u/RelativeNinja

Today marks eight weeks since I submitted my OSAP application and uploaded my documents. Ever since July 10th the status has said that they were waiting on the program information and costs to be provided by the school. I'm wondering if anyone else from Centennial is still waiting on this as well, or should I be worried? This is my first time applying for OSAP and September is getting awfully close.

EDIT: To be clear, I am not referring to the confirmation of enrollment that happens right before the semester starts to release funds. My OSAP has not even been approved yet because Centennial has not confirmed the program information and costs. What I am wondering is if anyone else is also waiting on that specifically.

This is the status from the OSAP website, unchanged since July 10th:

"Information about your program (e.g., course load) and education-related costs (e.g., tuition and books) is required from your school before your funding can be calculated. Your school will provide this information to the ministry electronically."

I am trying to upload the declaration and signature form for my OSAP application, but I am getting an error saying upload is not available and to check back later. When I searched for previous posts about upload problems I could only find ones about it saying it was because of there being too many previous uploads, but this is the fist document I am uploading for a new application and it doesn't say anything like that. Would it just be because of site maintenance or something, even though it doesn't explicitly say so?

I'm just feeling so paranoid because I've already gone through a whole ordeal of having to mail in a signed and stamped form to get access to an OSAP account because one already existed with my SIN despite having never applied for OSAP before, apparently due to having had loans from a different province a couple of decades ago. And now I'm finally able to fill out an application and I'm having this issue uploading my very first document for it.

It wouldn't be because of the password on the file would it? The site says it can be uploaded with a password. Also, is it okay to be using digital signatures on these forms, or should they be printed to be signed manually and then scanned?

Update: I tried first thing this morning and it worked with no problem. I guess the lesson here is not to try to upload documents on Sunday, even when there's no maintenance notice.

Has anyone who was not yet approved for OSAP ever tried to get a tuition deposit waiver and had it approved?

Long story short, I ran into an unexpected complication when I went to apply and had to mail in a form to the ministry for OAN recovery/a temp password. It was mailed almost two weeks ago but considering I also have to wait for the info to be mailed back to me after however long it takes for them to process it, I don't expect to be able to even apply for OSAP before the June 25th deposit deadline, let alone be approved. I can come up with the $250, but if for whatever reason I end up not being approved for OSAP, then I wouldn't be able to pay the rest of the tuition myself. Being able to go to school in September is 100% dependent on being approved for OSAP and considering how tight things are financially for me right now I am VERY wary of potentially throwing away $250 for nothing, since it's non-refundable.

It just seems unfair that the waiver is apparently only for people who have already been approved, without taking into consideration anyone else's circumstances. It's an online program that doesn't seem to be in high demand, so I doubt there's a waiting list of people to take my spot.

I know no one except the Student Financial Aid office can give me a definitive answer, so replies just telling me to contact them directly are not needed. I am just wondering if anyone else has experience with this and how it went for them.

I've been using the OSAP aid estimator to compare a bunch of programs and scenarios over the past couple of weeks, but now one of the programs I've been checking is no longer coming up, at least the online version is not. Multiple options (start dates, terms) for the in person version are still there, but all of those used to always come up specifically for the online program as well, but now they're not. Does that mean the online version is no longer eligible? What other reason would there be for removing it? I'm just wondering if anyone has had this happen before.

I was hoping to get some feedback from anyone who has experience with taking the Tourism – Services Management – Travel Services Specialization (TIS) diploma program online.

How did you find the course load? With it being online, is it mostly independent or are there a lot of group assignments?

In regards to the work placement in the third semester, was it difficult to find one? Is there any support from the school if you have trouble finding one or is it 100% the responsibility of the student?

What was your overall satisfaction with the program? Were you able to find employment after graduation?

Any insight at all would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

I just tried to register for an OSAP account to get the ball rolling for applications for September, but I got an error saying that my SIN is already in use. I honestly don't remember ever creating an account before as I've never applied for OSAP. When I attended university many years ago I was from out-of-province and had Newfoundland student loans. I know I've looked into going back to school a few times over the years without following through, so I guess it's not impossible I registered an account and just don't remember doing it, but when I tried the various OAN/password recovery methods none of them worked. There were no challenge questions associated with my information and neither of my two email addresses that are the only two I've ever used for things like this were verified with the SIN. I'm concerned this means that it's just an error on their part and not just that I made an account that I don't remember.

I know that for students attending schools in Ontario, you're expected to contact your school's financial aid office directly for help, but I haven't chosen a school yet. I'm pretty reluctant to wait and potentially have a delay in getting everything approved in time for September. I know there's an option to get a form notarized and mailed in, but a notary costs at least $50, and considering I'm not convinced this isn't a mistake on OSAP's part I would really like to talk to someone there directly to confirm I actually have an existing account before I go that route. The only phone number on the OSAP site is the one for out-of-province inquiries. Would they refuse to help me if I tried calling them?

I'm just feeling really frustrated and not sure what the best course of action is. Going back to school at 46 has already been a daunting undertaking and to run into this huge, unexpected roadblock so early on has been pretty demoralizing.

I'm 46 and looking into options to return to school to improve my employment prospects. One of the options I'm considering is the Hospitality - Hotel Management (Online) diploma, and I'm looking for some feedback from anyone who has experience with it.

How did you find the course load and schedule? I assume that since it is synchronous, you are expected to be present for Zoom classes a certain number of hours per week. How did you find that experience? And aside from being present for online lectures, is there much in the way of group work/projects or are they mostly independent?

Also specifically in regards to the first term course HOSP-102, the course description states there will be both online and practical training for the First Aid/CPR certification. How does the practical aspect work for students in the online version of the program? Are they expected to be able to make it to campus for some sessions, despite the program supposedly being fully online?

In regards to the work placement in the second year, is that something that the college arranges or are you expected to find one yourself? And are they restricted to locations within the GTA? I live in the KW area, which is why I'm looking at the online program rather than the in-person option. Commuting to somewhere in the GTA for a work placement wouldn't be impossible, but it certainly wouldn't be ideal.

Finally, how worthwhile did you find the program overall? Was it actually helpful in finding a good job?

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate any help!