The University of Windsor Students’ Alliance (UWSA) says new OSAP rules will make it harder for students to afford school.
Changes announced last by the province last week will see OSAP money shift from mostly grants to mostly loans starting in September. Only 25 per cent will be grants, and 75 per cent will be loans.
Right now, students can get up to 85% of their support through grants.
UWSA president and CEO Husam Morra said that the new formula will make education less equitable for those intending to enroll at a college or university.
"I don’t know if affordability has been taking into been taken into consideration, because at this time, students are in a cost-of-living crisis," Morra said.
"Everything is expensive. Whether that's groceries, transportation, housing, and now tuition. Everything is going up and now we're receiving a two per cent tuition increase."
As part of sweeping changes, a tuition freeze is coming to an end, and a 2 per cent cap will be implemented on increases.
While understanding of the need for sustainable growth, Morra said students are still bearing much of the financial weight.
"We want affordability to remain at the centre of the conversation, but then with that, now with OSAP changes where they're being awarded less in grants, so students are now expected to pay more and receive less," Morra said.
$6.4 billion is expected to be invested in the sector over the next four years, as part of the government’s overhaul of post-secondary funding.
Morra said he welcomed any funding to improve institutions which have been under financial pressure.
"On my end, the question I want to ask is how is that funding being distributed, right? There hasn't been any news in terms of how it's going to be distributed and want to make sure at the end of the day it's equitable so universities like the University of Windsor can also benefit from that," he said.
The UWSA is calling on the Ford Government to reassess the changes to OSAP and collaborate with student-led stakeholders to find a better approach.
-With files from CTV Windsor's Robert Lothian