TORONTO — Ontario has extended restrictions on three Academy of Learning career college locations, preventing them from accessing the Ontario Student Assistance Program through the 2029–30 academic year amid concerns about student verification and academic oversight.
The decision follows an earlier order by Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn that excluded six schools, including four Academy of Learning locations, from OSAP for 2026–27. Most of the affected schools are challenging that order in court.
Three Academy of Learning locations under common ownership recently amended their court application to contest the additional three-year exclusion following the ministry’s final decision.
Court documents describe government inspections that raised concerns about whether students were completing their own coursework. Officials alleged that some courses appeared to have been completed within a single day and that certain students contacted during verification could not identify their school or program.
The allegations and findings have not been proven in court.
The schools argue that the minister’s decision was unreasonable and procedurally unfair. They maintain that the ministry introduced assessment requirements without sufficient notice and relied on information that was not adequately disclosed to them.
Quinn’s office declined to comment. Provincial rules provide for a three-year loss of OSAP eligibility when an institution is found to be non-compliant.
The dispute comes as Ontario examines broader concerns about financial assistance at private career colleges. Career Colleges Ontario began flagging potential problems in 2023 and identified suspicious application patterns at 14 campuses in a February letter included in the court record.
The province engaged KPMG in August to conduct an audit. Quinn said preliminary findings raised serious concerns, prompting a referral to the Ontario Provincial Police.
Those concerns included connections between colleges and immigration services businesses, weaknesses in student identity and enrolment checks, and unusually large numbers of OSAP applications originating from the same geographic areas.
Quinn did not specify whether all those concerns applied to the three Academy of Learning locations facing the extended restriction. Court records indicate that inspectors had questioned student validation and enrolment verification at those schools.
Academy of Learning said it has invested in stronger admissions procedures, identity checks, academic monitoring and compliance measures. It warned that a prolonged OSAP exclusion would affect adult learners who depend on financial assistance and said it is seeking judicial review.
The schools have also offered explanations for some inspection findings. They said students may have mistaken verification calls for scams or experienced language difficulties. They acknowledged that unusually fast course completion required examination but noted that some students download materials and study offline.
Corrective measures outlined by the schools include two-factor authentication, investigations of unusual login activity and additional checks before examination codes are issued.
Figures obtained by The Canadian Press show substantial growth in OSAP participation at the affected locations. At the Bay Street school, the number of students receiving assistance rose from 996 in 2021–22 to 7,435 in 2024–25. Students there qualified for more than $108 million in provincial grants in the latter year.
At Brampton East, participation increased from approximately 74 students in 2020–21 to 4,260 in 2024–25, when provincial grants exceeded $64 million.
Together, Bay Street, Brampton East and its North York campus accounted for roughly one-fifth of the nearly $1 billion in provincial OSAP grants directed to career colleges that year. Academy of Learning attributed its growth to programs aligned with workforce demand.
Earlier this year, Ontario announced that career college students would lose access to OSAP grants, while students at publicly funded colleges and universities would receive a greater share of assistance as loans.
Quinn also announced last week that OSAP loan disbursements for students at career colleges and private post-secondary institutions across Ontario were being paused while the KPMG audit continues.