Policies on Fees

• Notice Regarding Fees
• Payments and Due Dates
• Deposits
• Late Payment of Fees
• Tax Receipts (T2202, T4A, and Transit Tax Credit)
• Registration in More Than One Program
• Exchange Students
• Senior Citizens
• Distance Learning Programs
• Domestic or International tuition and fees assessment
• International Students to Permanent Resident Status

Notice Regarding Fees

Tuition, program, course, special, and student society fees, are approved by the Board of Governors following consultation with students and are subject to change.

Fees include any amounts assessed to a student by UBC, or by UBC on behalf of UBC Okanagan Students’ Union (UBCSUO), or other student societies and organizations. Fees include, but are not limited to, tuition fees, program fees, special fees, and student society fees.

Notwithstanding the information included in the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar, UBC reserves the right to change fees at any time without notice. Students who have not completed their course requirements when a change in fees is made may be required to pay the new fees.

Tuition fees for all students include allocations to the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund and to student financial support.

Upon registering, a student has initiated a contract with UBC for payment of all tuition and assessed fees. A student may terminate this contract only by withdrawing from UBC. See Deposits, Refund of Tuition Fees, and Change of Registration. While UBC makes every effort to avoid errors in assessment, should an error occur it will be corrected and every effort will be made to attempt to notify affected students. However, lack of notification does not exempt a student from payment.

Fees listed are in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

Payments and Due Dates

Fee payment in Winter Session may be in two instalments. In general, the first instalment covers tuition for Term 1 courses and the first half of two-term courses, plus most student fees. The second instalment covers tuition for Term 2 courses and the second half of two-term courses. Students enrolled in a study program restricted to Term 1 or Term 2 must pay the full amount assessed by the due date for that term.

Students may view their individual student financial account and/or outstanding balance at Workday. The balance reflects current and outstanding amounts from previous sessions, changes in registration, awards or cancellation of awards, penalties for late payment and other charges, as well as payments made.

For information on making payments, see Payment Options. It is the responsibility of students to make payments by the due dates. Note: payments will be applied to outstanding amounts first and then to the current session.

Payment Due Dates

The due date for any increase in a balance resulting from late assessment or late registration during a term will be the 7th of the next month. When the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or statutory holiday, payment may be made on the next business day.

All students must pay their current fee instalment in full by the due date. Deferred fees are due on the deferment date.

Deposits

Domestic Undergraduate Students

• New domestic undergraduate students must pay a non-refundable acceptance deposit of $500.00. Deposits will be credited toward assessed tuition fees.
• Continuing domestic undergraduate students do not pay a deposit.

International Undergraduate Students

• New international undergraduate students are required to pay a non-refundable acceptance deposit of $1,000.00. Deposits will be credited toward assessed tuition fees.¹
• Continuing international undergraduate students do not pay a deposit.

¹ New international undergraduate students who do not register in or withdraw from all Summer Session courses by March 31 or from all Winter Session courses by July 31 may have $500.00 of their acceptance deposit refunded. No portion of the acceptance deposit is refundable after these dates. Contact International Student Initiative, 604.822.8999 to request a refund.

Other Students

• Most graduate students and senior citizens do not pay a deposit except below:

Late Payment of Fees

Fees, fines, or other indebtedness to the University (including tuition and student fees, parking fines, library fines, housing and conferences fees) must be paid in full by the Payment Due Dates. Otherwise, students may be placed on Financial Hold and charged an Interest Penalty, in accordance with UBC Policy FM1: Late Payment of Fees and Accounts.

If the overdue amount is not paid in full by the first day of the next session, no future session registration will be allowed. Students will remain liable for the outstanding balance, plus all interest assessed up to the date on which the outstanding balance is paid in full.

Subsequent registration for graduate students will be allowed only with the written approval of the Dean, College of Graduate Studies. Retroactive fees and interest will be assessed prior to registration and must be paid at that time.

Financial Hold

A student may be placed on financial hold as a result of outstanding indebtedness to the University, including tuition and student fees, parking and library fines, and housing and conferences fees. Please note the following:

• A processing fee of $35 will be applied (in addition to the Interest Penalty).
• No subsequent registration activity will be allowed.
• No transcripts or diploma will be issued.
• UBC Housing and Conferences may refuse admission to residences, may withdraw residence and dining privileges, and may require a resident to vacate the premises.

The financial hold will be removed when the outstanding balance, including all penalties, is paid in full.

Interest Penalty

Interest will be charged at a rate of prime plus 6% per annum. Interest is charged on all outstanding amounts that are past due and is calculated monthly. Anything else in this section notwithstanding, any amounts charged as penalties for the late payment of fees and accounts (including the Interest Penalty and the processing fee) will not exceed 60% per annum.

Tax Receipts (T2202 and T4A)

Students can access their tax receipts (T2202 and T4A) at Workday.

The following fees qualify for tuition tax credit and will be included on the T2202:

• Athletics and Recreation Fee
• Medical/Dental Fee
• English Foundation Program Fee

For more information on income tax, visit Canada Revenue Agency.

Registration in More Than One Program

For students registered in more than one graduate degree program, fees are assessed for both programs until minimum assessment is reached for the first program. Fees for the second program will continue to be assessed until degree completion.

For students registered in one graduate degree program and one undergraduate program, fees are assessed for both programs until minimum assessment is reached for the graduate program. Undergraduate fees will continue to be assessed.

Students registered in one graduate degree program and as an "unclassified student" will be assessed fees for both programs.

Students in Senate-approved combined degree programs for which a program fee has not been established will be assessed fees for each separate program.

Note: Student fees that are common to more than one of the programs will only be assessed once.

Exchange Students

Undergraduate Formal Exchange Program

Students visiting UBC on approved exchange programs under a formal agreement between their home university and UBC will pay fees to their home university. These fees cover credit courses taken during the Winter Session. Students will be assessed the following student fees:
 

UBC undergraduate students who are studying elsewhere on an approved exchange program covered by a formal agreement between the two universities (student mobility agreement) must register for the appropriate non-credit exchange activity and pay UBC tuition fees for 15 credits per term, plus student fees for the Winter Session. Students on an approved exchange will not be assessed the U-Pass.

All other UBC students on such exchange programs pay to UBC the normal tuition fees for their program for each term they are away, in addition to student fees.

Senior Citizens

BC residents who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents aged 65 years or over during the session in which they are registered are not assessed application, tuition, or student fees. Some special fees may still be assessed. 

Fees will be assessed to senior citizens for programs in areas such as Nursing or any faculty or school where existing facilities and resources are limited.

Distance Learning Programs

Students registered in Distance Education programs offered online, or off-campus within a specific geographic region, will not be assessed any student fees.  However, students in these programs should be aware that student fees will be assessed in the following circumstances:

• Registration in an on-campus course
• Registration in an online course that is not part of the Distance Learning program

Domestic or International tuition and fees assessment

UBC determines a student’s tuition and fee assessment based on their citizenship status. A student that is a citizen or permanent resident of Canada will be assessed domestic tuition and fees. Students that do not meet the criteria for domestic tuition will be assessed international tuition and fees. Students are responsible for accurately declaring their citizenship status upon application to the university, which includes ensuring that their status in Canada is accurate until the degree or diploma is completed.

UBC will not retroactively change tuition and fees assessed from International to Domestic except in situations defined under “International Student to Permanent Resident Status”. It is incumbent upon those persons eligible for domestic tuition and fees to inform UBC of their eligibility upon application, or as soon as their status changes during their studies. UBC requires supporting documentation to assess domestic tuition rates.

Domestic student

Students who fall within one of the following categories are considered domestic students and will be assessed domestic tuition and fees:

• Canadian citizens
• Permanent residents of Canada³
• Any person with refugee status in Canada
• Diplomat assigned to Canada and dependent children⁵

Students are required to provide verification documents to substantiate eligibility for domestic tuition and fees. Invalid or incomplete documentation will result in the assessment of international tuition and fees, or in the student account being placed on hold for additional investigation until a final decision is reached.

International student

Students will be assessed international tuition and fees if the criteria for domestic tuition and fees are not met.

If a student holds multiple citizenships and one of these is Canadian, they will be assessed as a domestic student and will be required to provide documentation as a domestic student.

Fee assessment exceptions

International students that meet one of the following criteria may be eligible for domestic tuition and fees if the student informs UBC after registering for courses:

• A visitor with an employer-specific full-time long-term work permit⁴, or their dependent children or their spouse.⁵
• An individual with an affiliation to an Indigenous nation of Canada (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit)⁶
• An individual of a transborder Indigenous nation (American Indian or Alaska Native)⁷

Eligible students should provide their supporting documents to Student Services before the Tuition Fee Payment Due Dates.

International Students to Permanent Resident Status

If an international student becomes a Permanent Resident on or before the Tuition Fee Payment Due Dates of the term, domestic tuition fees will be assessed for that term provided that supporting documents (Canadian Permanent Residency Card, or equivalent) are submitted to Enrolment Services by the last day of classes of the same term the change of status occurred. Documentation received after this time will affect fee rates for subsequent terms only, even if the international student became a Permanent Resident before the Tuition Fee Payment Due Dates. There will be no retroactive fee changes for the term after the last day of classes of the same term.

If an international student becomes a Permanent Resident after the Tuition Fee Payment Due Dates for a current term and have submitted supporting documents to Enrolment Services by the last day of classes for the current term, international tuition fees will be assessed for that current term and domestic fees will be assessed for subsequent terms.

Please Note: Permanent Resident status is attained as of the "Landed on" date, indicated on the Confirmation of Permanent Residence, not the "Date Issued."

For students who have been given a fee deferment, the tuition fee Payment Due Dates still pertain as the deadline to become a Permanent Resident.