Ontario Learn and Stay Grant
Apply for funding to cover the costs of tuition, books and other direct educational expenses for health human resources programs.
About the grant
The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant provides funding for students studying in priority postsecondary programs in underserved and growing communities in Northern, Southwestern and Eastern Ontario. This program:
- requires you to work in the region where you studied
- responds to labour market needs, including in health care
- helps underserved and growing communities get the workers they need for in-demand professions
The grant will cover the cost of:
- tuition
- compulsory fees
- books
- other direct educational costs (for example, supplies, equipment)
Find out which programs, postsecondary institutions and regions are eligible. The same programs are eligible for the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 school years.
You can also apply for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) to help pay for other expenses, such as living costs.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this grant, you must:
- successfully apply to and enrol in the first year of an eligible program
- be an Ontario resident
- be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person
- commit to working in the same region where you studied after you graduate
- not be receiving funding from any of the following government programs:
Apply
Students starting in the 2024–2025 school year
Applications will be available in Spring 2024 for students starting their first year during 2024–2025 school year.
Students starting in the 2023–2024 school year
You can apply up to 60 days before the end of your study period if you are enrolled in an eligible program at an approved institution.
Apply online
You need an OSAP account to apply for the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant.
Create an account or log in with your existing OSAP credentials.
Notice about application maintenance:
Scheduled maintenance to the grant application site is usually on Sunday mornings. If the application is unavailable on a Sunday morning, please try again later.
Send or take a completed paper application to your school’s financial aid office.
You can download a paper application form instead of applying online.
Check your application status
If you apply online, you can check the status of your application as soon as you submit it.
You'll find out:
- if your application has been processed
- if you have to provide any documents
- if you or your school have to provide any information
- how much money you'll receive
- when your money will be available
Where you can work after you graduate
You must agree to fulfill a service commitment after you graduate to receive this grant.
As part of the agreement, you must work in the same service region where you studied for at least 180 days (6 months) for every full year of study funded by the grant. Find out which region you must work in.
For example, if you received funding for 4 years of studies at a postsecondary school in the north region, you must work for an eligible employer in any of the public health units within that same region for 24 months (2 years) after your graduation. Your service agreement will have information about which public health units are eligible based on where you study.
The duration of your service commitment may be adjusted based on the amount of Ontario Learn and Stay Grant funding you receive.
Your funding will be converted to a repayable loan if you do not meet required conditions, including completing the service commitment.
You will get the full Service Commitment Agreement when you apply for the grant.
Ontario Learn and Stay Grant regions
The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant regions are groups of public health units.
You can choose to study and work in any of the following regions:
Find the regions and public health units on the regional map below.
The numbers on the map tell you which public health unit that area is.
North region
- Thunder Bay (6)
- Sudbury (12)
- North Bay-Parry Sound (21)
- Northwestern (24)
- Timiskaming (26)
- Porcupine (33)
- Algoma (34)
East region
- Kingston Frontenac Lennox and
Addington (16) - Eastern Ontario (20)
- Ottawa (22)
- Leeds Grenville and Lanark (23)
- Renfrew County (27)
- Hastings Prince Edward Counties (30)
Southwest region
- Huron Perth/Oxford Elgin St. Thomas (2)
- Southwestern (4)
- Lambton (8)
- Middlesex-London (11)
- Chatham-Kent (15)
- Windsor-Essex County (17)
- Grey-Bruce (19)
- Haldimand-Norfolk (25)
Ontario Learn and Stay Grant regions
Regions based on Ontario Public Health Unit boundaries.
Eligible programs, institutions and regions
The following programs, institutions and regional campus locations at the diploma, undergraduate, masters and postgraduate levels will be eligible for the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 school years.
Note: Institution-specific program offerings and campus locations are subject to change based on institutional discretion.
Diploma programs
Eligible programs include:
Practical Nursing
Institution | Campus location(s) | Ontario Learn and Stay Grant region |
---|---|---|
Algonquin College | Perth, Pembroke, Ottawa (regular and intensive) | East |
Cambrian College | Sudbury | North |
Canadore College | North Bay, Parry Sound | North |
Collège Boréal | Sudbury, Timmins, Hearst, Kapuskasing, Nipissing | North |
Collège Boréal | Windsor | Southwest |
Confederation College | Dryden, Fort Frances, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout | North |
Fanshawe College | London, Woodstock | Southwest |
Georgian College | Owen Sound | Southwest |
La Cité Collégiale | Ottawa | East |
Lambton College | Sarnia | Southwest |
Loyalist College | Belleville | East |
Northern College | Haileybury, Kirkland Lake, Timmins | North |
Sault College | Sault Ste. Marie | North |
St. Clair College | Windsor, Chatham | Southwest |
St. Lawrence College | Brockville, Cornwall, Kingston | East |
Paramedic
Institution | Campus location(s) | Ontario Learn and Stay Grant region |
---|---|---|
Cambrian College | Sudbury | North |
Collège Boréal | Sudbury | North |
Confederation College | Thunder Bay | North |
CTS Canadian Career College Inc. | North Bay | North |
CTS Canadian Career College Inc. | Sault Ste. Marie | North |
CTS Canadian Career College Inc. | Sudbury | North |
Northern College | James Bay Education Centre Campus in Moosonee, Timmins | North |
Seven Generations Education Institute (partnered with Durham College) | Fort Frances, Kenora, Sioux Lookout | North |
Medical Laboratory Technology/ Medical Laboratory Science
Institution | Campus location | Ontario Learn and Stay Grant region |
---|---|---|
Cambrian College | Sudbury | North |
St. Clair College | Windsor | Southwest
|
Undergraduate programs
Bachelor or Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Institution | Campus location(s) | Ontario Learn and Stay Grant region |
---|---|---|
Algonquin College | Ottawa, Pembroke (collaborative with University of Ottawa) (English or French) | East |
Collège Boréal | Sudbury (effective 2024–2025 academic year) | North |
Cambrian College | Sudbury | North |
Canadore College | North Bay | North |
Confederation College | Thunder Bay | North |
Fanshawe College | London (collaborative with Western University) | Southwest |
Georgian College | Owen Sound | Southwest |
La Cité Collégiale | Ottawa | East |
Lakehead University | Thunder Bay (regular and compressed) | North |
Lambton College | Sarnia | Southwest |
Laurentian University | Sudbury (English or French stand-alone programs and collaborative with Northern College in Timmins) | North |
Loyalist College | Belleville | East |
Nipissing University | North Bay | North |
Northern College | Timmins (collaborative with Laurentian University) | North |
Queen's University | Kingston (regular and accelerated standing track) | East |
Sault College | Sault Ste. Marie | North |
St. Clair College | Windsor/Chatham (collaborative 4-year program with University of Windsor) | Southwest |
St. Lawrence College | Brockville, Cornwall, Kingston | East |
University of Ottawa | Ottawa (stand-alone in Ottawa and collaborative with Algonquin College in Ottawa and Pembroke) (French or English) | East |
University of Windsor | Windsor (collaborative 4-year program) and Chatham/Windsor (collaborative 4-year program with St. Clair College) | Southwest |
Western University | London (compressed program and collaborative with Fanshawe College) | Southwest |
Master’s programs for Nursing
Program | Institution | Campus location(s) | Ontario Learn and Stay Grant region |
---|---|---|---|
Master of Public Health: Nurse Practitioner Specialization | Lakehead University | Thunder Bay | North |
Master of Nursing: Nurse Practitioner Specialization | Lakehead University | Thunder Bay | North |
Master of Nursing: Advanced Practice | Lakehead University | Thunder Bay | North |
Master's in Nursing (MSc) (English or French) | Laurentian University | Sudbury | North |
Nurse Practitioner MSc Nursing (English or French) | Laurentian University | Sudbury | North |
Advanced Practice Nursing Stream: MSc Nursing (English or French) | Laurentian University | Sudbury | North |
Master of Nursing Science | Queen's University | Kingston | East |
Master of Nursing (Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner) | Queen's University | Kingston | East |
Master of Science Nursing (English or French) | University of Ottawa | Ottawa | East |
Master of Science Nursing with Graduate Diploma Primary Health Care for Nurse Practitioners (English or French) | University of Ottawa | Ottawa | East |
Master of Science in Nursing (MScN) | University of Windsor | Windsor | Southwest |
Masters of Nursing (MN) (Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner) | University of Windsor | Windsor | Southwest |
Masters of Nursing (MN) | University of Windsor | Windsor | Southwest |
MScN: Master of Science in Nursing | Western University | London | Southwest |
Master of Nursing – Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner | Western University | London | Southwest |
Postgraduate programs for Nursing
Program | Institution | Campus location(s) | Ontario Learn and Stay Grant region |
---|---|---|---|
Postgraduate: Nurse Practitioner Diploma | Queen's University | Kingston | East |
Postgraduate: Graduate Diploma Primary Health Care for Nurse Practitioners (English or French) | University of Ottawa | Ottawa | East |
Postgraduate: Graduate Diploma: Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner | University of Windsor | Windsor | Southwest |
Postgraduate: Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Diploma | Western University | London | Southwest |
Footnotes
- footnote[1] Back to paragraph The regions shown in the Health Services Locator Map are identical to Ontario Public Health Units. View website using a desktop or laptop.