OSAP audits of private colleges proceed

“To protect against irregularities or fraud”

On October 20, the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security issued the following statement on ongoing efforts to safeguard OSAP at private postsecondary institutions:

“The Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES), with the support of its independent third-party auditor KPMG, continues to make progress on the system-wide audit of private postsecondary institutions. Last week, MCURES investigators began in-person inspections at eight private career colleges. At that time, our investigators successfully gathered information and interviewed individuals at these career colleges. MCURES’ investigation goes beyond the career colleges that have been inspected to date, and extends to the sector as a whole.

As we continue the investigations, we are working on program criteria for banks and financial institutions that could facilitate third-party loans for students. At the same time, we are working to develop a strengthened validation process for private postsecondary institutions associated with OSAP approvals for the 2026-27 academic year. This process is expected to be implemented in the new year, once the government has introduced and, subject to the legislature, passed legislation to enhance OSAP integrity and oversight of private postsecondary institutions.

To protect against irregularities or fraud, OSAP will not resume for private postsecondary institutions until the strengthened validation process is in place. Proposed measures will include caps on OSAP-funded enrollment, the exclusion of predominantly online-only programs, and strengthened student identification and verification controls. While necessary to protect the integrity of OSAP and to protect Ontario taxpayers from abuse, we understand the impact that this work is having on students and families across the province. This impact is not lost on us as we work to restore integrity to the system and provide students with greater certainty and stability as quickly as possible.

We will continue to provide updates as this work progresses.”