UTAPS Information for Students with Offers of Admission 

This page is for students who have received an offer of admission to the University of Toronto.

You will find details on UTAPS eligibility, Estimate and Guaranteed Amounts, how and when to apply, and what to expect after submitting your application. 

All returning students should visit this UTAPS page instead for details.

What is UTAPS?

The University of Toronto Advanced Planning for Students program, also known as UTAPS, helps full-time domestic students cover educational and living costs when government student financial aid is not enough.  

  • Available to students from September to February. 
  • Support is based on financial need. 
  • This funding does not need to be paid back. 
Apply for UTAPS

Before You Apply: See if You’re Eligible

You may qualify for UTAPS if you: 

  • Are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or protected person (recognized convention refugee). 
  • Applied and were assessed for government student aid, such as OSAP or StudentAid BC for the same academic terms you’re applying for UTAPS. 
  • If you’re an Indigenous student who doesn’t apply for government aid, you may qualify if you receive Indigenous sponsorship funding, such as the Post-Secondary Student Support Program, Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education Strategy, or Inuit Post-Secondary Education Strategy. 
  • Had your enrolment confirmed by U of T to your province or territory’s student aid program before the UTAPS deadline. 
  • Still have financial need after government aid and other funding sources. 
  • Are in a UTAPS-approved program. 
  • Are registered full-time during the Fall and/or Winter terms. 

To determine financial need for UTAPS, U of T uses a formula that compares your education and living costs with expected contributions and resources from your home provincial or territorial financial aid program. 
 
The formula is: UTAPS allowable education and living costs – (MINUS) Resources from expected contributions and financial aid program (EQUALS) = Financial need a student may have for UTAPS consideration. 

Example: Jesse is a first-year student who will receive a scholarship ($2,000) and OSAP funding ($6,000). Jesse will be living in an off-campus apartment, and the combined scholarship and OSAP funding will not be enough to pay for expected living expenses. Jesse’s UTAPS allowable education and living costs are $10,000 for the year.  
 
$10,000 (UTAPS allowable costs) – $8,000 (resources from expected contributions and financial aid) = $2,000.  

Jesse’s financial need for UTAPS consideration is $2,000.

How & When To Apply for UTAPS

Submit an application through the Need Navigator by April 25 or May 27. 

  • Eligible first-year students who apply by April 25 and qualify for UTAPS may receive a Guaranteed Amount or Estimate of their UTAPS by May 2.
    • Eligible students who miss this deadline and apply by May 27 may receive this information by the end of May.  
  • If you apply after the dates above, you may still be assessed for UTAPS and other divisional grants but will not receive a Guaranteed Amount or Estimate. 

FAQs

Here are answers to common questions to help with your application:  

Enter your parent(s)/guardian(s)’ estimated income for 2024.

If you are a resident of a province other than Ontario and do not have the required documents such as Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Notice of Assessment (NOA) or Government Funding Notice, submit your application without them.

After completing the application, be sure to click the submit button. You will see a message displayed: “Successfully Submitted” or “Documents Required”. Eligible students with applications in either of these statuses will be provided with a UTAPS Estimate. 

I Applied for UTAPS, What Happens Next? 

You’ll be notified by email if you qualify for a UTAPS Guaranteed Amount and/or Estimate.  

  • If you qualify, you may see two amounts listed: UTAPS Guaranteed Amount and/or UTAPS Estimate.  
  • If you do not qualify, you can still update your application and be reassessed for UTAPS during the academic year.

Next Steps for Students

Apply for government student financial aid from your Canadian home province or territory as soon as possible to receive your final UTAPS decision in the fall term. 

  • OSAP Applicants: Do not report your UTAPS grant to OSAP. The University of Toronto will do this on your behalf. Since UTAPS is based on financial need, it will not affect your OSAP funding.   
  • Students from Other Provinces or Territories: Check with your local student aid program to see if you need to report your UTAPS grant on your application.  
  • You can update your UTAPS application and have your financial need assessed for UTAPS in September/October 2025.
  • If your circumstances or information change, update your UTAPS application through the Need Navigator. We will reassess your UTAPS application and notify you the outcome via your utoronto.ca email in the fall term. 
  • Submit any requested documents. 
  • Meet all terms and conditions to receive the UTAPS Guaranteed Amount. 

Note: Any additional correspondence will be via your @utoronto.ca email address. 

When Should I Expect to Receive the UTAPS Funds? 

Students who meet the terms of conditions for the UTAPS Guaranteed Amount will receive their UTAPS grant by the end of the 2025 calendar year (at the latest). 

Understanding UTAPS Estimate & Guaranteed Amount

If you are eligible for UTAPS, you may receive a UTAPS Guaranteed Amount and/or Estimate. You can view this information by logging into the Need Navigator. 

Important Note: If eligible, you will receive only one UTAPS Guaranteed Amount and/or one Estimate, even if you update your application later. These amounts will not change. 

Your UTAPS Estimate

This is a rough calculation of the amount of UTAPS you may receive during the academic year. It is based only on the information provided in your application. This means any details not disclosed in your application may generate a higher UTAPS Estimate than the actual UTAPS you may be eligible to receive during the year. 

To ensure your Estimate is as accurate as possible, provide as accurate information as possible in your application.

  • Example: If a student expects to receive a $10,000 scholarship and does not include this in their application, their financial need for UTAPS will appear high and the Estimate provided will be much higher than the actual UTAPS paid to them during the academic year.  
  • For an example on how Estimates are calculated, see How is My UTAPS Estimate Calculated? 
  • You will receive only one UTAPS Estimate, which will be displayed in the Need Navigator.

Your UTAPS Guaranteed Amount 

This is the confirmed amount of UTAPS you will receive.  

  • Your Guaranteed Amount is part of your UTAPS Estimate, and not an additional grant.  
  • Updates about your UTAPS application and Guaranteed Amount are available in the Need Navigator. 
  • You will receive only one UTAPS Guaranteed Amount, which will be displayed in the Need Navigator.

Your UTAPS Estimate gives you an idea of the amount of non-repayable grant funding you may receive, based only on the information provided in your application. Any details not included in your application may result in an incorrect Estimate.  

Your Guaranteed Amount is the minimum amount of UTAPS the University of Toronto promises to pay you for this academic year.

Your Estimate is calculated by subtracting expected contributions from funding sources, such as scholarships and parental support, from your total allowable education costs and UTAPS living and transportation costs.  

Simplified example, for illustration purposes only. 

  • Alex is a first-year student with $10,000 in allowable costs: 
    • Education costs (tuition and fees) = $7,000 
    • UTAPS living and transportation allowance = $3,000 
  • Alex is expected to contribute $5,000 towards their education, based on the information provided in their application: 
    • Parent contribution = $1,000 
    • Scholarship = $3,000  
    • Estimate of government student aid (derived by UTAPS, based on Alex’s information) = $1,000 

$10,000 (allowable costs) – $45,000 (expected contributions) = $5,000 

Alex’s UTAPS Estimate is $5,000 

If Alex had not reported their $3,000 scholarship, their UTAPS Estimate would have been less than $5,000. 

Your Guaranteed Amount is calculated at 100% of your UTAPS Estimate, up to a maximum of $2,999.  

Since the Guaranteed Amount is a percentage of the Estimate you may receive, you may be deemed to have no Guaranteed Amount (e.g., little or no financial need), while other students may receive a guaranteed amount of up to $2,999. 

Key Points

  • Not all students will receive a guaranteed amount, it depends on your assessed financial need. 
  • The maximum guaranteed amount is $2,999, even if your UTAPS Estimate is higher. 
  • If your financial need is low or does not meet the criteria, you may not receive a guaranteed amount.

Yes, you can! If the details in your initial application change, update and resubmit it through the Need Navigator for reassessment. You will be notified of the outcome via your @utoronto.ca email.   

The final UTAPS amount will be calculated after we confirm your provincial or territorial student financial assistance information and/or documents.  

Terms & Conditions for Receiving Your UTAPS Guaranteed Amount

To receive payment of the UTAPS Guaranteed Amount, you must meet all the following conditions: 

  • Be registered in a full-time course load at the University of Toronto for Fall 2025. 
  • Remain registered in the same program for which you received notification of your UTAPS Guaranteed Amount, at the time of payment. 
  • Not defer your admission offer for the 2025-26 academic year. 

Have applied for government student financial assistance from your Canadian home province or territory by November 4, 2025, or be receiving Indigenous sponsorship funding. 

Reminder:  

  • Your UTAPS Guaranteed Amount is part of your UTAPS Estimate—it is not an additional funding. 
  • You will receive one UTAPS Estimate.  
  • The final amount of UTAPS will be calculated once your Canadian provincial or territorial student financial assistance information and/or documents have been reviewed. 

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