Post-Secondary Education Financial Assistance Program

The Post-Secondary Education Support Program is ideal for the following program types: Bachelor’s Degrees (BA), Master’s Degrees (MA), Doctoral Degrees (PhD) and Post Graduate programs. Applications for all Post-Secondary Education programs will be considered and, in some cases, may be referred to the MNO’s Employment and Training programs in order to maximize available funding.

You will apply online through the Métis Nation of Ontario Program Application Portal. If you require accommodations in order to complete the application or have questions about the application process, please email us at psesupport@metisnation.org.

There is no fee required to apply to the PSE Financial Assistance Program.

Eligible institutions include post-secondary institutions recognized through an accrediting body such as Universities Canada, Colleges and Institutes Canada, or another professional association and certification board.

Yes. It is important to submit an application in our system prior to the closing date even if you do not have your official acceptance letter or all of your final details at the time.

In the meantime, you can upload confirmation of your OUAC or OCAS application showing proof that you have applied. Your application should be updated to reflect your acceptance as soon as you receive it.

If you are waiting to hear back from a preferred program or institution but have an acceptance letter from another program, please attach the acceptance letter from the other program for now and we can adjust your school and program information after the deadline, if necessary.

This will ensure your complete application is in our system and eligible for consideration prior to the closing date.

If you receive acceptance into your preferred program, please contact PSEsupport@metisnation.org to inform us of your intended change as soon as possible. 

Yes. This program is open only to Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) citizens. This includes those who are currently in the registration process and will receive their citizenship before the application deadline. You will be required to upload a copy of your card or a letter from the MNO Registry confirming your MNO citizenship during the program application process and to consent to have your Citizenship information verified by MNO’s Registry. More information on MNO’s Registry and policies can be found here: Citizenship – Métis Nation of Ontario (metisnation.org)

During the application process you will be asked to consent to have your citizenship information, and file status, confirmed by MNO’s Registry. MNO Staff will send your information over on your behalf and will notify you if there are any issues asking you to follow up with Registry directly. If you would like more information about your citizenship file, or about MNO citizenship policies and the MNO Registry, please click here. 

For more information on obtaining MNO citizenship please visit the MNO Registry Webpage or call their toll-free number at 1-855-798-1006.

If you have questions about your MNO Citizenship application, please contact the MNO Registry. You can advise them that you are applying for citizenship in order to access the PSE support program, and your file will be prioritized. To contact MNO Registry please email info@mnoregistry.ca or call their toll-free number 1-855-798-1006.

Yes. MNO citizens attending eligible Post-Secondary Education Institutes in Canada are eligible for consideration. Applicants with a permanent Canadian address attending an eligible institution can be considered. Please email us at psesupport@metisnation.org for more information.

Award amounts are determined:

1.  By the amount of available funding and the number of eligible candidates applying, with an aim of supporting the maximum number of students.
2. By the type of program that an applicant is enrolled in (e.g. Doctoral and Master’s programs, Bachelor Degree/Certificates, or Diploma programs)
3. By whether or not you have dependents or identify as a person with a disability, with additional funds awarded in these cases.
4. By the course load of each student. Course loads are determined as a percentage of the maximum course load allowed by your school, and not by whether your school considers you a full-time student. For example, if the maximum course load at your school, and for your program, is 5 courses per semester (100%) and you enroll in 4 classes per semester you will be assessed as having an 80% course load.

You can calculate your course load percentage using the following information. Your Enrollment Status is Full Time if you are taking 3, 4, or 5 courses. 3 courses constitute a 60% course load, 4 courses constitute an 80% course load, and 5 courses constitutes a 100% course load. Your Enrollment Status is Part Time if you are taking 1 or 2 courses. Taking 1 course constitutes a 20% course load and taking 2 courses constitutes a 40% course load. A typical BA Program has 5 courses per term which equals a 100% course load. Your course load and enrollment status also depend on course credit value and how your school calculates it. Some courses are 1 credit while others are 0.5 credit. There is no standard system for all of the universities and colleges in Canada. Since all schools operate differently, the information included here is to be considered a typical guide. If you have any questions, regarding your course load percentage, please ask your school.

In most cases funding is distributed in two payments directly to students through direct deposit. Fifty percent (50%) of total funding is distributed 4-6 weeks after receipt of all required documents. For students enrolled in Spring terms this typically means first installments are issued in late May or June. For students starting in the Fall term funding is typically issued staring in mid-August through September depending on when students submit their required documents.

Final installments (50%) are issued after receipt of a short questionnaire and demonstration of continued enrollment and confirmation of course load (Final Payment Tasks). These payments are typically issued though December and January or, at or near the beginning of your last term. These are also dependent on the timing of student submissions. Finally, there is a 4-6-week processing window between student submission on funding being issued. Please note that support amounts received may not be sufficient to offset the full cost of tuition. Students are encouraged to seek additional sources of support including scholarships, bursaries and awards.

No. MNO PSE Support Program funding will NOT be affected if you choose to apply for OSAP. We strongly encourage applying for an OSAP grant as this could provide additional funding to assist during your school year. To access the OSAP estimator, a useful tool for seeing what might be available to you as a grant click here. The estimator for the coming school year may not be currently available so it is suggested that you use the tool that is available from previous years as there will be little change year to year. OSAP applications are typically available in the Spring. Please note that the MNO encourages applicants to explore only the OSAP Grant and does not provide advice on taking additional loans through OSAP. If OSAP loans are taken by the applicant, these will be the sole responsibility of the applicant.

No. MNO PSE Support Program funding will NOT be affected if you choose to apply for and receive supplementary scholarships, grants and bursaries.

You will receive a confirmation email that your application was received. Please ensure that the email address used to set up your account is active, belongs to you as the applicant, and is an email address you have ongoing access to. If you set up your account using a social media site, please ensure the email address that is linked to that site is one that you have access to and can check easily. If you have checked your junk folder and have still not received a confirmation email within 24 hours, please contact us at psesupport@metisnation.org. Please note: using your parents’ email address for your application is not permitted.

After submitting your application online, you can come back to check your application status by logging into your account or by emailing us at psesupport@metisnation.org

No. Applications are currently only accepted online. All documentation required is uploaded by you to your online application. If you require accommodations in order to complete the application or have questions about the application process, please email psesupport@metisnation.org

Yes, however, once the deadline has passed you will be placed on a waitlist and only receive assistance if funding is still available. All incomplete in-progress applications will be moved to the waitlist after the application deadline. Waitlists will be reviewed periodically throughout the year. Eligible waitlisted applicants will be provided a window to submit an application for consideration when possible. Failure to submit an application during these windows will result in your request being deferred to the next waitlist review window. As the school year progresses, available funding becomes limited; students on the waitlist are strongly encouraged to respond promptly to any outreach from the MNO. To request to be added to the PSE Support waitlist after the deadline, please contact us at psesupport@metisnation.org

Students who withdraw or do not complete their Program in the academic period for which they received assistance will be required to repay all or a portion of the funds they received. It is your responsibility to contact your Student Support Officer with any modifications to your course load as soon as possible.

Students who withdraw from one or more classes in the academic period for which they received assistance will be required to repay all or a portion of the funds they received regardless of whether the student has already paid for the class at the time it is dropped. The funding agreement will be amended to reflect the modified course load.

If you have changed programs, or are considering a change of program, please contact psesupport@metisnation.org to inform us of your intended change. If you are simply switching programs at the same institution, it is likely that there will be no change to your funding. If you are changing schools but staying in the same program it is likely that there will be no change to your funding. It is critical that if any detail of your schooling changes that you inform the MNO as soon as possible as in some cases funding levels may change.

Many students are eligible to receive funding during a co-op placement. Support amounts are determined based on factors including whether the placement is a paid term & if so, at what rate of pay, the length of the co-op term, whether there is a placement fee, whether the term is full or part time, and if the student must relocate for the co-op placement. Your Post-Secondary Education Officer will apply a rubric to assess these factors and determine funding amounts and eligibility.

Please email us at psesupport@metisnation.org to notify us of any change to your personal information as soon as possible.

Yes. Students will receive a T4A form indicating the support amount paid to the student.

Recipients are selected through the following process: Post-Secondary Education Student Support Officers will review all applications and provide recommendations based on the applications received and the amount of funding available. The MNO Manager of Post-Secondary Education will then review the selected applications and provide final approval. The MNO strives to provide support to all eligible applicants who meet the criteria for funding and submit their application prior to the application deadline.

If your application was not accepted due to the eligibility criteria not being met or a lack of funding availability, the appeals process is not available. However, if your application was not accepted for a different reason then the appeals process may be available to you. Please contact us at psesupport@metisnation.org for more information about the appeals process.

No. The Post-Secondary Education Support Program does not pay back student loans for prior years of study.

Award amounts change from year to year based in the amount of available funding and the number of eligible candidates applying, with an aim of supporting the maximum number of students.   

You may be eligible if other criteria are met. Please email us at psesupport@metisnation.org to find out more.

Not necessarily. As a MNO citizen, you may be eligible for assistance to attend a Post-Secondary institute outside of Ontario. Support for Post-Secondary education programs outside of Ontario will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Please email us at psesupport@metisnation.org for more information.

No. The PSE Support Program will consider funding for only one program at a time.

Yes. You can apply if you are a current post-secondary education student and not funded by another MNO Education & Training program.

No. The application is free.

You can find a list of the MNO Regional Offices and their contact information at this link here.

No. All documentation required is uploaded by you to your online application.

For the Spring/Summer 2022, Fall 2022, and Winter 2023 semesters the application deadline is May 6, 2022.

Initial Payment Tasks refer to the second step of the PSE Support application which includes:

1. Signing, dating and the uploading a PDF copy of you PSE Support Agreement, which shows your installment amounts based on the course load and other information you provided during the Application round (the initial information you filled out when you applied.) 
2. Signing and uploading your MNO ‘Authorization to Release Information’ for your university 
3. Uploading an unofficial transcript or timetable showing your registered courses for the term
4. Direct Deposit information (note: account must be in the applicant’s name)5. Information for Tax purposes

Final Payment Tasks refer to the third step of the PSE Support Application Process which includes: 

1. Filling out the Funding Impact survey 
2. Uploading your spring/summer term final grades (if applicable)
3. Uploading your current Unofficial Transcript
4. Uploading Unofficial Transcript or timetable showing courses you’re registered in for the next term

You will need visit our MNO Program Application Portal:

https://metisnation.smapply.io/.

Then click on the “Register” button in the top right corner. You will need to provide your information to create your account, as you will be the main contact through the entire application process. We use this provided information to communicate with you during the application process. It’s important that your information is accurate and up to date.

We understand that parents/caregivers want to support their student’s application, BUT please ensure ALL information provided on the application is in the student’s name, including email address, phone number, and account name.

The email address you use for your Survey Monkey account cannot be changed at a later date, therefore, please ensure you use an email address that you will have continued access to throughout your post-secondary education.

It is your responsibility to inform your Student Support Officer about any changes to your course enrollment as soon as possible.

Although we review each situation separately, changes in enrollment will likely have an impact on your current funding, or potentially future funding if you fail to notify us of these changes.

 It is your responsibility to inform your Student Support Officer, or email PSESupport@metisnation.org to withdraw your application.

Yes. This is an annual application that opens on March 1st until early May every year and provides financial support for schooling from May – April each year. 

Here is a resource for how to convert documents to PDF using various devices: How to Convert Documents to PDF.