Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 33.15
Liaison Mark Kirkpatrick
Submission Date July 23, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Loyalist College
PA-8: Affordability and Access

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 4.00 Laura Russell
Financial Aid Advisor
Financial Aid
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and programs in place to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes

A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:

OSAP: Federal and provincial loans and grants provided to students based on financial circumstances.

Ontario Tuition Grant: Provided to full time undergraduate students who have a combined family income of less than $160,000 annually

Loyalist College Bursaries: General bursaries based on financial need are available from funds set aside from tuition fees.

On-Campus Employment Initiative: The Loyalist College On-Campus Employment Initiative provides part-time employment for full-time students at Loyalist College who qualify under the financial need guidelines. Over 200 on-campus jobs are created each year. These positions pay at least the minimum wage and are available in the Student Centre, Library, Admissions Office, the Computer Centre, SAL, the Residence, Student Services, as Peer Tutors, and in other departments.


A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:

N/A


A brief description of any programs to prepare students from low-income backgrounds for higher education:

Staff mentors arrange budgeting sessions to help students better manage their financing. The College’s Financial Aid office offers one-on-one budgeting for any student that seeks assistance. The Financial Aid office also goes to secondary schools in the area to host OSAP sessions which are open to all students whether they intend to attend Loyalist or not.


A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:

Most scholarships at Loyalist College are based on merit in areas ranging from academic achievement to athletics. In certain cases, financial need may be taken into account as a secondary criterion to decide between candidates of approximately equal achievement.


A brief description of any programs to guide parents of low-income students through the higher education experience:

A Financial Aid office representative is always in attendance at parent nights to offer guidance on OSAP (how to apply, what’s involved and what it means). Staff is available to help parents fill out forms on behalf of their children. The secondary school OSAP information sessions mentioned above are also open to parents.


A brief description of any targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:

All of our outreach programs reach low income backgrounds. Our outreach programs are intentionally open for all. We have initiatives that target at-risk students, but not necessarily low-income backgrounds.


A brief description of other admissions policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:

Enrolment Services runs a series of events where potential students can win their application fee. For many years, Admissions has offered a $2000 prize to go toward tuition.
• $2000 draw at October and April Open House
• $2000 draw aimed at students from schools visited by our recruiters (Loyalist visits all schools in the area)


A brief description of other financial aid policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:

In some cases, Financial Aid can help students in financial crisis with emergency funds. Other examples of support include providing bus tickets to students in need, providing students with food hampers and helping them connect with the local food bank.

Last year, Loyalist participated in a pilot project with three other Colleges using an interactive voice response solution, which reaches out to students by phone to identify their needs for services, including financial advisement. The students that identified a need for services received a follow up call from one of our student success mentors. The results of the intervention were quite significant. The Student Success team will repeat implementation of this project again this year.


A brief description of other policies and programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students not covered above:

N/A


Does the institution have policies and programs in place to support non-traditional students?:
Yes

A brief description of any scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
---

A brief description of any onsite child care facilities, partnerships with local facilities, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:

The College provides assistance for students to find daycare services within the surrounding community. A reference list is handed out or sent electronically to students seeking daycare.


A brief description of other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:

Loyalist College has established a scholarship program to provide financial assistance towards the post-secondary education of dependents of Canadian Forces personnel deceased while serving in an active military mission.

Loyalist College offers First Generation students various support services, bursaries, e-mentoring, peer mentoring, workshops and teambuilding activities.

Loyalist has two distinct programs that support mature students:
1. Second Career is an Ontario government program designed to provide laid off, unemployed individuals with skills training for jobs in high demand occupations in Ontario. Whether you wish to pursue a new career in business, science, health media, skilled trades or another occupation, Second Career offers job training and financial support. It is a cost sharing grant provided on the basis of individual need. Anyone who has lost their job in the last five years and has not yet started classes at the College can enroll in Second Career. Loyalist staff will assist with your proposal to the Ministry to secure funding for up to two years to help cover expenses. Second Career applies to any College program of two years of length or less. To increase awareness of the program, Loyalist staff actively engages in outreach through job fairs, on-site visits and by connecting with local community centres.

2. Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition provides individuals with the opportunity to demonstrate and obtain recognition for learning that they acquire outside of formal education settings. Loyalist assesses an individual’s learning outcomes through skills demonstration, portfolios, challenge exams, or a combination thereof. This program improves mature students’ access to education, eliminates the need for students to study things they already know and avoids the financial burden and time commitment involved with going back to school.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (accessibility and affordability indicators)?:
No

Indicators that the institution is accessible and affordable to low-income students::
Percentage (0-100)
The percentage of entering students that are low-income ---
The graduation/success rate for low-income students ---
The percentage of student financial need met, on average ---
The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt ---

The percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students:
---

The website URL where information about the institution's affordability and access programs is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.