Ontario Tuition Grants

[esfdhtfy]

I'm Canadian (I know that there are some of you Canadians out there as well), and most of you will know about the tuition grants that are being given to college and university students in the province to subsidize costs of university.

Thoughts?

I am actually currently arguing with old high school friends on Facebook re: why the grants are limited to those coming from a family who makes less than $160,000.

Thoughts on any of this?

[Snufkin]

I'm not Canadian but the Scottish set up doesn't sound so different. What exactly is the problem?

Now, I come from a poor family, so I qualify quite comfortably for these types of benefits and I see why they are necessary. I've never been in the position where we are above the income bracket so that we don't get those benefits. Is it a matter of, it's unfair that people earning less than that specific amount get these benefits while others don't?

[aranel05]

A lot of my friends have parents who make income above the income bracket and they pay for EVERYTHING. So for them, they just get screwed over my government funding. I had one friend this year who did not qualify for OSAP and when she went to talk to them about it was told that she should just ask her parents for money. She did, and of course they said no. So now she's working two jobs while in school to try to pay for rent/tuition. I can see why the government is only allowing students whose parents make a certain amount get the grant, realistically, I don't think it works. I know that my parents too much for me to qualify the grant, but I pay for my own tuition and so have a lacking amount of money in my bank account. If the government is only going to give/loan people a certain amount of money, fine, but they should look more into the context of a person's life than how much their parent's make.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I don't qualify for tuition grants since my parents' income is above the income bracket. It is a bit hectic because many of my friends also need to work. My parents have enough money to pay for my tuition and books without my help, however, they prefer it if I pay for at least some so I can learn not everything comes served on a silver platter fully paid up front. Several of my friends who use these grants still have to work, so realistically it doesn't ease the tension for students and parents.

[Revolution]

Yeah, US set up is pretty similar except the amount of money is a lot lower, but the US and Canadian dollars don't line up. So I'm not sure on logistics of this.

I really know why this is around, honestly people that poor can't afford college and need all the help you can get. However, I got no grants, even if my family had two kids going to college at the same time and we can't even afford decent health insurance that covers psych. Thankfully I got a full tuition scholarship for my grades, but grant wise, I got nothing. But I'm privileged, and I need to accept that a lot of people have it a lot worse.

[JKmadu619]

Coffee: They are pretty close, we're at like .97 with you guys so as far as estimating it's close enough.

A agree it's unfair but at the same time they need it more. Plus the government knows low income families are less likely to have people attend university so it saves them money as well...



- Justin

[Marguerite]

I get that this must be hard for people stuck in situations where there parents refuse to contribute. In Australia nobody has to worry about university fees until they start earning over something like $40, 000 a year at a job, which is a better system by the sounds of it.

However, speaking as someone who comes from a very low income, single parent household, I can't imagine how much better my life would have been if my parents (or parent) had earned over $160 000. To just be able to always have food in the cupboard and be able to buy things when I wanted them and just generally not have to live pay check to pay check hoping the weeks pay will last to the next (despite it usually not).

I doubt people who miss out on this loan realise how lucky they are not to be entitled to it.

And yes I realise the currency is different but it's not a big margin.