Purpose and Value of the Grant

The Textbook and Technology Grant is a new grant to help full-time community college and university students with their costs for textbooks and technology.

In the 2008-2009 academic year, the grant is $150. The annual grant will increase to $300 per year when fully implemented.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for a Textbook and Technology Grant, you must be a student at a provincially assisted Ontario university or college of applied arts and technology. Click on the box below for a list of eligible institutions.

ALGOMA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ALGONQUIN COLLEGE - NEPEAN ALGONQUIN COLLEGE - PEMBROKE BROCK UNIVERSITY CAMBRIAN COLLEGE CANADORE COLLEGE CARLETON UNIVERSITY CENTENNIAL COLLEGE COLLEGE BOREAL COLLEGE D’ALFRED COLLEGE DOMINICAIN PHILOSOPHIE COLLEGE CONRAD GREBEL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CONESTOGA COLLEGE CONFEDERATION COLLEGE DURHAM COLLEGE FANSHAWE COLLEGE GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE GEORGIAN COLLEGE GUELPH, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH - KEMPTVILLE COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF HUMBER COLLEGE LA CITE COLLEGIALE LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY LAMBTON COLLEGE LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY LOYALIST COLLEGE MCMASTER UNIVERSITY MICHENER INST FOR APPLIED HEALTH SCIENCE MOHAWK COLLEGE NIAGARA COLLEGE NIPISSING UNIVERSITY NORTHERN COLLEGE - KIRKLAND LAKE NORTHERN COLLEGE - SOUTH PORCUPINE NORTHERN COLLEGE - HAILEYBURY NORTHERN ONTARIO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ART ONTARIO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY OTTAWA, UNIVERSITY OF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY RIDGETOWN COLLEGE RYERSON UNIVERSITY ST. CLAIR COLLEGE ST. LAWRENCE COLLEGE - KINGSTON ST. LAWRENCE COLLEGE - CORNWALL ST. LAWRENCE COLLEGE - BROCKVILLE ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY SAULT COLLEGE SENECA COLLEGE - KING CAMPUS SENECA COLLEGE - MARKHAM CAMPUS SENECA - NEWNHAM AND JANE CAMPUSES SENECA @ YORK CAMPUS SHERIDAN COLLEGE SIR SANDFORD FLEMING COLLEGE-LINDSAY SIR SANDFORD FLEMING COLLEGE-PETERBOROUGH TORONTO, UNIVERSITY OF TRENT UNIVERSITY WATERLOO, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO, UNIVERSITY OF WILFRID LAURIER, UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR, UNIVERSITY OF YORK UNIVERSITY

You must be attending a program that the Ministry has approved for this grant.

You must be a full-time student, attending a minimum of 60 per cent of a full course load, or 40 per cent for a student with a permanent disability. And you must be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident, or a Protected Person.

You can receive only one Textbook and Technology Grant per OSAP academic year.

Note that if you have been restricted from receiving further OSAP assistance, this may result in your being ineligible to receive the grant unless your eligibility for OSAP assistance is reinstated.

How to Apply

There are two ways to apply for a Textbook and Technology Grant (TTG): you can submit an OSAP application; or you can submit a simplified application requesting consideration for the TTG only.

If you have submitted an OSAP application for 2008-2009, you are automatically considered for this grant. There is nothing else you have to do to apply.

If you are not an OSAP recipient, apply for this grant using the new Textbook and Technology Grant on-line application. Go to the OSAP Main Page to log into the secure section of the OSAP website where you will find the new TTG online application.

Website Security Procedures

The security features on the OSAP website have been developed to provide the maximum level of security in order to ensure that your personal information is kept strictly confidential. If you have previously accessed the OSAP website, log in using your OSAP Access Number (or your Social Insurance Number and your OSAP password). If you have not logged in to the OSAP website previously, click on the “New Student” link in order to log in.

It is extremely important that you keep the OSAP Access Number that is generated for you when you log in (and the OSAP password you create) in a secure place, that you do not give it out to others, and that you change the password periodically.

You will need your OSAP Access Number or OSAP password to log in to the OSAP site for online updates about the status of your Textbook and Technology grant.

Do not forget or misplace your password because considerable time and effort is required to have it replaced. See Request to have OSAP Access Restored for details. You can change your password periodically by going to Update Your File.

Application Deadlines

Your application must be received by the following deadlines for you to receive this grant:

One-term programs (12 to 20 weeks in duration) - Your application must be submitted within the first 30 days of your study period.

Two- and three-term programs (21 to 52 weeks in duration) – Your application must be submitted by 90 days before the end of your study period.

These deadlines are the same whether you apply using a TTG application or an OSAP application.

Receipt of Funding - when and how you will get your money

The Ministry will request electronic information from your postsecondary institution, to confirm that you are enrolled full-time, in an approved program. Your cheque cannot be issued until this confirmation is received from your postsecondary institution.

Once your eligibility is confirmed, your Textbook and Technology Grant cheque will be mailed to you, at the mailing address you provide in your application.

How to get an Online Update about your Grant

The Ministry will send you periodic online updates and messages about your grant. To access these messages, go to the OSAP Main Page, and use your OSAP Access Number or your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and password to log into the secure section of the OSAP website. There, you can check for Web Status Updates about any application(s) you have submitted for a Textbook and Technology Grant.

TTG Web Status Updates will be available for any TTG application(s) you submitted, and/or any OSAP application(s) to institutions that are TTG-eligible.

Getting Help

Web Status Updates are the primary way that the Ministry will communicate with you about your grant. But you may need additional help, either to get more information, or if there are problems in the processing of your cheque.

In the following situations, please call our toll-free TTG Help line at 1-877-884-4310.

Processing Issues:

If your institution is having trouble confirming your enrolment to the Ministry based on the information you provided, your Textbook and Technology Web Status Updates will instruct you to contact the Ministry using our toll-free TTG Help line at 1-877-884-4310 to verify your information.

Another reason to call the TTG Help line would be to follow-up on the whereabouts of a cheque if it does not arrive in a reasonable time after you are notified that it has been sent.

More Information:

Still have unanswered questions about your application for the grant?

Please check the attached listing of TTG Frequently Asked Questions first, to see whether the answer to your question is here. If not, contact the TTG Help Line at 1-877-884-4310.

Reviews

In the following situations you can contact the Ministry to request a review of your eligibility for the TTG:

In-year changes to Enrolment

You met the criteria to receive this grant in Fall 2008, but you later dropped to a lower course load or withdrew. As a result of the in-year changes to your enrolment, you were no longer eligible by the time your institution provided confirmation of your enrolment status to the Ministry.

To request this review, contact the TTG Inquiry Line by the following deadline: March 31st, or the end of your Study Period, whichever is later.

To qualify: you met all eligibility criteria to qualify for the grant on November 1st 2008; if you applied after November 1st, you met the eligibility criteria on the date you applied.

Joint programs

You are attending a joint program offered by two institutions. Your course load at each institution is less than the required course load to be considered full-time. However, your combined attendance at the two programs is full-time.

In this situation, we may require additional information to be able to confirm your full-time status. To request this review, contact the TTG Inquiry Line by the following deadline: March 31st, or the end of your Study Period, whichever is later.