OSAP and Bursary Funding
SAS-registered students are encouraged to apply for OSAP. Your grant-to-loan ratio can change in a positive way. And you could be eligible for a bursary for students with disabilities. Read on!
If a student receives OSAP funding, the OSAP Disability Verification Form (DVF) is then used to notify OSAP of a temporary, persistent/prolonged, or a permanent disability. The student completes Pages 3 to 5 of the DVF, and their regulated healthcare professional completes Pages 6 through 9. Once it is ready, the DVF can be uploaded to the student’s OSAP profile. Students can also bring a paper copy of their DVF to Trent’s Financial Aid Office in Blackburn Hall (housed in the Office of the Registrar).
If a student plans to register with SAS and has a completed DVF, we ask that they upload their DVF to the SAS Pre-Intake Questionnaire along with their other disability documentation. Why? Even with minimal OSAP funding, SAS-registered students who have completed a DVF can be eligible for a Bursary for Students with Disabilities. This bursary can be used to purchase disability-related services, supports, and/or adaptive technology.
Your SAS Advisor can check your eligibility for bursary funding, and they will complete a bursary application with you if a disability-related service or equipment is deemed appropriate for you.
Per-Course Billing and Reduced Course Load
SAS-registered students often have reduced course load (RCL) as part of their accommodation plan due to the functional impacts that affect their academics and/or daily living. With a reduced course load, students can pay-per-course and save some money. How does this work?
Students at the Peterborough campus are considered full-time if they are taking 3 or more courses per term, and consequently those students are billed for 5 courses even if taking 3 or 4 courses per term. SAS-registered students with RCL as part of their accommodation plan can take 3 or 4 courses per term and only pay for 3 or 4 courses, instead of the full 5 courses.
Students who have a permanent disability can take as few as 2 courses per term, be considered full-time equivalent, and pay for just 2 courses.
If you plan to take a reduced course load, remember that, for billing purposes, SAS must to provide a list of RCL students to the Student Accounts Department approximately one month before the start of a new term. To receive per-course billing, your name must be on this list. This means you need to be fully registered with SAS at least 5 weeks before the term begins. For example, for new September starts, you must register with SAS by July 31st at the latest.
Updated or New Psychoeducational Testing
Students can benefit from learning more about their specific academic skills and abilities. Psychoeducational (psychoed) assessments are completed when a learning disability is strongly suspected, and these assessments are conducted by registered psychologists.
SAS does not conduct psychoed assessments. However, we liaise with a mobile assessment team that comes from Queen’s University a few times each year to conduct psychoed assessments with students where a learning disability is suspected. Students are also welcome to pursue a psychoed assessment in their home community or in Peterborough.
Any individual is welcome to pursue a psychoed assessment. The average cost of a psychoed assessment is about $2,800. Students can use their TCSA health benefits or their parental health benefits to help with the cost. If the student is receiving OSAP, they can also apply retroactively for a bursary to cover the cost of the assessment - but reimbursement occurs only if the student is diagnosed with a permanent disability after completing the testing.
Current students are welcome to meet with a SAS Advisor to talk further about this process, which might help to determine if there is sufficient need to pursue a psychoed assessment. If you wish to do so, please begin by completing our Pre-Intake Questionnaire. Don’t worry about uploading documentation if you have none. We just want to read, in your own words, what’s getting in the way of your academics as it relates to a possible learning disability.
Neuropsychological testing and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) testing are other possibilities through the Queen’s University mobile assessment team or other qualified professionals in your home community. Neuropsych and ASD assessments typically cost more (approximately $3200) than psychoed assessments.
Scholarships
Trent students can take 4 or 5 courses per term and maintain their scholarship. SAS-registered students can take 3 courses per term and maintain their scholarship, with consultation and approval from their SAS Advisor.
A formal scholarship letter is not required. Instead, your SAS Advisor can email scholarships@trentu.ca to indicate your eligibility to take 3 courses per term while maintaining your scholarship.