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Full-time students

You are considered a full-time student for OSAP purposes if:

  • You are taking a minimum of nine credit hours per semester.
    • Note: If you are registered with a permanent disability, you can be considered full-time when taking a minimum of six credit hours per semester.
  • You meet the eligibility requirements outlined by OSAP.
  • If you have specific needs, you may be eligible for additional OSAP grants—visit the OSAP website for more details.

Co-op student status

If you are taking a co-op work term you may be eligible for OSAP funding or continuation of interest-free status (CIFS) on your previous OSAP loans.  

To qualify, your program must be in a co-op stream where co-op is part of your degree requirements within an approved OSAP funded program. This means you cannot get your degree without completion of a co-op work term.  

If your program is not a co-op stream and the co-op or internship is optional, it means there is more than one pathway to obtaining the degree, and in this case you are not eligible for OSAP funding or interest free status.

Ontario Tech Faculties with co-op options are the following:

Faculty of Business and Information Technology 

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science 

Faculty of Science 

 You have two choices if you plan to go on a “required” work term:

  • Apply for full-time OSAP:

You can apply to be considered for full-time OSAP funding for your working term.  Your program name can be searched by the word "work" and the course load should be entered at 100%.  Students are required to apply for OSAP for every four-month working term (ie. September to December or January to April).  Students are required to report income earned while on their co-op term.  

  •  Apply for Continuation of Interest-Free Status (CIFS):

If you choose not to apply for full time funding, you can be considered to keep previous loans interest-free and out of repayment by applying for Continuation of Interest-Free Status (CIFS) though your OSAP portal .  Students should apply at the start of their co-op work term to avoid interest from accumulating. Our office will review your application and update the NSLSC accordingly. Be sure to submit your CIFS application within the deadline dates outlined on the form.

NOTE: Internships are not mandatory degree requirements at Ontario Tech University and are not OSAP or CIFS eligible.  If you are out of full-time studies for more than six months, you will enter repayment at the end of your six-month grace period.  The NSLSC will contact you via email with details on methods of payment.  Please watch for this communication through your account with the NSLSC.

 For information on whether to select study term or work term, visit our Frequently Asked Questions.