Transcript Financing your education

FINANCING
YOUR EDUCATION
Pierina Filippone
FINANCE YOUR EDUCATION
AGENDA:
- Presentation
- Q&A
What We’ll Cover
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Faculty Scholarships (Types)
Timing of Scholarship Decisions
Grants
Online Engineering Portfolio (ePortfolio)
Basic information on OSAP/UTAPS/WorkStudy Program
• Tips on Applying for External Awards
• Useful Websites
Faculty Scholarships
• The breakdown of Faculty scholarships:
• OSOTF (Admissions & In-Course)
• Non-OSOTF (Admissions & In-Course)
OSOTF Awards
• Recipients must be Ontario residents and
must be identified as having financial
need; for the purpose of identifying need,
the Scholarship Committee uses OSAP as
a primary indicator.
• In addition, students are invited to
complete the budget section of our Online
Engineering Portfolio (ePortfolio) to
demonstrate financial need.
Non-OSOTF Awards
• These awards are open to eligible
students as noted in the terms;
international students are considered for
any awards in which citizenship is not
identified in the terms.
Timing of Scholarship Decisions
• In-course Scholarships/Awards are
awarded based on academic performance,
financial need and/or extracurricular
activity in first, second and third year
• Decisions are generally made in July;
students receive their monetary award
upon registration in the fall, prior to
November 15
Grants for Domestic Students
• For students who have exhausted all other
avenues of financial assistance.
• Generally, an email will be sent to all
undergraduates in late September/early
October with details on the Grants and a
link to the application.
• The email we use is the one in ROSI. If
you are not using that email, please
redirect it to whichever email you use
otherwise, you will miss out on these
emails.
Grants for Domestic Students
• Grant decisions are made throughout the
academic year with the bulk of the
decisions made in late November; Grant
decisions are made on the basis of
financial need; it is important to complete
all aspects of the application and provide
any additional information regarding your
overall financial situation, for example, if
parental income is high but there is no
support being offered.
Grants for International Students
• International students may also submit a
Grant Application to my office, however,
the applications will be forwarded to
Enrolment services for a decision. I
encourage International Students to come
see me prior to submitting their
application.
Online Engineering Portfolio
• The ePortfolio is an online form whereby
students can upload their resume as well
as keep a record of their extra-curricular
activities; it allows students to maintain a
record of their employment, the leadership
events they’ve attended, and complete a
budget to demonstrate financial need.
Online Engineering Portfolio
• The Scholarships Committee uses the
ePortfolio to select recipients for
scholarships where the terms indicate
extra-curricular or leadership qualities.
We also use the ePortfolio to identify
potential candidates for external awards.
For this reason, it is highly recommended
that students complete the ePortfolio and
keep it up to date.
Categories of the ePortfolio
• Summary of Activities
– Arts
– Athletics
– Community Involvement
– Clubs
– Student Governments/Groups
– Employment
– Personal Leadership Development
– Other Activities
Online Engineering Portfolio
Sample ePortfolio Section
ePortfolio Categories contd.
• Awards
• Financial Information
– Budget
– Special Financial Circumstances
• Leadership Information
• Personal Statement
Sample ePortfolio Section
Sample ePortfolio Section
ePortfolio Tips
• Start now!!!
• Deadline to finish will be end of May, the
ePortfolio will be closed from June through
to August
• Update your ePortfolio at least once every
term
• The latest an “end date” can be is April of
the current academic year
OSAP
• To qualify for OSAP, students must be Canadian citizens,
permanent residents, or protected persons (Convention Refugee
status); Out-of-province students apply to their own province for
funding.
• OSAP is interest-free as long as students are registered full-time (at
least 60%, 40% for students who have documented disability)
• Students are required to repay their loan within 6 months of last
registration date. The interest does accrue during this 6 month
period. This applies to students going out on PEY.
• Students who have been away and are returning to full-time studies,
can advise the NSLC of this and repayment will stop.
• NSLC mails out information regarding repayment, it is critical that
OSAP has an up-to-date address.
UTAPS
• University has a guarantee that “no student shall not be allowed to
enter or continue their studies as a result of a lack of financial
means”. UTAPS is the mechanism for meeting this guarantee.
However, it applies to students receiving government funding only.
• UTAPS covers the difference between a student’s “assessed need”
according to OSAP and the amount of funding received. Students
must be registered full-time in BOTH the fall and winter terms.
• OSAP recipients are automatically assessed for UTAPS.
• Students receiving out-of-province loans must submit an online
UTAPS application in order to be considered.
• First round of UTAPS is usually available late October, early
November for OSAP recipients, (late November early December for
out-of-province students).
• Direct Deposit information and a valid mailing address must be on
ROSI in order to process UTAPS payments.
• There are several rounds of UTAPS throughout the academic year,
the last being late February.
• There are no appeals for UTAPS; once a decision is made it is final
Work Study Program
• The Work-Study program provides opportunities for parttime employment.
• Positions are open to all students (i.e., domestic and
international) who are studying on a full-time or part-time
basis –if part-time, at least 2.0 credits over the fall/winter
terms.
• Job are posted on the Careers website,
www.careers.utoronto.ca. Details on how to apply are
outlined on the website, however, the program is
officially closed for this academic year. Hiring deadline
is usually end of September of every academic year.
TIPS on Applying for
External Awards
• Read the award criteria and guidelines
carefully. Ensure that you are providing
the information requested and addressing
all the aspects of the criteria. Ensure you
actually fit the criteria.
• Do your homework on the company or
organization offering the Scholarship.
Understand the purpose of the
Scholarship; know your audience.
TIPS – External Awards
• Answer ALL questions being asked.
• Proof-read your application carefully.
Have someone else proof-read it as
well.
• When selecting references, ensure
that you are abiding by the guidelines.
• (i.e. character reference vs. academic
reference).
TIPS – External Awards
• Be sure to select someone who can speak
to your involvement currently. In other
words, if you’re in 3rd year, do not ask a
high school teacher to provide a reference.
Tips – External Awards
• Provide award criteria to the person writing
your reference letter. If there is something
specific you want them to focus on, advise
them accordingly. If they are providing a
character reference, provide them with a
resume that way they can touch on all of
your activities, not just the ones they are
aware of. Similarly, if you’re asking for an
academic reference, provide a copy of
your marks.
Tips – External Awards
• Start early and submit your application on
time.
• If you feel you meet the minimum
qualifications, submit an application. Do
not worry about what your chances are or
how many others are applying. Nothing
ventured, nothing gained!
Useful Websites
• University of Toronto Enrolment
Services www.adm.utoronto.ca
• Engineering Portfolio:
www.apsc.utoronto.ca/ePortfolio
• Ontario Student Assistance Program
(OSAP) http://osap.gov.on.ca
• Scholarships Canada (list of external
Awards) www.scholarshipscanada.com
Useful Websites
• StudentAwards.com (External Awards)
http://www.studentawards.com
• Faculty’s website
http://www.undergrad.engineering.utoronto.ca/A
dvising_Support/Scholarships.htm
• Canlearn (for a listing of external awards)
www.canlearn.ca
• National Student Loans Service Centre
www.canlearn.ca
• (Select National Student Loans Service Centre)
Contact Information
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Pierina Filippone
Assistant Registrar, Scholarships & Financial Aid
Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Engineering Undergraduate Admissions Office
153 - 35 St. George St. (Galbraith Building)
Tel: 416-978-4159; Fax: 416-946-7027
Email: [email protected]