UTAPS Information for Students with Offers of Admission
This webpage is for students who have received an offer of admission to the University of Toronto
You will find details on UTAPS eligibility, estimate, 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 March.
- Support is based on financial need.
- This funding does not need to be paid back.
See if you are 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 are 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
Submit an application through the Need Navigator by April 24 or May 27.
- Eligible first-year students who apply by April 24 and qualify for UTAPS may receive an 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 UTAPS Estimate.
FAQs
Here are answers to common questions to help with your application.
Enter your parent(s)/guardian(s)’ estimated income for 2025.
If you are a resident of a province/territory in Canada, other than Ontario, and do not have the required documents such as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Notice of Assessment (NOA) or Government Funding Notice, submit your application without them.
After completing the application, select the SUBMIT button. You will see a message displayed: “Successfully Submitted” or “Documents Required”. Eligible students with applications in either of these statuses may be provided with a UTAPS Estimate.
After Applying For UTAPS
You’ll be notified by email if you qualify for a UTAPS Estimate.
- If you do qualify, you will see your UTAPS Estimate.
- If you do not qualify at this time, you can still update your application and be reassessed for UTAPS during the academic year.
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 2026.
- 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.
Note: Any additional correspondence will be via your utoronto.ca address.
Students who meet the UTAPS eligibility requirements will receive their UTAPS grant based on when they submit their application. Visit this UTAPS webpage for deadline and payment dates.
UTAPS Estimate
If you are eligible for UTAPS, you may receive a UTAPS Estimate. You can view this information by logging into the Need Navigator.
Important Note about Your UTAPS Estimate
If you are eligible, you will receive only one UTAPS Estimate, even if you update your application later. This Estimate amount will not change.
The UTAPS Estimate is an early, rough calculation. It is based on:
- 2025-26 values,
- student-entered information, and
- an estimated amount of government student aid (before your final funding is confirmed)
- uses updated assessment rules for the academic year, and
- is based on the actual government student aid you received
This is a rough calculation of the amount of UTAPS you may receive during the academic year, and includes information provided in your application. 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? (below)
- You will receive only one UTAPS Estimate, which will be displayed in the Need Navigator.
FAQs
Your UTAPS Estimate gives you an idea of the amount of non-repayable grant funding you may receive, and includes information provided in your application. Any details not included in your application may result in an incorrect Estimate.
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) – $5,000 (expected contributions) = $5,000.
Alex’s UTAPS Estimate is $5,000
- If Alex had not reported their $3,000 scholarship, their UTAPS Estimate would be incorrect.
- While the Estimate would be incorrectly stated as $8,000, they would not receive this amount in UTAPS.
- The scholarship information would be verified during the academic year, and included in the final UTAPS calculation.
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.
Contact Us
Connect with us:
- In-Person: at 172 St. George Street, Toronto
- Phone: 1-416-978-2190
- Online: Submit a ticket through the URO Service Portal by logging in with your JoinID.