Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities has raised concerns about the validity of academic studies at two career colleges excluded from student financial aid, a move being legally contested by the affected schools. Citi College of Canadian Careers is one of six institutions denied access to the Ontario Student Assistance Program for the 2026-27 academic year due to alleged high-risk admissions practices and related issues.
Challenging the ministry’s decision, Citi College has filed a petition in Divisional Court seeking a judicial review, similar to a legal challenge initiated by three Academy of Learning branches impacted by the same ruling. The college argues that Minister Nolan Quinn’s decision lacks a logical basis connecting evidence to conclusions and fails to specify instances of alleged non-compliance.
Citi College, which has been an approved OSAP administrator for 20 years, asserts that two previous audits by the ministry yielded no adverse findings. The allegations made by the ministry have not been verified in court. This development follows years of warnings by Career Colleges Ontario about suspicious OSAP activities at a few institutions, prompting an audit by KPMG in August on OSAP at career colleges, with serious concerns leading to a referral to the Ontario Provincial Police.
A letter from Career Colleges Ontario to the government in January 2025 highlighted significant increases in OSAP usage at certain schools, including a 1,200% rise in student numbers at Citi College’s campuses over three years. Citi College maintains its compliance with regulatory obligations and continues to support its students through their programs.
Addressing the growth in OSAP utilization, Citi College emphasizes the impact of online education expansion and geographic accessibility on enrollment figures. The college disputes the perceived unusual growth rate, attributing it to a low base figure in 2021-22. Furthermore, Citi College argues that new technological and monitoring expectations were unfairly applied by the minister without prior communication to the institution.
Minister Quinn’s recent actions include pausing OSAP payments at all private post-secondary institutions and announcing forthcoming legislation to exclude predominantly online programs at private career colleges from OSAP eligibility.