In partnership with the Government of Ontario, WeRPN’s BEGIN program builds bridges for Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) to explore new professional pathways in Hospitals, Primary Care, Long-Term Care (LTC) and Home and Community Care (HCC) sectors in Ontario. BEGIN provides tuition reimbursements to eligible students enrolled in PSW-RPN, RPN-RN, and PSW-RN programs, removing the financial barriers for them to grow their careers.

Eligible students enrolled in a PSW-RPN program can receive a tuition reimbursement of up to $6,000 per year (maximum of $15,000).

Eligible students enrolled in a RPN-RN or PSW-RN program can receive a tuition reimbursement of up to $10,000 per year (maximum of $30,000).

Participants may also qualify for an additional $5,000 per year based on financial need.

Tuition and mandatory ancillary fees are covered up to the maximum amount per year.

The BEGIN Program is open to Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) who are currently enrolled in accredited and approved Ontario Colleges and Universities (PSW-RPN, RPN-RN, or PSW-RN). Applicants must have Canadian citizenship or permanent resident/landed immigrant status, reside in Ontario, and be willing to work in Hospitals, Primary Care, Long-Term Care or Home and Community Care sectors for a period of time after graduation.

Yes, if you’re already enrolled in an approved and accredited PSW-RPN, RPN-RN, or PSW-RN program, you can apply to BEGIN, no matter how close to graduation.

Yes, any RPN can apply to BEGIN for tuition reimbursement if they are enrolled in an accredited RPN-RN bridging program, even if they have already applied to NEI. For more information on the NEI program, click here

It’s exciting to hear you’re interested in exploring new nursing pathways. While you aren’t eligible to apply for BEGIN today since you’re not yet enrolled, the good news is the program is open until March 31, 2026.

We’d love to tell you more about how you can qualify for BEGIN tuition reimbursements to help cover the cost of going back to school. Click here to learn more.

No. BEGIN is a tuition reimbursement program for PSWs or RPNs enrolled in an accredited PSW-RPN, RPN-RN, or PSW-RN program, not an overall nursing education program.

No. However, upon program completion, you will need to work in your sector for every academic year or portion of a year you received the funding.

Funding for the BEGIN program is provided by two Ministries, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and
the Ministry of Long-Term Care (MLTC). Once you have selected a sector and signed your
Return of Service (ROS) agreement, your funding is provided by a specific Ministry. As a result,
your ROS requirement must be fulfilled within the sector that Ministry funds. For example, if you
received funding from the Ministry of Long-Term Care, your return of service must be completed
within the LTC sector to meet the terms of the agreement.

No. To be eligible for the BEGIN program you must be enrolled in an accredited nursing program in an Ontario university or college, be a Canadian citizen, or permanent resident/landed immigrant and reside in Ontario.

See How to Apply

You can apply once you’ve been enrolled in or have been accepted into an accredited PSW-RPN, RPN-RN, or PSW-RN program in Ontario.

If you’re not currently enrolled but interested in learning about how BEGIN can help you bridge, click here.

No. Once you’re accepted, you don’t need to apply each year. However, each year you need to submit proof of paid tuition fees and proof of enrollment.

If you’re having issues accessing your account, try to log in to your BEGIN account using your username and select forgot password to reset. For any other issues, please email info@begin.werpn.com for assistance.

By law, recipients of funding from the Bridging Educational Grant in Nursing (BEGIN) program are to be issued T4A information. This information is also reported to the Canada Revenue Agency. The T4A will outline the total funding issued during the calendar year. For information about Canadian income tax law please contact the Canada Revenue Agency at 1-800-959-8281 or visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca.

BEGIN participants who demonstrate financial need may also qualify for wraparound support of up to $5,000 per year while enrolled. This support is intended to assist with costs such as care for dependents, tutoring, and travel incurred while completing your educational program. Please note that funding is not guaranteed.

All participants of the BEGIN program are eligible to apply. Only those with demonstrated need may qualify.

You must have been accepted into the BEGIN program in order to apply for wraparound support. Even if you’re about to graduate, you may still apply.

Yes, wraparound support is available for multiple years. While you don’t have to reapply for the BEGIN program tuition reimbursements every year, you will need to re-apply for the additional financial support and demonstrate your continued need.

Yes. If you have already received NEI funding, you can still apply for BEGIN funding and wraparound support.

Yes.

No.

While BEGIN doesn’t cover the cost of the exams, all BEGIN applicants will have access to a free online NCLEX or REx-PN exam preparation course.

If you have questions on how your OSAP funding may be impacted, or on what information you may need to provide to OSAP if you are approved for BEGIN support, you should contact the financial aid office at your postsecondary institution.

To get an idea of how tuition grants could inform OSAP funding, use the self-directed OSAP Aid Estimator tool here. We suggest completing the form without tuition grants listed and then completing a second form with your anticipated BEGIN tuition reimbursement amount for comparison.

For reference, eligible PSW-RPN students can receive up to $6,000 per year and eligible RPN-RN and PSW-RN students can receive up to $10,000 per year. Please verify on your university/college website the tuition fees for the upcoming year to determine the amount you may be eligible to receive in BEGIN grants.

Unlike loans, you do not need to pay back BEGIN tuition reimbursement grants, as long as you fulfill your Return of Service.

12 months.

Also known as a Return-of-Service, it’s an agreement that you will be asked to sign indicating that you commit to working full-time or part-time employment in your new designation in either Hospital, Primary Care, Long-Term Care or Home and Community Care sectors in Ontario for every academic year you received the BEGIN funding.

Keep in mind that 3 semesters are equal to 1 year of full-time employment, and 1 year of part-time employment is equal to 1500 hours. So, if you submit 3 semesters of tuition, your Return of Service is just 1 year.

Yes, the pay process is no different from any other job.

No. You are free to work anywhere once your commitment is completed.

You have 12 months from your last day of school to start your commitment.

The BEGIN team will work with you and your employer to track the amount of time you work during the commitment period. Once you’ve completed your commitment, you will receive a formal notification that you have fulfilled the terms of your agreement.

You’ll have to pay back in full the tuition grants and wraparound support you’ve received. However, if you partially complete your post-graduation employment commitment, the remaining years become repayable on a prorated basis. For example, if your commitment is three years and you complete one, then you’ll repay the tuition grants and any wraparound support received for two.

Yes. You will need to pay back the tuition grants and any applicable interest. Interest charges will start to accrue 30 days after the person leaves the BEGIN program for whatever reason, without completing the post-graduation employment commitment.

One year.

There are a variety of ways to learn about opportunities in these sectors.

A job board will be available exclusively to BEGIN applicants. Please sign in to view the listings.

For those interested in a career in Long-Term Care, please search the job ads at Advantage Ontario and Ontario Long-Term Care Association.

For those interested in a career in Home and Community Care, please search home care agencies in your area, for example: Spectrum, SE Health, Closing the Gap, VHA and Paramed.

For Hospitals, please search the Ontario Hospital Association website at https://www.oha.com.

As for Primary Care, please visit the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO) website at https://www.afhto.ca.

The majority of Hospitals, Primary Care, LTC and HCC workplaces are eligible places of employment for BEGIN candidates. An eligible LTC home is one with licensed beds. Eligible HCC companies are those with service contracts with HCCSS – Home and Community Care Support Services. For the purpose of the BEGIN program, participants must be employed by a publicly funded hospital. Examples of Primary Care settings include family physician offices, nurse practitioner-led clinics, family health teams and community health centers. Staffing agencies are not eligible employers. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@begin.werpn.com.

BEGIN has established an online portal/job board to connect participants with increased FT employment opportunities in Hospitals, Primary Care, Long-Term Care (LTC) and Home and Community Care (HCC) sectors in Ontario. Please sign in to view the listings

Tuition and mandatory ancillary fees are covered up to the maximum amount per year.

Accredited Ontario College and University Nursing Programs. Please use this link for a list of approved Practical Nursing Programs in Ontario and this link for approved Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs.

Please refer anyone interested in the BEGIN program to begin.werpn.com. They can also email info@begin.werpn.com for more information.

The educator reference is a quick and easy online reference sent via email to a former or current educator of a BEGIN applicant. The reference should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

While applicants must have been accepted into an accredited nursing program when they apply to BEGIN to be eligible, the program is open until March 31, 2026. WeRPN can offer guidance to those who are interested in returning to school but are unsure of where to start. Please encourage anyone who is looking for more information to contact info@begin.werpn.com or sign up here to receive more information.

1 year after program completion.

Employers will have access to a pool of eager graduates who have committed to working in either Hospitals, Primary Care, Long-Term Care or Home and Community Care sectors. Through their participation in the program, these prospective employees also have access to WeRPN resources to support them on their journey in nursing including a New Graduate workshop and mentorship program.

Additionally, BEGIN helps foster career growth and educational development, expands your team’s knowledge and skills, and supports overall recruitment and retention efforts.

Absolutely. BEGIN participants may enroll in an eligible nursing program on a full-time or part-time basis, providing them with the flexibility to continue their employment.

The employer reference is a quick and easy online reference sent via email to a former or current employer, of a BEGIN applicant. The reference will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

Upon completion of their nursing program participants commit to 1500 hours of employment in Hospitals, Primary Care, LTC or HCC sectors in Ontario for every academic year they receive funding (up to three years). Participants have 12 months following their last day of school to start this commitment.

Participants have 12 months from their last day of school to start their commitment.

The BEGIN team and employee will communicate the start and completion date for the Return of Service.

If they are unable to complete their Return of Service in an Ontario Hospital, Primary Care, Long-Term Care or Home and Community Care employer, the individual will be required to repay the tuition grant plus any interest accrued to WeRPN.

No. The BEGIN program is specifically aimed at supporting recruitment and retention in these four sectors. As part of this program, students must commit to working in these sectors to obtain their tuition reimbursement.