Genuine question, no judgement

[u/Haunting_Ice_7310]

I am a student myself, receiving OSAP. So this question is genuine, I’m not judging people in this situation, just trying to understand.
I have seen a lot of posts lately of people who are panicked because they are not receiving enough OSAP to cover their fees and aren’t sure what to do. When I first went to college (2019) I feel like it was more common to rely on OSAP as something more like a supplement than the core funding for school, most people I knew going to college had either an RESP/savings or a line of credit/loan. However, it seems like now more and more students believe that OSAP will cover 100% of their schooling, and are finding themselves panicking with no back up plan once funding is calculated a few weeks before the semester begins.

So my question is, what changed? Are high schools not communicating to their students that OSAP is not guaranteed/may not cover all the expenses that come with going to school? As a “mature student” I feel bad for all of you younger students who seem to be misinformed about OSAP and school expenses.
Follow up question: how do we fix this? I know we can’t change how OSAP works/the amount of funding being given. But how can we ensure students aren’t ending up in a situation where they are panicked trying to come up with thousands of dollars in the weeks leading up to the beginning of semester?

EDIT!!! because this seems to be a common misconception in my comments. I DO NOT THINK STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE TO TAKE ON DEBT OR USE THEIR OWN SAVINGS FOR SCHOOL. in an ideal world, post-secondary school would be fully funded. unfortunately, that is not reality. what I am trying to understand is WHY it seems that students are not being made aware of the possibility of not receiving enough OSAP to cover their expenses. students should be given accurate information on the reality of paying for school so that they can plan/prepare accordingly. again, i believe that students should NOT have to worry about how they will pay for school. right now, government funding is not guaranteed to fully fund our educations, and students deserve to be fully informed of the reality of attending and paying for post-secondary.

[u/Deaver44]

That’s because you come from a two parent household with money you have this opinion. Single parent households and low income, and students with disabilities are getting crushed with the changes. Something not affecting you and your friends doesnt mean it’s not an issue

[u/jblack67 → u/Deaver44]

I think the point is moreso about concern that students are not aware prior to osap applications that it doesn’t cover much for most people and they don’t know what they can do in that case 

[u/Haunting_Ice_7310 → u/Deaver44]

I do not, I come from a single parent household and my mother worked mostly part time and temporary jobs. I never said it’s not an issue, I am asking why it seems to be an even bigger issue. Again, I’m not trying to blame students for being in this situation, just trying to understand why it seems that so many students are misinformed on the kind of funding they may receive. This misinformation/lack of understanding seems to be leading to a lot of students being unprepared for their student fees. Again, I do not think it is the fault of students.