5 Ways to Pay for College (Besides Student Loans)

We asked GBC students for their advice on funding their education without taking on a student loan.

After some recent changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), we asked current George Brown College students for their advice on paying for college, beyond taking on financial aid from the government. We put a call out for their #NuggetsofWisdom on Instagram, and we received a lot of submissions, but the following tips came up most often:

1. 1. Part-time jobs | A lot of students rely on part-time jobs in order to save money for college. A few suggested serving jobs since you get tips on top of your wage. For on-campus jobs, students often mentioned the Work Study program, where they can work up to 15 hours a week on-campus for minimum wage. George Brown College students can find job postings on the GBCareers website.
2. 2. Support from family | Some students said their parents contributed money to their studies or had put money away in a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP).
3. 3. Summer jobs | While students may be limited to working part-time hours during the school year, many said they work full-time during the summer months and save as much as they can.
4. 4. Scholarships and bursaries | Students can apply for George Brown scholarships and bursaries through their STU-VIEW accounts. Eligibility is based on things like academic achievement, financial need, and community involvement. Check out this guide for applying to scholarships. International students can find out about international eligible scholarships. Try ScholarshipsCanada for a large, searchable database of all kinds of awards.
5. 5. Saving and budgeting | The suggestion of creating a budget came up a few times in the responses. It can be difficult, but if you manage to stick to a budget, you can definitely save some money.

Check out our Instagram story in full to see all our students' helpful suggestions, and read our Step-by-Step Guide to Paying for College for more resources.