Before you can apply for the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, you must read and agree to the terms and conditions in this Ontario Learn and Stay Grant Application Agreement. Once you have read all of the sections, you must indicate that you agree to the terms and conditions and then select "Next".
Please note that applying for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and/or the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant requires an OSAP account. You will use this OSAP account to submit OSAP and/or Ontario Learn and Stay Grant application(s).
The terms and conditions are set out in the Consents, Declarations and Signatures sections below and include the following:
Your personal information, including your Social Insurance Number (SIN), provided in connection with your student profile, this application, and any previous applications and financial assistance received will be used by the ministry and by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to administer and finance the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant. Your SIN will be used as a general identifier in administering the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant. The ministry and ESDC may use other parties for any of these activities. Under agreement with ESDC, the NSLSC uses your personal information to administer the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant. Under agreement with the ministry, your postsecondary institution and, where authorized by the ministry, its agents who administer the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant and its auditors, will use your personal information to administer the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant.
Administration includes: determining your eligibility for the grant; verifying your application, including verifying the amounts and types of any other form of provincial or federal government financial assistance; updating your personal profile; paying your grant funding; verifying your financial assistance, including any relief granted from any payment you are required to make and any loan rehabilitation; determining whether to convert any of your Ontario Learn and Stay grant funding into a loan; considering any applications for review of determinations relating to your grant, eligibility for relief from any payment or loan rehabilitation; auditing your file; assessing and collecting loans, including any Ontario Learn and Stay Grant that is converted into a loan, overpayments and repayments; enforcing the legislation set out below and your agreements with the ministry and ESDC; and monitoring and auditing the NSLSC and your postsecondary institution or its authorized agents to ensure that they are administering the program appropriately. In addition, administration by the ministry and ESDC includes public reporting on postsecondary education and training, including the administration and financing of student assistance programs and accessibility to and affordability of postsecondary education; planning, delivering, evaluating and monitoring student assistance programs for quality and improvements in both content and delivery, including establishing and monitoring the minimum amount of student aid your postsecondary institution is required to provide under the Student Access Guarantee, if applicable; conducting risk management, error management, audit and quality assessment activities; conducting inspections or investigations; and conducting research related to postsecondary education and training, including all aspects of student assistance programs and accessibility to, and affordability of, postsecondary education and training such as developing key performance indicators on the aggregated Ontario Student Loan default rates of your postsecondary institution’s students or for the purpose of evaluating or developing new programs. The ministry may also disclose your personal information to other ministries of the Ontario government for the purpose of conducting postsecondary education-related research on behalf of the ministry. You may be contacted to participate in surveys related to postsecondary education and training. Financing includes: planning, arranging or providing funding of the programs.
The ministry collects your personal information under the authority of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.M.19, as amended. If you have any questions about the collection or use of this information, contact the Director, Student Financial Assistance Branch, Ministry of Colleges and Universities, PO Box 4500, 189 Red River Road, 4th Floor, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 6G9; 807-343-7260.
The ministry collects your personal information under the authority of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.M.19, as amended. If you have any questions about the collection or use of this information, contact the Director, Student Financial Assistance Branch, Ministry of Colleges and Universities, PO Box 4500, 189 Red River Road, 4th Floor, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 6G9; 807-343-7260.
Information about your credit history will be obtained from a consumer reporting agency.
This is my instruction authorizing the ministry to obtain information about my credit history from a consumer reporting agency for the purpose of determining whether I am eligible for financial assistance.
Through the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities will provide upfront funding for tuition, books and other direct educational costs to eligible postsecondary students who enroll in a priority program in a priority community, in exchange for working in that priority occupation and sector in the community of study, after graduation. In order to receive the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, you are required to sign a Service Commitment Agreement each time you apply for the grant.
1. Parties to Service Commitment Agreement
This Service Commitment Agreement is made between you and His Majesty the King in right of Ontario, as represented by the Minister of Colleges and Universities (“Ontario”).
2. Definitions
“academic year” means a period beginning on August 1 in a year and ending on July 31 of the next year.
“Approved Program of Study” means a program of study approved for the purposes of Ontario Learn and Stay Grants under the MTCUA.
“Minimum Required Course Load” means the minimum required course load for the purposes of Ontario Learn and Stay Grants under the MTCUA.
“MTCUA” means the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.19 and the regulations made under the Act, as amended from time to time.
“NSLSC” means the National Student Loans Service Centre, which administers the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant on behalf of Ontario.
“Ontario Learn and Stay Grant” means a grant made to you under the MTCUA for an Ontario Learn and Stay Grant Study Period that commences on or after August 1, 2023.
“Ontario Student Loan” means a loan made by Ontario to you under the MTCUA, excluding micro-credential student loans made by Ontario to you under O. Reg. 768/20 (Ontario Student Grants and Ontario Student Loans for Micro-credentials) made under the MTCUA.
“PHU” means Public Health Unit, which means an area comprising a health unit as set out in R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 553 (Areas Comprising Health Units) made under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7.
“Service Commitment Agreement” means this service commitment agreement entered into between you and Ontario in accordance with the MTCUA, including Schedule 1 (Ontario Learn and Stay Grant Approved Programs of Study and Service Regions) and any amendments made in accordance with section 6.
“Service Region” means the regions set out in Schedule 1 of the Service Commitment Agreement, under which PHUs have been categorized for the purposes of your service commitment.
“Study Period” means the period of study of a program approved for the purposes of Ontario Learn and Stay Grants under the MTCUA that the educational institution considers to be the normal school year for that particular program, for academic purposes. The Study Period may include one or more academic terms.
3. Consideration
In consideration of Ontario providing the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant to you in accordance with the MTCUA, by accepting you agree to the terms and conditions of this Service Commitment Agreement.
4. Governing Law, Conflict or Inconsistency and Severability
a) The Service Commitment Agreement is governed by the laws of Ontario and the applicable laws of Canada.
b) In the event of any uncertainty, conflict or inconsistency between the terms and conditions of the Service Commitment Agreement and the requirements in the MTCUA, the MTCUA prevails.
c) The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of the Service Commitment Agreement will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of the Service Commitment Agreement.
5. Supersede Prior Agreements
The Service Commitment Agreement supersedes and replaces any previous service commitment agreements between you and Ontario for an Approved Program of Study. The Service Commitment Agreement will not decrease the number of geographic regions where you may be employed, the number of sectors where you may be employed, or the number of occupations in which you may be employed as compared to previous service commitment agreements for the Approved Program of Study.
6. Changes in Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions of the Service Commitment Agreement between you and Ontario may be amended by Ontario in accordance with the MTCUA. Ontario will provide notice to you of any amendments made to the Service Commitment Agreement.
7. Requirements Related to Service Commitment
a) You will complete your Approved Program of Study.
b) You will fulfill regulatory requirements, including licensing and certification requirements, for employment in the occupation(s) set out under section 8.
c) When you are near the end of your Approved Program of Study, you will receive a notice of service commitment to remind you of your upcoming service commitment.
d) Within 6 months of completing your Approved Program of Study, you will commence work in the occupation, community and sector as required under section 8.
e) You will provide proof of your employment in the occupation, community and sector in a form as specified by Ontario, as required under section 8, to the NSLSC or Ontario.
f) While completing your service commitment, if you change your job or address or are no longer employed, you must promptly notify the NSLSC or Ontario in a form as specified by Ontario.
8. Terms of Service Commitment
Your service requirement must be completed in accordance with this section.
a) Location and geographic region of work
You will complete your service requirement in one of the following locations (as set out in Schedule 1 of the Service Commitment Agreement):
(i) the PHU where you completed your Approved Program of Study
(ii) the Service Region where you completed your Approved Program of Study.
b) Sector of work
(i) You will complete your service commitment with employers that are broader public sector organizations as defined under the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act, 2010, S.O. 2010, c. 25, that deliver healthcare services in the same PHU or Service Region where you completed your Approved Program of Study.
In general, these employers can include agencies of the Government of Ontario, hospitals, home and community care, long term care homes, licensed retirement homes, public health, mental health and addictions, schools/school boards, postsecondary institutions (e.g., universities, colleges), community service for vulnerable children, youth and adults, including those with developmental disabilities and special needs (e.g., Children’s Aid societies), emergency shelter and supportive housing sector, corrections, telehealth/tele advisory services departments within or affiliated with other eligible employers, primary care employers, labs/diagnostics departments within or affiliated with other eligible employers, Ministry of Health certified ambulance service operators in Northern Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie Paramedic Services (PS), Algoma District PS, Superior North EMS, Timiskaming District EMS, Cochrane District PS, Manitoulin-Sudbury PS, Nipissing District PS, Parry Sound EMS, Greater Sudbury PS, Northwest EMS, Rainy River EMS, WAHA PS, WAHA PS- Constance Lake and Naotkamegwanning FN PS) and Ornge land ambulance assets in Kenora, Sudbury, Moosonee, Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout and Timmins.
(ii) Your service commitment requirement cannot be met with employment with privately-funded employers, even if they deliver healthcare services in the PHU or Service Region where you completed your Approved Program of Study.
c) Occupation of work
You will work in one of the following occupations in accordance with the Approved Program of Study for which you received Ontario Learn and Stay Grants:
(i) Grant recipients who complete studies related to nursing must work as a nurse practitioner, registered nurse, or registered practical nurse within the scope of practice for nursing as set out in the Nursing Act, 1991, S.O. 1991, c. 32.
(ii) Grant recipients who complete studies in a paramedic program must work as a primary care paramedic in a Ministry of Health certified ambulance service operator or Ornge land ambulance asset in Northern Ontario.
(iii) Grant recipients who complete studies related to medical laboratory technology/medical laboratory science must work as a medical laboratory technologist within the scope of practice for medical laboratory technology as set out in the Medical Laboratory Technology Act, 1991, S.O. 1991, c. 28.
d) Duration of service commitment
(i) You will work in the region, sector and occupation set out in this section for 180 days (six months) for every Study Period for which you received the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant for a full course load.
(ii) For each Study Period for which you received the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, the number of days you will work is calculated based on your course load as follows:
180 days × A/B
in which,
“A” is your course load for the Study Period, and
“B” is what your institution considers a full course load for the Study Period of your Approved Program of Study.
(iii) In fulfilling your service commitment, you will work a minimum of 400 hours over the course of each 180-day (six month) service period and a minimum of 20 hours per month.
For illustrative purposes only, an example of the calculation under this section is: If your program of study is four years long, and you received the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant for each year that you studied at 100% course load, you must work in the region, sector and occupation set out in your agreement for a minimum of 720 days (or two years) after graduation (4 study periods × 180 days × 100% course load = 720 days). In order to be considered to have completed 180 days (six months) of service, you must have worked at least 400 hours over that 180-day period, and have worked at least 20 hours per month.
The duration of your service commitment will be adjusted to reflect the amount of Ontario Learn and Stay Grant funding you receive (e.g., if you repeat a course and receive additional funding for it, the duration will be longer).
9. Breach of Service Commitment Agreement and Conversion of Ontario Learn and Stay Grant into an Ontario Student Loan
You acknowledge that all or a portion of your Ontario Learn and Stay Grant(s) may be converted into an Ontario Student Loan in accordance with the MTCUA if you breach the Service Commitment Agreement, including if:
a) You do not complete your studies and fulfill regulatory requirements, including licensing and certification requirements, for employment in the occupation(s) set out in section 8
b) You do not fulfill your service commitment in accordance with section 8.
Any Ontario Learn and Stay Grant converted into an Ontario Student Loan will be subject to O. Reg. 70/17 (Ontario Student Grants and Ontario Student Loans) made under the MTCUA. This means that you would need to pay back your converted Ontario Learn and Stay Grant to the NSLSC. If you already have OSAP loans from full-time or part-time studies, your converted Ontario Learn and Stay Grant would be added to your existing loan amounts.
10. Survival
This Service Commitment Agreement will remain in force unless superseded and replaced by any new service commitment agreement entered into between you and Ontario for the Approved Program of Study.
Ontario Learn and Stay Grant Approved Programs of Study for the 2023-24 academic year and their Service Regions are listed below. You can identify your school’s PHU by entering a postal code or municipality/census subdivision on the Ontario Ministry of Health’s website at https://www.phdapps.health.gov.on.ca/phulocator.
Public health units
Programs and schools
Public health units
Programs and schools
Public health units
Programs and schools