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Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Emergency Bursary

The Student Financial Assistance emergency bursary funding is for currently enrolled, domestic undergraduate, continuing education and law students who encounter an unforeseen financial crisis. The financial crisis should be an unexpected circumstance/emergency, which could not have been planned. The financial crisis must result in a verifiable need that has a direct material impact on a student’s ability to successfully complete their semester. Students must be active in their course(s) at the time the unforeseen financial crisis occurred.

The SFA emergency bursary is only available in the fall and winter semesters. It is not available in spring or summer semester. Typically, the SFA emergency bursary becomes available during, or the week after, Reading Week. Once available, it can be found on the University's scholarship management platform, AwardSpring (external link, opens in new window) . Please refer to your AwardSpring profile during the specified time to apply. Deadline dates vary by academic year and semester. To confirm deadline dates, refer to your AwardSpring profile once the emergency bursary becomes available.

Emergency Bursary Types

Purpose of Emergency Bursary

The SFA emergency bursary is for currently enrolled, domestic undergraduate, continuing education, and law students who encounter an unforeseen financial crisis. The financial crisis should be an unexpected circumstance/emergency for which could not have been planned. This financial crisis must result in a verifiable need that has a direct material impact on a student’s ability to successfully complete their semester. Students must be active in their course(s) at the time the unforeseen financial crisis occurred.

Emergency Bursary

SFA emergency bursary applications submitted by those experiencing financial hardship as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19, loss of/reduced employment, wifi upgrading, purchasing of equipment to work/complete school remotely, medications, dental work, or services otherwise provided by insurance or subsidized clinics cannot be considered. The University’s resources are limited, however, government programs and support are available.

For more support, we encourage you to check out Additional Resources.

Before applying for the SFA emergency bursary, students must first speak to a Financial Assistance Advisor via the ServiceHub. SFA emergency bursary conversations are conducted by virtual appointment via Google Meet.

Note that meeting with an Advisor does not guarantee emergency bursary funding, but is necessary to begin the application process.

It is expected that students first apply for government financial aid (OSAP or out-of-province funding) to ensure funding is maximized. Financial Assistance Advisors may also recommend alternative, external support and resources that may meet your needs instead of the emergency bursary.

If you still have an unexpected financial emergency, and meet the eligibility criteria and assessment guidelines, our office will help direct you to apply for the SFA emergency bursary through AwardSpring (external link, opens in new window) .

Please note that an application to the SFA emergency bursary is a request, not a guarantee. Once submitted, your application is assessed by a committee.

Applications are assessed within two to four business days of submission. Once reviewed, you will receive a decision emailed to your institutional email address.

If you experience any issues with the AwardSpring platform, please contact the Student Awards and Scholarships Office by email at awards@torontomu.ca. To ensure your email is answered in a timely manner, please make your email subject line "SFA Emergency Bursary Application Issue."

Eligible SFA emergency bursary recipients may receive their funds directly to their student account or by an external electronic payment tool, PayMyTuition. Students cannot choose how to receive their bursary; this is determined by the bursary committee. The specific funding disbursement avenue will be outlined in the decision email sent to the student’s institutional email upon adjudication.

Funding timelines depend on the disbursement avenue:

  • To the Student Account: Funds are processed and posted to the student account within three to five business days from the date of the email decision
  • To PayMyTuition: Funds must first be processed and sent to the external vendor, PayMyTuition. The vendor must then process the funds. Once processed, instructions on how to set up an Interac e-transfer to accept the funds will be sent from studentrefunds@paymytuition.com to the student’s institutional email within 10-15 business days from the date of the email decision. Pay attention to an email from PayMyTuition. For detailed instructions with screenshots, refer to the “Domestic e-Transfer Refunds via PayMyTuition” section on Student Refunds

  • The SFA emergency bursary is exempt as study period income. A student’s OSAP entitlement will not be impacted if they are the successful recipient of this bursary.
  • If you are the successful recipient of the SFA emergency bursary, please do not report it on your OSAP application. Our Student Financial Assistance team reports all awards, scholarships, and bursaries administered by the University onto your OSAP application.
  • Accidentally reported your bursary on your OSAP application? Learn more about how to update this information under the Scholarship, Award, and/or Bursary Recipients tab on Information by Student Group.
  • Receiving the SFA emergency bursary will reduce any eligible funding available to students via the Student Access Guarantee (SAG). Therefore, as part of the adjudication process, the bursary committee reserves the right to decline an SFA emergency bursary request if it will negatively impact a student’s SAG obligation.

We recognize that financial challenges sometimes come with other personal struggles. Below are a number of resources to support you and your well-being:

  • Career Boost: The institution’s award-winning student employment program, Career Boost, offers paid jobs to eligible students.
  • Financial Literacy (FinLit) (opens in new window) : An online guide that provides a general overview of financial literacy, including reading materials, videos and personal finance workshops available at the University.
  • The Good Food Centre (external link, opens in new window) : They offer hunger relief to help you through a difficult period.
  • Development and Counselling: Counsellors can meet with you one-on-one to discuss a wide variety of personal concerns or crisis situations.
  • Study Skills and Transition Support: Could your study skills use some work? Learn new strategies and tools including specialized support for writing, math and English.
  • Academic Accommodation Support: Accommodations are available for temporary or permanent disabilities including assistive technology, academic arrangements, financial assistance and more.
  • Student Wellbeing: If you’re looking for help making healthy lifestyle changes, check out the many programs, resources and services to help you thrive.
  • Subsidized Electricity: If you are from a low-income household, you may be eligible for additional financial assistance through one or more publicly-funded programs, such as the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP), the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP), and the Energy Affordability Program (EAP).
  • Canada Learning Bond: The Canada Learning Bond is money that the government adds to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) for children from low-income families.

The SFA emergency bursary is for currently enrolled, domestic undergraduate, continuing education, and law students who encounter an unforeseen financial crisis. The financial crisis should be an unexpected circumstance/emergency, which could not have been planned. This financial crisis must result in a verifiable need that has a direct material impact on a student’s ability to successfully complete their semester. Students must be active in their course(s) at the time the unforeseen financial crisis occurred.

It is not meant to address funding shortfalls where government financial aid (OSAP or out-of-province funding), government social assistance, savings, or employment income is insufficient to cover educational expenses. Should students obtain a bursary, it should not be relied on as a consistent source of income.

The SFA emergency bursary is not guaranteed to every applicant. Bursary applications are assessed individually by looking at each student’s unique financial situation and circumstances. It is expected that students exhaust all other forms of funding before seeking bursary assistance. For instance, if a student is eligible to receive a government loan, but declines it, this would undermine their eligibility to receive a bursary.

The University believes that funding a student’s education is a shared responsibility, and thus, it is expected that students are able to contribute financially to their education.

Information submitted in bursary applications will be verified. The misrepresentation of information will result in the disqualification of your application.

Values Subject to Change

The availability and monetary value of bursaries is subject to change. The University reserves the right to change the amount disbursed for a given bursary in light of new information which was not available at the time of disbursement (e.g. change in course load, withdrawal from a program, new disbursement of a scholarship/award or government financial assistance, etc.)

SFA emergency bursary recipients are responsible for notifying the Student Awards and Scholarships Office (SASO) and Student Financial Assistance (SFA) of any changes to their particular situation (i.e. students drop courses, OSAP funding comes through, situation is remedied prior to bursary assistance being granted, etc.).

Given the situational nature of bursary assistance, SASO and SFA reserve the right to reassess or adjust any funding granted, should the conditions under which the funds were granted change. Students will be contacted via their University email should their bursary amount be adjusted.

Request for Reconsideration and Discretion of the University

Every attempt has been made to be clear in the communication of the terms and conditions outlined in this document. In the event of any interpretive disputes, the University reserves the right to render a final determination on eligibility for bursary funding. Interpretation of information provided in bursary applications is solely at the discretion of the University.

Clarifying amendments to the terms and conditions for bursaries may be made by the University without notice.