[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/textbooks08.jpg” caption=”Students will receive $150 in the 2008-09 academic year to help with the cost of textbooks. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]With the average cost of a year's worth of textbooks ranging from $800 to $1,200, and computer hardware and software a basic necessity to post-secondary students, higher education does not come cheap.

Any form of financial relief is welcome news to students, and one such grant is being unveiled today. The Ontario government will offer a new, annual grant to help full-time community college and university students pay for textbooks and computer costs.

The Textbook and Technology Grant, announced last March in the provincial budget, is available to full-time students attending a community college or university in Ontario.

In the 2008-09 academic year, the grant is $150; the annual grant will increase to $300 per year when fully implemented.

Full-time community college and university students who apply for OSAP for 2008-09 will automatically be considered for the grant. Students who do not receive OSAP will need to complete a brief, online application for the Textbook and Technology Grant at ontario.ca/OSAP. To be eligible, you must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a protected person.

If you are studying for one term only, you must submit your application within the first 30 days of your study period. If you are studying for two or three terms, you must apply no later than 90 days before the end of your study period.

Details for the Textbook and Technology Grant can be found at ontario.ca/OSAP.