Statement on OSAP Cuts and Tuition Hike

On February 12th, 2026, Nolan Quinn, the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) under the Ford government, announced a slate of changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and tuition frameworks. These changes leave thousands of students across Ontario and George Brown uncertain about their education.
Framed as a “long-term sustainability plan”, the announcement covers three main changes:
1)
Increased Funding to the Post-Secondary Education Sector
2)
Changes to the OSAP grant-loan framework
3)
Removal of the tuition freeze
The increased funding for the post-secondary sector has been used as a window dressing for the attacks on the education system. It was announced that an investment of $6.4 billion will be dedicated over the next four years to the sector. This breaks down to $1.6 billion per year. This investment has been a long time coming, but it still falls short of the amount required to address the chronic underfunding. Additionally, this cannot overshadow the damage dealt to students that comes with this investment.
Starting Fall 2026, OSAP will shift towards a loan-heavy model. Previously, students were eligible to receive a maximum of 85% in grants through OSAP. While loans begin at a minimum of 15%. However, now, students are forced to rely more heavily on loans, significantly increasing student loan debts upon graduation.
To put things into context, if a student’s tuition is $10,000 and they are eligible to receive the maximum OSAP grant amount. Before, this would be $8,500 in non-repayable grants. Now, students will only receive a maximum of $2,500 in non-repayable grants. A significant decrease in how much money they receive from the program.
Additionally, with the removal of the tuition freeze, the Ontario Government will now allow institutions to increase tuition by 2% per year for 3 years. Paired with the OSAP cuts, this increase will disproportionately impact students and their financial stability.
If we take the average cost of an Ontario college diploma in 2025, $2,400, and scale it according to the new tuition framework – students will be paying $2,546 by 2029. This excludes increases to ancillary fees that happen annually.
We understand that when tuition fees rise for domestic students, they tend to do the same for international students, who are already paying more than three times the rate of domestic students. For decades, the sector has relied on international students to fund our
institutions. Now, after public pressure, the federal government has placed a cap on international students. This has been used to justify the provincial government’s decision to remove the tuition freeze. We, as students, must not be divided by this framing and must stand together in solidarity.
While the Student Association welcomes the long-overdue investment into the sector, we firmly oppose the attacks on OSAP and tuition hikes. These initiatives do not promote affordability or “resilience” as the government claims. Rather, it places students in a precarious situation, riddled with debt and financial instability. We also firmly reject the blame this government has placed on international students to justify its actions. They cannot shirk their responsibility any longer, and it is time for the government to be held accountable for its actions.
The Student Association of George Brown will not stay silent. We demand genuine long-term funding plans that also protect students from financial instability. We call on all students to join us in our fight to reverse these changes. Stay tuned to our social media for more updates and actions.
The students united will never be defeated!
For any questions or concerns, please reach out to Toby Lew (he/they), Director of Education and Equity, at educationequitydir@sagbc.ca