Sorry for yet another OSAP post, but I searched and couldn't find this on any of the forums or on Google. I was wondering what the actual exact OSAP equation is. All I can find is

cost - revenue = entitlement

But I wanted to know the exact formula used. I'm curious about how each factor affects your funding. and I'd like to play around with the numbers a bit.

Thanks for any help!

Originally Posted by TMBGiants

Sorry for yet another OSAP post, but I searched and couldn't find this on any of the forums or on Google. I was wondering what the actual exact OSAP equation is. All I can find is

cost - revenue = entitlement

But I wanted to know the exact formula used. I'm curious about how each factor affects your funding. and I'd like to play around with the numbers a bit.

Thanks for any help!

I'm...pretty sure no one outside a few select government officials know the exact equation. If anyone did, then it'd probably be public pretty fast and then everyone would be altering their inputs to optimize output. I also suspect that there's a human element to it, but this is pure speculation.

I'm curious too, but considering the number of variables there are, it'd probably be relatively long and probably not worth lying on your OSAP application for.

You definitively shouldn't lie on your OSAP application. You should remember that when you apply for OSAP you allow them to access a lot of personal information like income, your bank accounts, etc. They want to make sure you are telling the truth, if you aren't then there are consequences including not being eligible for OSAP for your entire university career (maybe even graduate as well).

OSAP works really oddly, like having a car, even a beat up old piece of junk, brings is down quite a bit. I guess they except you to sell the car, or something.

Ha, yeah I didn't mean play around with the numbers as in fabricate my application, more just to see how greatly everything is weighted, i.e. summer income vs. parents income, to try and figure out things like the maximum summer income before it really starts to affect my OSAP funding. It's unfortunate that it isn't public information though. Couldn't you request under some sort of freedom of information act or something? It's not exactly threatening the security of the province. Though even if it should be able to be released doesn't mean it would be I suppose.

Originally Posted by TMBGiants

Ha, yeah I didn't mean play around with the numbers as in fabricate my application, more just to see how greatly everything is weighted, i.e. summer income vs. parents income, to try and figure out things like the maximum summer income before it really starts to affect my OSAP funding. It's unfortunate that it isn't public information though. Couldn't you request under some sort of freedom of information act or something? It's not exactly threatening the security of the province. Though even if it should be able to be released doesn't mean it would be I suppose.

If it is allowed, I don't think they would bother. The only thing that you can really change is your summer income. I'm positive that summer income is way better than OSAP. Plus you get experience which is very important.