Post-secondary school students are realizing the effects of changes to OSAP that were announced in January.
Now, some are scrambling to figure out how they’re going to pay for school.
The cuts became the number-one trending topic on Twitter in Canada as students posted their drop in OSAP balances for next year.
In some cases, their funding was eliminated altogether.
“I don’t get grants or anything, so if I even get OSAP it’s just the portion that you have to pay back,” explains Nicholas Bilodeau. He pays for his accounting finance degree himself and says he has to rely on a student line of credit, “which is getting pretty big right now.”
Hundreds of students took to Twitter over the last 48 hours, detailing the differences in their OSAP funding.
One student says she had her funding slashed from about $13,000 last year to less than $6,900 for the upcoming school year.
"I'm nearly in tears, as I worry about being able to afford school this year," says Twitter user @Mariann84249936.
Another student reportedly saw their $4,400 grant turn into a $5,200 loan, instead.
The OSAP changes were announced back in January, when the government clawed back free tuition for low-income. In exchange, students would save 10 per cent cut on tuition.
At the time, Merilee Fullerton called it “a plan to make post-secondary education affordable and accessible to students.”
On Wednesday, MPP Fullerton tweeted that, without the changes, OSAP’s budget would have doubled in seven years to $2.7 billion with nothing to show for it. During Thursday’s cabinet shuffle, she was moved from the portfolio.
The University of Waterloo’s Federation of Students says the government’s moves are creating a mental health risk on campus.
“One major component of stress in a student’s life, whether it’s now or 10 years from now… is financial stress,” says Matt Gerrits with the Federation of Students.
With one year left before graduating, Bilodeau will try not to let his $50,000 in loans weigh too heavy.
Following the social media outcry, a protest is being planned for mid-July. Off camera, many students told CTV they’re considering taking a gap year to be able to afford school.
