January 20, 2014
Ontario extends tuition rebate for co-op students
Students five years out of high school now qualify for 30 per cent tuition grant
Ontario will extend a 30 per cent tuition grant to co-operative education students in their fifth year of study, a move announced Monday, January 16 at the University of Waterloo.
The announcement was made by Brad Duguid, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, on his first official visit as minister to the University of Waterloo. He was joined by Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy.
“Expanding eligibility for the 30% Off Ontario Tuition Grant will help ensure that a postsecondary education in Ontario is accessible based on a student’s ability to learn, not their ability to pay,” Duguid said.
He credited student groups at Waterloo and across Ontario with their advocacy in support of expanding the grant.
The change is especially important for co-operative education students, whose programs often last more than four years because of their work term commitments.
$1,730 grant for eligible students
The Ontario Tuition Grant provides a $1,730 tuition reduction for eligible students in degree programs. Last year, about 230,00 Ontario university and college students received the grant. Expanding it to include students in their fifth year of study as well as students at private career colleges will benefit about 5,000 students each year.
Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, said the announcement was an indication of how well the province listens to post-secondary students and institutions.
“As home to the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in the world, Waterloo is absolutely the right place to make this announcement,” Hamdullahpur said. “Students, especially co-op students, will benefit tremendously from the expansion of this tuition grant.
“The 30% Off Ontario Tuition Grant represents yet another investment in the future for Ontario’s students, for the next generation of leaders, and the competitiveness of our economy as a whole.”
More than 19,000 University of Waterloo co-op work terms are expected to take place in 2014.
