Financial Aid & Awards

Students may have access to a variety of funding sources to finance their education, including provincial loan programs, lines of credit, savings, part-time earnings, awards, and bursaries. For most students, it will be necessary to incur some debt, through access to government student assistance programs and a private line of credit with a financial institution.

Provincial Loan Programs

Generally, the first source of funding students should consider is federal and provincial student assistance programs. Most provinces use an integrated application process that allows you to access both federal and provincial programs using one application. Students may qualify for loan and/or grant funding issued by their home province. In order to be considered for grant assistance provided by the Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Physical Therapy, it is usually necessary for students to apply for and receive government loan funding. Students should submit their applications for government loan assistance as early as possible after acceptance in order to ensure that funding is available by early September.

Ontario students can access details and the online application on the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) website. Generally, all students accepted to the PT program will have been out of high school for at least four years and will therefore be considered as an independent student, meaning parental financial information will not be considered as part of the application. This also applies to students who did not have an OSAP loan during their undergraduate degree.

Students from other Canadian provinces must apply for assistance from their home province. Access to the various provincial government application forms can be found at the University of Toronto Enrolment Services website.

The University’s Enrolment Services website has a self-assessment tool which can assist in estimating and planning the costs of graduate education. The assessment is based on current OSAP policies and educational costs at the University of Toronto, and is intended to help budget for university expenses. Actual OSAP entitlements may be different.

Ontario Student Opportunity Grant

The Ontario Student Opportunity Grant (OSOG) is available to help students reduce their annual Canada-Ontario Integrated Student Loan (COISL) debt. The purpose of OSOG is to limit a student’s repayable COISL debt to $7,300 for a two-term academic year and $10,950 for a three-term academic year (as of the 2011-12 academic year). As a result, the amount of OSOG awarded to each student is based on the total amount of COISL they were eligible to receive for the academic year. It is available at the end of each academic year for qualified students. Information on the Ontario Student Opportunity Grant can be found at the OSAP website.

University of Toronto Advance Planning for Students (UTAPS)

UTAPS is a financial aid program for full time students who are Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons (recognized convention refugees) and are eligible for need-based government student assistance or funding from a First Nations band.

The University’s Policy on Student Financial Support states that students should have access to the resources required to meet their financial needs as calculated by the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). UTAPS funding is based on OSAP methodology as it provides a uniform, verified way of assessing student need. For students who are assessed by OSAP as requiring maximum assistance and whose assessed need is not fully covered by government aid, the University will ensure that the unmet need is met. Students receiving funding from another province/territory or a First Nations band are also eligible for consideration.

Students who have applied for OSAP and have picked up their first loan instalment are automatically considered for UTAPS.  Out-of-province students must apply using the paper application found on the Enrolment Services website.

UTAPS grants are paid into a student’s fees account. After deduction of fees, the balance remaining will be paid to the student by Student Accounts.

Contact information and business hours for the Enrolment Services office is available on their “Contact Information” page.

Awards & Bursaries Distributed by the PT Department

Through the generosity of our donors, including private individuals and corporate bodies, the Department of Physical Therapy is able to offer a limited number of merit-based scholarships and bursaries. Merit-based awards are based on various criteria, including academic standing, extracurricular involvement, and year of study. Bursaries are on financial need. All awards and bursaries are for current students only, and students must complete an application to be considered for this funding. Students will be notified by email when the application is available, which is generally in the fall and summer terms. The monetary value of all scholarships is variable and should, in most cases, be considered of a supplementary nature.

Convocation Awards

The Department distributes a number of awards to graduating students at a Convocation Reception hosted by the Department of Physical Therapy and the  PT&OT Alumni Association. Most of these awards have been established by private donors and corporate bodies. While the majority of the recipients of these awards are chosen by the Evaluation and Awards Committee and require no application, students will be notified of any awards requiring nominations or applications via email.

Awards & Bursaries Distributed by U of T

The University of Toronto distributes funding to current students through various departments, including Enrolment Services, the School of Graduate Studies and the Faculty of Medicine.

External Awards

While the Department of Physical Therapy notifies current students of any external award announcements it receives, and maintains a limited listing of relevant external awards, students are responsible for finding funding sources and applying directly to award agencies. Students should start looking for external awards as soon as they decide to apply to the PT program, as some awards have early deadlines for the following year. Students should also keep looking for potential funding after they are enrolled.