College Students are Pleased with the New Tuition Grant Program

TORONTO, Jan. 5, 2012 /CNW/ - The College Student Alliance (CSA) is pleased with the government of Ontario's announcement of the new tuition grant program that was promised during the 2011 provincial election. The tuition grants are targeted to assist students who are attending an Ontario public post-secondary institution for the first time, having been out of high school for less than four years, and whose parents make less than $160,000 per year.

"We welcome this initiative as it will go a long way to addressing the accessibility and affordability concerns of students across the province" stated Brian Costantini, President of the CSA. "We hope that in the future it can be expanded upon to include more students."

The tuition grants will be administered by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) in cooperation with each individual institution. College students are expected to receive $365 for their January 2012 terms and $730 for their academic year starting in September 2012. The amount for university students is $800 and $1,600, respectively.

"It is welcoming news to find out that students who enrol in a college applied degree program will be eligible for the university amount as their tuition costs are nearly that of their university counterparts," comments Jim Robeson, Director of Advocacy of the CSA.

For students accessing the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) the money will be deposited directly into their account. Those who have not accessed OSAP will have cheques mailed to them in January once they finish the online application located on the MTCU website. Students across the province are excited for the implementation of the tuition grants program and look forward to the relief this will bring to their financial burden. The CSA looks forward to working with MTCU to further build upon the tuition grant program.

The College Student Alliance (CSA) is a member-driven advocacy organization which has been proudly serving Ontario's college and college-university students since 1975. The CSA currently represents students from 16 colleges and 23 student associations with over 130,000 full-time student members throughout the province.