree student, you could be eligible to apply for OSAP assistance if you are on a Letter of Permission (LOP) from your home institution and are taking credit courses that will be applied to your degree at your home institution. You will need to provide a copy of the LOP from your home institution outlining the courses you can take at York that will be applied to your degree at your home institution.

Only courses identified on the Letter of Permission can be considered when calculating course loads for OSAP purposes.

You are ineligible to apply for OSAP aid as a non-degree student if you are:

  • Taking upgrading courses to increase your grade point average (GPA).
  • Taking credit courses that may lead to entry into a degree program.
  • Taking courses that may enhance your chances of gaining entry into a degree program.
  • Taking courses because you are interested in the subject matter.
  • Taking the "qualifying" term to gain admission into the BScN for Internationally Educated Nurses.
  • Taking "Additional Qualification" (AQ) or "Principal's Qualification Program" (PQP) as practicing teachers. (*Potentially eligible for Micro-Credential OSAP)
  • Taking courses to meet the requirements of a professional designation (for example: the Chartered Accounting designation granted by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants).
  • A law student, required to take specific courses to satisfy the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA).
OSAP eligibility for certificate students

If you are registered as a full-time student in one of these programs as a stand-alone certificate (that is, taking the certificate outside of a degree program) and you require financial aid, then you may apply for OSAP aid provided you meet all the other eligibility requirements.

If you are pursuing a certificate as part of a York University degree program, then you would be eligible for OSAP aid provided you meet all the other eligibility requirements.

  • Accounting (Professional)
  • Anti-Racist Research and Practice
  • Athletic Therapy
  • Discipline of Teaching English as International Language (D-TEIL)
  • Emergency Management
  • Fitness Assessment and Exercise Counselling
  • GIS and Remote Sensing
  • Health Administration
  • Health Informatics (one year)
  • Human Resources Management
  • Logistics (one year)
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Meteorology
  • Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner
  • Public Administration and Law
  • Public Policy Analysis
  • Refugee and Migration Studies
  • Spanish/English Translation
  • Sports Administration
  • Tech and Pro Writing
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
  • Urban Studies
  • Women's Studies-Advanced
  • Women's Studies-General
Applying for OSAP while on a formal exchange

Because you are a full-time registered student at York University during the formal exchange term(s), you can apply for OSAP aid as described above.

For further information regarding these forms and the exchange programs:

If you wish to authorize another person to conduct OSAP business and sign forms on your behalf while away from York, you are required to complete a Power of Attorney form(s). Both the Ontario and Federal forms will be required if you are receiving an Integrated Ontario/Canada Student Loan.

Applying for OSAP aid for courses taken elsewhere while attending York U

If you are enrolled concurrently at York University and another post-secondary institution, then your tuition, compulsory fees and books for those courses may be added to your OSAP assessment at York U if the credits will be applied to your York U degree.

Apply for OSAP aid at the institution where you are taking the larger course load during the session; download this form and have it completed by the non-York institution.