College students get the thinnest scholarship advice in Canada. Award lists and guidance counsellor decks are built around university applicants, so a diploma student at Fanshawe or SAIT scrolls past pages of awards they cannot use and concludes the money was never for them. Wrong conclusion. Between $10 and $20 million in Canadian scholarship money goes unclaimed every year, and college-eligible awards sit heavily in that pile because fewer people apply for them. The stakes went up in Fall 2026: OSAP capped the grant share of aid packages at 25%, down from 85%, which opens a typical gap of $6,000 a year for students who relied on grants. A two-year diploma student who skips awards season eats that gap on a line of credit. One weekend of applications can close most of it. This page collects the funding that accepts college students: entrance bursaries from your college's own foundation, in-course awards, retraining funds like Better Jobs Ontario (up to $28,000, or up to $35,000 for programs between 1 and 2 years), the Canada Training Credit if you are 26 or older, and private awards that say "post-secondary" and mean it. CEGEP students in Quebec run on a separate system, AFE prêts et bourses rather than OSAP, and many CEGEP programs are AFE-funded.
Who this page is for
You are in, or applying to, a Canadian college program: a two- or three-year diploma, an advanced diploma, a CEGEP program in Quebec, or a career college program. You might be coming straight from high school, transferring out of university, or retraining after a layoff. If your program is a short certificate or a professional designation, the certificates hub under Browse by level covers that stack; it works differently.
Where college money actually comes from
- Your college's own awards office. Every public college runs entrance bursaries and in-course awards through its foundation, and most take a single application through the student portal. Awards under $2,000 often draw fewer than ten applicants. This is the softest competition in Canadian student funding, and it renews every year you are enrolled.
- Provincial student aid and retraining funds. Full-time diploma programs at public colleges are covered by provincial aid (OSAP and its equivalents). If you were laid off in Ontario, or unemployed 12 weeks or more with household income under the program thresholds, Better Jobs Ontario pays up to $28,000 toward tuition, books, transportation, and living costs, up to $35,000 for programs between 1 and 2 years. One hard rule: get written approval before training starts. Enrolling first permanently disqualifies that program from funding.
- Federal money inside your aid package. The Canada Student Grant (up to $4,200 a year, income-tested) rides inside your provincial aid application; you do not apply separately. From age 26 to 66 you also accrue Canada Training Credit room at $250 a year, up to $5,000 lifetime, claimable against eligible tuition on your tax return.
- Private and community awards. Community foundations and employer or union programs run awards that say "post-secondary" without naming universities. College students self-reject on these constantly. If the eligibility text does not say degree-only, apply.
Quebec runs on AFE
CEGEP students fall under AFE (Aide financière aux études) and the Programme prêts et bourses, not OSAP or Canada Student Loans. Tuition for Quebec residents stays the lowest in the country, and many CEGEP programs are AFE-funded. The Quebec page under Browse by province covers AFE in detail.
What this directory indexes
Below: every college-accepting award currently in our directory, each with a direct provider link. Trades students at colleges should also read the trades and apprenticeship hub; apprenticeship loans and employer incentives are a separate stack from the awards on this page. For the OSAP math after the 2026 cuts, the funding gap guide in our blog runs the numbers.