Graduate Fees

​​Fees Schedule for Graduate Programs

In addition to tuition, payments of graduate fees are required. It’s important to understand how fees will affect your academic experience, so be sure to read the policies​ on various fee and payment types.

Combined Degree Program

Students in a combined degree program (e.g., MSW/JD) pay fees according to the established pattern of registration. There may be additional fees levied for enrolment in specific courses or for individual circumstances. Please contact your graduate unit for details.

Concurrent Registration

The concurrent registration option is available only in degree programs with approved partner degree programs at U of T. Available at the master’s degree level only, students who are accepted into each partner degree program option in each degree program, subject to the approval of both programs.

A concurrent program normally follows one of a number of established patterns of registration including full-time and part-time, recognizing that a student may not be registered full-time in two programs at the same time. Fees are included in the tuition fee schedule available on the Student Accounts website.

Dual Registration

If you are a master’s student at U of T who has a minimal amount of work outstanding for your master’s degree and have been offered admission to a doctoral program, you may be permitted to register dually in both the master’s and doctoral programs for one session (Fall session or Winter session). Please consult your graduate unit for further details.

A dual registrant will be engaged in full-time doctoral studies and will be registered full-time in the doctoral and part-time in the master’s program. Only fees for the doctoral program will be charged.

You must be recommended for the award of the master’s degree by the deadline stated on the SGS Sessional Dates, otherwise, your doctoral registration will be cancelled and your fee payment will be applied to your master’s registration.

Final-Year Fees for Doctoral & Master’s Students

Doctoral Fees

Academic fees for full-time doctoral students in the final year of their program, and who are before their maximum time limit, are pro-rated based on the 12-month academic year plus sessional incidentals. Academic fees for doctoral students in the final extension year, and who are beyond their maximum time limit, are prorated based on 50% of the annual domestic fee for the 12-month academic year plus sessional incidentals.

Doctoral students will be billed for the whole year but may choose to pay:

  1. The full year fee;
  2. The minimum first payment (100% of current fall tuition fee charges); or
  3. The fee based on the expected date of completion.

If you choose to pay less than the full-year fee, a monthly service charge (starting October 15) will be applied to any outstanding balance unless you have made a fee arrangement that exempts you from paying service fees until the end of April.

If you have made a fee arrangement that exempts you from paying service fees until the end of April and your thesis is submitted prior to April, the arrangement will be cancelled. Once your thesis is submitted your balance is due otherwise monthly service charges will be applied on any outstanding balance.

When a final corrected thesis is submitted, fees and service charges are adjusted accordingly. For more information, please review the monthly academic and incidental fees schedule at the Student Accounts website.

The pro-rated fee applies to students who have been continuously registered in their program, or who have obtained an authorized leave of absence. Please note that international students may be entitled to a partial refund of their UHIP fee; these students are advised to contact the Centre for International Experience (CIE) for more information.

Master’s Fees

Your Fall or Winter session registration and fees are cancelled if your degree recommendation and final master’s thesis (if required) are submitted to SGS by the deadline. If your degree recommendation is submitted after this date you will be required to register and pay fees for the session. Please note that a late fee will apply if you have not registered in the registration period but do not make the deadline and are required to enroll. Please refer to the SGS Final Year Fees webpage for deadline information.

Immigration Status

You are eligible for the domestic tuition rate if you are claiming Status in Canada exemption. For more information on eligibility for international fee exemptions, please consult the Student Accounts website. A change of status is not retroactive to any previous session. Bring original documents to substantiate the claim to SGS by the following deadlines:

November 1 for reassessment for the complete Fall and Winter session.

February 1 for the reassessment for the Winter session only.

June 30 for reassessment for the complete Summer session. This only applies to students that have tuition fees charged for the summer session.

Students who are assessed annual fees will have to claim Status in Canada exemption in the session that they are charged their annual fees.

Income Tax Receipts

Tax Credit Forms (T2202A) are available from ACORN. Students can print forms directly for income tax purposes. Please ensure your address information is current on ACORN.

Invoices

U of T does not mail fee invoices to students. You are informed of fees payable through ACORN where you may view your account in invoice format. Every transaction is posted to your account. All students are expected to monitor all account activity. Tuition is updated in real time and always reflects the most current situation.

Notify all graduate units of your decision to accept/decline their offers of admission. Otherwise, you will be invoiced for all programs to which you have been admitted.

Late Registration

Once the SGS Registration Deadline has passed, (see SGS Sessional Dates) you will be required to visit or contact SGS and show proof of payment; the minimum payment to register amount as displayed on your ACORN student invoice plus the late registration fee. Please complete the online late registration form and online payment. Once completed, SGS will change your ACORN status to “INVITED,” which will allow you to register. 

Minimum Degree Fee

All graduate students must pay a minimum degree fee. This fee is based upon the full-time program length for each graduate master’s program. The minimum degree fee for PhD and professional doctoral programs is the fee associated with one year (three sessions of full-time studies). The minimum degree fee represents the minimum amount of tuition that every student, whether registered full-time or part-time, must have paid upon completion of the program prior to graduation.

If, at the end of your program, the total amount of academic fees which you paid during the time you were registered is less than the minimum degree fee, you will be required to pay the difference, which is called a balance of degree fee. This is assessed prior to graduation.

Students who undertake their studies on a part-time basis are required to pay at least the same amount of tuition for their degree as a full-time student. Many part-time students must pay a balance of degree fee prior to graduation. Full-time students who accelerate their programs and finish the degree requirements in less time than the program length must also pay a balance of degree fee. If a student has paid more than the minimum degree fee due to the time taken to complete the degree requirements, there will be no refund of fees. Any fees paid as a non-degree student (whether at U of T or at another institution) will not be counted towards the minimum degree fee. The SGS-approved transfer of graduate academic credit also does not reduce the required minimum degree fee.

To find out the program length for your degree program, please contact your home graduate unit or check the program entry in the SGS Calendar.

For international students who change to domestic status during their study period, the minimum degree fee will be assessed as follows:

  • ​if the legal status change occurred within the full-time program length, the minimum degree fee will be based on the domestic tuition fee;
  • ​​​if the legal status change occurred after the full-time program length, the minimum degree fee will be based on the international tuition fee.

Non-degree Special Students

Full-time special students pay the full-time academic fee. Special students enrolling on a part-time basis will pay for each course or half-course. Fees paid as a special student cannot be applied to any subsequent degree program. Refund dates are different for part-time special students. Check the
Student Accounts website for details.

Non-traditional/Summer Start Programs

U of T offers a number of programs that begin in the summer session (May to August) or that have non-traditional start times (i.e., June). If you are taking a program that does not fall into a traditional annual cycle, consult your graduate unit for specific information regarding fee refunds and withdrawal dates.

Refunds

Withdrawal from courses and programs without academic penalty does not necessarily result in a refund. Please review the deadlines for withdrawals on the refund schedule at the Student Accounts website. For information regarding fee refunds for compressed or modular courses, consult with the graduate unit.

Register With a Tuition Fee Exemption (Due To Impact Of COVID-19)

If your academic progress through your program has been significantly impeded due to COVID-19 related disruptions, you may be permitted to register with a tuition fee exemption for up to one academic session. Contact your graduate unit if you need additional supports.

To apply to register with a tuition fee exemption due to the impact of COVID-19, complete the SGS Register with Tuition Fee Exemption on Basis of Progress Delays due to COVID-19 form and present it to your graduate unit. The criteria for receiving the exemption differ from research-stream and coursework only programs; please review the criteria carefully. You will need to demonstrate that you meet the criteria for the exemption.

If you have arrears from a previous session (i.e. financial hold) and are thus ineligible to register, please inquire with the SGS Financial Aid and Advising Office at sgs.financial.assistance@utoronto.ca regarding a possible SGS Payment Arrangement.

If your request is approved, you will be exempt from tuition charges for the approved session, but will be charged mandatory non-tuition fees, such as incidental, ancillary, and system access fees, and will be subject to services charges on unpaid fees as per the University’s regulations.

Criteria for Receiving a Tuition Fee Exemption

Students in programs with a required research and thesis/major research paper component:

  1. Students who were registered during or before the Winter 2020 session, and were making good progress with their thesis/dissertation prior to March 2020 and data collection or access to necessary sources has been significantly impeded due to pandemic-related impacts (e.g., labs closed, fieldwork cancelled, access to materials, archives or library sources has been impeded, personal circumstances). This disruption will have been documented using the COVID-19 mentoring record.
  2. Additional work is needed before the thesis/dissertation can be defended (e.g., insufficient data or material) or the major research paper is completed.
  3. The revised research plan will require an additional session of registration.
  4. All feasible alternative academic activities (e.g., writing sections of dissertation or publications, coursework, professional development) have been completed.
  5. The student will be outside the funded cohort and will receive little or no other funding towards tuition charged in the session for which they are applying for an exemption.
  6. Supervisory committee agrees that conditions (1) through (5) have been met.
  7. Departmental approval.

Graduate Units and Academic Divisions may set additional criteria to be met, in order to be considered and approved for a tuition fee exemption.

Students in coursework-only programs (including those with internship or practicum requirements):

  1. Students who were registered during or before the Winter 2020 session, and were making good progress prior to March 2020 and academic activities or access to necessary resources has been significantly impeded due to pandemic-related impacts (e.g., required courses or experiential learning activities have been cancelled or deferred, personal circumstances). This disruption will have been documented by the graduate unit.
  2. Completion of outstanding academic activities will require additional time beyond the program length of their degree program.
  3. The Program Director and Graduate Chair or Coordinator of the student’s home graduate unit agrees that conditions (1) and (2) have been met and provides departmental approval.

Graduate Units and Academic Divisions may set additional criteria to be met, in order to be considered and approved for a tuition fee exemption.

Register Without Payment (Fee Deferral)

You may request to register without payment (i.e., make a fee deferral) through ACORN if you have no outstanding fees from a previous session and are the recipient of one of the following which exceeds the Minimum Payment to Register amount on your ACORN invoice:

  • Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP) loan
  • Other provincial government loan
  • US government loan
  • University funding package (major award, research stipend, or teaching stipend)

Students who are not receiving loans or a university funding package, but have proof of university funding (TA, RA, major award, etc.) which exceeds the Minimum Payment to Register may request a fee deferral by submitting the Register Without Payment (Fee Deferral) form to their graduate unit. Visit the student forms and letter requests page to access the form for your session.

If you are registering late, you must come to the SGS Student Academic Services office in person and request to register without payment (i.e., make a fee deferral). Late registration fees will be assessed.

Senior Citizens

There is no discount of fees for a senior citizen wishing to pursue a graduate degree at U of T. For more information on the SGS fee schedule, please visit Student Accounts.

Service Charges

If not paid in full, any outstanding account balance is subject to a monthly service charge of 1.5% compounded monthly (19.56% per annum). For more information about service charges, visit the
Student Accounts website.

When you request to register without payment, your fees are still considered outstanding and owing to SGS. Please review the following information about service charges in regards to OSAP and other sources of funding.

OSAP or other provincial loans — For requests to register without payment made on the basis of OSAP or other provincial loans, service charges begin to accrue as follows:

  • Fall/Winter session — Assessed as of October 15 and as of the 15th of every month thereafter until fees are paid in full.
  • Winter session — Assessed as of February 15 and as of the 15th of every month thereafter until fees are paid in full.
  • Summer session — Assessed as of June 15 if not a summer start. Assessed as of October 15 if the program started in the summer. Assessed as of the 15th of every month thereafter until fees are paid in full.

Major award, research stipend, or teaching assistantship that covers at least the minimum first payment — Registering without payment allows outstanding balances on fees accounts to exist without incurring service charges. The dates of the first assessment of service charges for students beginning their program in the fall, winter or summer session are as follows:

  • Fall session registration — Assessed as of May 15 and as of the 15th of every month thereafter until fees are paid in full.
  • Winter session registration — Assessed as of May 15 and as of the 15th of every month thereafter until fees are paid in full.
  • Summer session registration — Assessed as of September 15 if not a Summer start. Assessed as of January 15 if the program started in the Summer. Assessed as of the 15th of every month thereafter until fees are paid in full.

Simultaneous Registration

Simultaneous registration in two full-time programs is not permitted.

With the consent of both graduate units concerned, or of the graduate unit and another faculty or school, and written notification to SGS, simultaneous registration in a full-time program and a part-time program may be permitted. Two part-time registrations in different programs may also be permitted. Students are responsible for the fees charged for both programs.

U of T Staff Tuition Fee Waivers

Education is central to the U o f T experience, not only for students, but for all members of the University community. For more information on what educational opportunities are available to you, please check your collective agreement or employment policy, or the benefits section for your employee group.

For more information on U of T Staff Tuition Fee Waiver, visit HR Forms.