An Ontario career college in Hamilton says a provincewide pause on OSAP student financial aid could force it to close as early as December.
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Southern Ontario Dental College in Hamilton says it may have to close as early as next month because the province has paused Ontario Student Assistance Program payments to students at private post-secondary institutions.
The college has trained dental hygienists and dental assistants for 22 years, and school officials say many students rely on OSAP funding for tuition and living expenses.
Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn stopped OSAP payments to all private post-secondary institution students last month, citing “serious concerns” found during the early stages of a sector-wide audit, and has indicated the pause will continue into the new year.
Southern Ontario Dental College’s chief operating officer, Alysse Estrabillo, said that without alternate funding, the school would likely have to close in December if it continues operating without collecting money from students.
For now, students have set up a food bank at the college to help each other, Estrabillo said.
One student, Haylie Eady, said she is a single mother and is taking a two-year dental hygiene program after quitting her dental assistant job, and she described difficulty covering nearly $52,000 in tuition without OSAP.
Eady said she was also depending on an OSAP loan to pay living expenses such as child care, food and rent, and said she recently received a notice of non-payment of rent while hoping it will be resolved.
Minister Quinn has said the government is trying to secure third-party loans through financial institutions while the OSAP pause is ongoing, but the college said it has not received updates since the announcement one month ago.
A spokesperson for the government said evidence of systemic issues left the government with no choice but to pause OSAP payments to all private institutions to ensure integrity of the system.
The spokesperson said the government is developing options for low-interest, third-party loans facilitated by financial institutions to support students during the transition.
Data obtained through a freedom-of-information request shows that between 2023-24 and 2024-25, provincial OSAP grants to career colleges nearly doubled to about $1 billion in the latter year, largely due to activity at a small number of career colleges.
The ministry alleges some schools were unable to verify students were attending class or completing coursework, allegations the schools deny.
Students at colleges that followed requirements said they are left questioning why the government did not take a more targeted approach, and Eady said she and other students were required to meet criteria, including an interview and skills testing.
Diane Yu, a second-year dental hygiene student, said the OSAP pause and possible closure could derail her path, describing it as “pretty devastating” because she has one term left after the current term and wants to focus on her board exam and clinical hours.
Career Colleges Ontario said it could not comment on specific cases but said there is reason to believe more stories of schools facing closure will emerge, warning that the ongoing pause is creating uncertainty without a clear timeline for when funding will resume and that longer uncertainty will force harder decisions that students will ultimately bear.
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