How to Activate & Maintain Your Award
Click on the text accordions below to learn more about accepting, activating, maintaining, and managing your award.
How Do I Accept and Manage My Award?
The process to accept and manage your award may differ from award to award. Please see the individual award pages for award holder information.
Who Processes My Award?
Most Government-Funded award payments such as SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR Master’s, OGS, QEII-GSST, and other External and SGS Internal awards are processed by SGS and issued through ACORN.
If you received an award for which you applied directly, and the granting agency would like to issue payment through the University of Toronto, please connect them with the Graduate Awards Office (GAO) at SGS. All awards that are strictly stipend / salary (no research allowance component) must be issued through ACORN.
University of Toronto Fellowship (UTF) payments are processed by your Faculty and/or graduate unit and, as such, each may have their own method of disbursing the funds, including the value and timing of each instalment paid through ACORN.
Students holding teaching or research assistantships are considered to be employees; accordingly, these funds must be processed through HRIS (Human Resources Information System) on a monthly basis.
Please check with the graduate administrator at your unit to determine whether your award is being managed by SGS or your graduate unit, and direct any inquiries or requests accordingly.
SGS Payment Policy
SGS-administered award payments are processed through ACORN at the beginning of each session:
- Fall Session: September
- Winter Session: January
- Summer Session: May
These awards are issued to students through ACORN by instalment. Smaller awards (e.g. $5,000 CAD or less) are often issued in one instalment, while larger awards are normally set to pay out in three equal instalments at the start of each academic session.
Award funds can be received by either direct deposit or a mailed cheque to a Canadian address.
- We strongly recommend that you set up direct deposit by logging into your ACORN account and adding your Canadian banking information.
- Direct deposit will ensure that you receive your payment(s) quickly.
- As well, cheques may be lost and need to be cancelled and replaced, which will result in a further delay of your payment.
- Cheques to students with international mailing addresses will be held by the Office of Student Accounts and not mailed; please contact info.studentaccount@utoronto.ca to inquire about payment options.
How to Set up Direct Deposit
To set up direct deposit with Canadian banking information on your ACORN account, follow the steps shown in the ACORN How-to guide, under the Finances navigation menu item.
Registering Without Payment
If you choose to Register Without Payment (Fee Deferral) for the upcoming academic year, winter and summer instalments will go to pay down ACORN account fees balance first. Please ensure you have read, understand and agree to the Register Without Payment conditions in the SGS Register Without Payment tab before choosing this option.
Most awards specify that the holder must be registered for an entire term in an eligible program / graduate unit to be eligible to receive and keep that session’s award instalment.
- If you are going to be registered for less than the entire term, you should contact SGS to find out if you need to return all or a part of the award.
- You should consult your graduate unit or Faculty for awards distributed by them, as policies vary.
Students who withdraw, transfer to part-time status, complete degree requirements, transfer to another program / graduate unit, or fail to complete the full session prior to the end of their award may be required to repay the funds already received for the incomplete session.
Please contact SGS to receive information regarding your specific award.
Register Without Payment
Students approved to register without payment are granted the opportunity to register without paying the Minimum Payment to Register amount (or fee) as indicated on their ACORN invoice.
- This financial arrangement defers the required tuition payment until the student loan, award or other major source of funding is available and prevents normal service charges from accruing until April 30th.
- Tuition is due when billed and any funds payable to students by the university may be first applied towards a students’ account.