Students are leaving Ontario universities with more than degrees — they’re also packing large debts that will take years to pay off. Hank Daniszewski reports on a new survey that exposes gaps in the province’s student loan program.

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Ontario’s student loan program is failing an “alarming” numbers of university students, the president of a students’ group says.

Jen Carter, president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, said that conclusion is based on a survey of 9,000 students conducted last year.

“We are seeing students with high levels of debt and not enough funding for their education,” she said.

The cash crunch is caused by ballooning tuition at Ontario universities. In 1990, the average undergraduate tuition was $2,105. By last year it had climbed to $8,171.

Carter speaks about student debt from experience. She just graduated from the criminology program at King’s University College at Western University and has a student debt of $32,000. Although she has a job, she figures it will take almost 10 years to pay off the debt.

Carter said only 60% of students who completed the survey applied for loans from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), the provincial loan program.

Some students don’t need assistance, but others such as aboriginal students and single parents are wary of a system that will leave them with a large amount of debt upon graduation.

Carter said many universities, including Western, offer entrance scholarships that can help, but they’re usually handed out for high marks rather than need and often go to students who don’t need financial help.

“It’s prestigious to receive a scholarship, but it’s not doing anything for their education,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s something for their resume.”

Carter said the education tax credits offered to students to offset tuition are often claimed by parents. That money, she said, should be diverted to upfront grants directly to students.

hank.daniszewski@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/HankatLFPress

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THE NUMBERS

About 9,000 undergraduate students in Ontario completed a survey conducted in November 2013 by the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. Key findings:

60%:students who applied for loans from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)

84%:applicants approved for OSAP assistance

$8,171:average annual cost of undergraduate tuition

$2,105: average annual cost of undergraduate tuition in 1990

$27,192: estimated total annual cost of undergraduate program including living costs, academic fees

48%: university students’ contribution to the cost of their education

$7,600: average annual OSAP loan

$2,325:average grants and bursaries per student

$27,000: expected debt upon graduation

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THE PROVINCIAL REBUTTAL

Tanya Blazina of the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities said the provincial government has recognized the value of post-secondary education and taken steps over the last decade to improve access and reduce the financial burden.