An OSAP overpayment occurs when you are in receipt of more OSAP funding (loans and/or grants) than you’re entitled to receive. This could be because of a change in your course load or because you did not accurately report all of your income during the study period (e.g. part-time jobs, GRAs, GTAs, etc.). You will be sent a notice from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities advising you of your overpayment. The notice may be sent by email or by letter to your mailing address.
Tuition & fee refunds
The amount of tuition or fee refunds that the University returns to the National Student Loans Service Centre can reduce your overpayment. For further information on tuition refunds, visit our OSAP Eligibility page.
Overpayment restrictions
You will be restricted from further full-time OSAP funding in the following cases:
- you have received $2,000 or more each year in overpayments in three academic years; and/or
- you have received overpayments totaling $10,000 or more, regardless of the number of instances.
Overpayments only restrict full-time OSAP applications; students are still eligible for part-time OSAP funding.
Removing the funding restriction
If there have been three instances of receiving $2,000 or more in overpayments but the total amount is less than $10,000, you must pay back $2,000 to remove the funding restriction.
If your overpayments total $10,000 or more, you must pay that total down to $8,000 to remove the funding restriction.
Repayment
If your OSAP is restricted due to an overpayment, you must repay the overpayment in order to receive future OSAP. You can make one payment or a series of payments up to the overpayment amount.
- Contact the National Student Loans Service Centre at 1-888-815-4514 for repayment instructions
- Or, log in to your NSLSC account.
- Ask the NSLSC to fax the receipt to Student Financial Services at 519-823-9421
- Or, print off your statement online, showing your repayment, and bring it to Student Financial Services.
Income Variance Restrictions
As stated above, overpayments can result from a misreporting of income. If the Ministry feels that a student has seriously misreported their income, then income variance restrictions of 3 to 5 years will be issued. Sometimes a variance restriction can be appealed. Students should make an appointment with a Financial Aid Counsellor to review their situation. It is very important that students report their income, and any changes, accurately during the study term.