August 13, 2019 – Laurentian University is pleased to announce that youth in extended society care will once again be eligible to apply for a full tuition exemption for courses at Laurentian. This program will be open to current and former youth in the care of the children’s aid society, who are pursuing their first post-secondary degree. This tuition exemption program was initiated in 2012 and has been approved again for the upcoming academic year. This funding will be extended to support the equivalent of ten full-time students and is available to students studying full-time or part-time.

“These students, many of whom are Indigenous, face unique challenges in accessing post-secondary education,” said Dr. Serge Demers, Laurentian’s interim Vice-President, Academic and Provost. “It is important that we remove barriers and enable them to achieve their academic goals. We are proud to continue supporting this group of students and we will look towards fundraising within our community to expand the program’s reach in future years.”

This initiative was championed by Jane Kovarikova, a Laurentian University graduate and former youth-in-care. “Post-secondary credentials have made it possible for the few of us who were lucky to achieve our goals,” she said. “Most of us simply don’t have the same opportunities. I am very grateful that I had access to post-secondary via a pathway through my community college and then onward to university studies. I wish for all those raised in care to have the same opportunities.” Jane is the holder of multiple degrees, and is now a Ph.D. candidate.

Conditions

To be eligible for the tuition waiver, students must:

Have been in extended society care in Ontario for a minimum of one year.

Apply for non-repayable grant funding through full-time or part-time OSAP each academic year. Students are not required to apply for loan funding.

Have exhausted any other type of available government funding available.



The waiver is valued at the total amount of tuition fees, less any OSAP non-repayable grant funding and/or any other provincial funding for which the student may be eligible. In order to qualify for the waiver, students must self-identify through the OSAP application process and provide the supporting documentation indicated below. Priority will be given to first degree, first-time applicants.

For interested students, more information and application instructions are available within the admissions section of the Laurentian University website.