Paying tuition

Overview

There are many methods to pay your tuition, each with its own set of instructions. To find your tuition and fee amounts, please log into your Student Services Centre (SSC) and select “Financial Summary” under Finances.

In-person services are available. We cannot accept cash, personal cheques (personal cheques from a Canadian financial institution), debit or credit card payments in person. Students are encouraged to review the full list of online payment options and instructions outlined on this page. Please contact Enrolment Services if you have questions.

Online payment options

Paying through online banking

Set up online banking to pay your UBC tuition and fees like any other bill. Payments will take 2-3 business days to process.

To pay with online banking, you'll need a bank account at a Canadian financial institution. Add “UBC Tuition” as a bill payee and use your student number as the bill's account number.

Housing and Meal Plan payments

Online banking is available for Housing or Meal Plan payments through most banks and credit unions. To do so, please add “UBC Housing and Meal Plan” as a payee. Please do not make Housing and Meal Plan payments to the UBC Tuition account.

Paying by Electronic funds transfer (EFT)

Bank transfer and EFT payments deduct funds directly from your Canadian bank account. Payments will be processed immediately.

  1. Log into your Student Service Centre (SSC).
  2. Select "Banking Details - Pay Tuition" under Finances.
  3. Enter and save your bank's institution, transit, and account numbers.
  4. Under Finances, pay your fees by selecting "Bank Transfer" in Pay Fees.

Similar to a cheque, bank transfer and EFT payments may be returned by your financial institution because:

  • There are insufficient funds or funds not available
  • You entered incorrect account details
  • The account doesn't have chequing privileges
  • The account has been closed

If your payment is returned, the funds will be reversed out of your student account. This may result in your account being placed on financial hold, as well as being charged interest and a $35 insufficient funds penalty.

Paying by International Funds Transfer (IFT)

Pay your UBC tuition and fees from a foreign bank account, using your own currency. International Funds Transfer can not pay for registration deposits.

International Funds Transfers, processed through Western Union Business Solutions are secure and efficient and offer the following benefits:

  • Competitive exchange rates
  • No transaction fees from Western Union
  • Locked-in exchange rate for 72 hours, removing much of the uncertainty around the total payment amount
  • No Canadian bank account required

See the list of accepted currencies from Western Union Business Solutions. If your local currency is not available, please select an alternative currency or CAD option.

Western Union price match

If you find a better quote from your bank to send a payment to UBC than the quote provided by WU® GlobalPay for Students, Western Union will match the total price you have been offered, subject to terms and conditions.

To take advantage of the offer, complete the online form and await further details on uploading documentation.

Making a payment

You can use International Funds Transfer to pay your tuition and student, residence, and meal plan fees using your own currency from a foreign bank account.

Step 1: Initiate your payment quote online

  1. Log into your Student Service Centre (SSC).
  2. Select "Pay Fees" under Finances.
  3. Select the fees you would like to pay.
  4. Select "International Funds Transfer" to access the GlobalPay student platform.
  5. Confirm items to pay.

You must repeat step 1 to generate a new payment quote for each payment—do not use the payment reference number from a previous transaction for new payment

Step 2: Complete the online form

  1. A pre-populated form will open in a new window.
  2. Select the country which you will be sending your payment to.
  3. Select the fee item(s) you wish to pay.
  4. Select your payment currency.
  5. Fill out the payment details and bank details.
  6. Agree to the Terms of Use.
  7. You will receive a payment reference number that will lock in your quoted exchange rate for 72 hours.

The "Student Number" field will be automatically filled with a Western Union payment reference number. This is not a field for your UBC student number.

Step 3: Bank transfer

  1. Print the payment instructions and contact your bank or financial institution (online, phone or in person).
  2. Initiate payment.
  3. Your local bank will transfer funds to Western Union, who will send the funds to UBC.

What happens after?

Once your payment is finalized, your student account will be updated after a minimum of 3 business days. 

If your account is not updated after a week, contact Western Union at studentinquiries@westernunion.com or toll free by phone at 1-877-218-8829.

Paying using Interac® Online

Pay with your bank card through the Student Service Centre (SSC). Successful payments will be processed immediately.

Interac® Online is available for Canadian accounts at the following institutions:

  • RBC Royal Bank
  • TD Canada Trust

Log into your Student Service Centre (SSC) and select "Interac" from "Pay Fees" under Finances.

When using this payment method please keep in mind the following:

  • Interac® Online cannot process debit/credit card hybrids (e.g., VISA debit, Mastercard debit, AMEX debit, etc.).

  • Please confirm with your financial institution that your daily Interac® limit will be enough to cover your payment.

Paying with your credit card online

Log into your Student Service Centre (SSC) and select "Credit Card" in "Pay Fees" under Finances. Successful payments will be processed immediately.

Credit card payments on SSC cannot process debit/credit card hybrids (e.g., VISA debit, Mastercard debit, AMEX debit, etc.).

Payments for student housing, mandatory meal plans, and tuition fees will have a non-refundable 1.75% convenience fee added to the base payment.

Paying using your Higher Ed Points

You may use loyalty points to pay your tuition fees.

In particular, Higher Ed Points allow you to apply TD and Aeroplan reward points toward your tuition and fees. 

Sign up with Higher Ed Points and follow the steps for your loyalty program. Once you've completed the transfer, it will take about 3 days for the points to be applied to your student account.

Other payment options

Paying with your Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)

A proof of enrolment, also known as a confirmation of enrolment letter, is often needed to redeem RESPs.

To download your proof of enrolment, please log into your Student Service Centre (SSC) and select “Proof of Enrolment Letter” under Grades & Records. Be sure to select the correct Academic Session for your letter.

Do I need a stamp for my RESP form?

You may not need a stamp for your RESP form depending on your RESP provider. The following RESP providers accept the UBC proof of enrolment directly generated from the SSC:

  • Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan
  • Heritage Education Funds
  • Children’s Education Funds
  • Knowledge First Financial

If your RESP provider does not accept the UBC proof of enrolment generated from the SSC, please contact Enrolment Services directly.

Paying by US dollar cheques

Paying in person with a US dollar cheque

You can pay your tuition, student fees, and registration deposits in person at Enrolment Services in Brock Hall with a US dollar cheque.

  1. Make sure your cheque is correctly filled out, and that your student number is written on the front of the cheque on the memo line.
  2. Fill out a Tuition Fee Payment Form and attach it to your cheque (no post-dated cheques will be accepted).
  3. Payments received by cheque at Enrolment Services in Brock Hall will take up to 10 business days to process.
  4. Bring your cheque and payment slip to the Enrolment Services counters.

Payment using US dollar cheques will use the UBC currency exchange rate of the day it is processed and not necessarily the day it is received by UBC. To lock in an exchange rate consider paying via International Funds Transfer or with a UBC tuition slip and US dollar cheque at any HSBC branch in Canada.

We cannot accept cash or debit payments in person. If you would like to pay by debit, please do so at any local HSBC branch. Provide your UBC student number as the account number.

Tuition fee deferral for TAs or RAs

Tuition fee deferral is available to graduate students employed by UBC as Teaching or Research Assistants (TAs or RAs).

You can find detailed eligibility and application instructions on the Tuition Fee Deferral Application. You will need to attach a screenshot of your Compensation page from Work Day (proof of employment) in the application form.

Online application periods

  • Summer session: March 1 - April 30
  • Winter Term 1: July 15 - August 31
  • Winter Term 2:  November 1 - December 31

Paying by banking in-person or by phone

Set up in-person banking to pay your UBC tuition and fees like any other bill. Payments will take 1-2 business days to process.

To pay with in-person or telephone banking, you'll need a bank account at a Canadian financial institution. Some Canadian financial institutions may not accept these payment methods or may charge a transaction fee.

Visit or call your financial institution and provide them with the following information:

  • Your financial institution account information
  • “UBC Tuition Fees” to be added as the bill payee
  • Your student number provided as the bill's account number
  • The total payment amount to be transferred

Online banking for most banks and credit unions is available for residence and meal plan fees. Visit Housing or Meal Plan payments for details.

Paying by cheque at any HSBC branch

You do not need to be an HSBC Bank customer to pay your fees at a HSBC branch. HSBC in-person payments take 2-3 business days to be processed.

To pay, complete a Tuition Fee Payment Form and bring it to any HSBC Bank Canada branch with your cheque payment. Cash payments are not accepted through HSBC.

The nearest HSBC Bank branch is located at 4498 West 10th Avenue at Sasamat Street. You only need the tuition form if you're paying at HSBC, and are not required to submit a copy to UBC.

Paying with tuition waivers

Tuition waivers are employment benefits available to UBC staff and faculty only.

Once your tuition waiver is approved by Financial Services, the waiver information will be electronically forwarded to Enrolment Services within 2-3 business days. Enrolment Services will then apply the payment to your account.

As the waivers do not cover student fees such as the student health and dental plan fees, please make sure that you pay for them separately.

If students, staff, or faculty have questions, they can contact the ISC Helpdesk.

Paying through private lenders

UBC does not accept deposits from private lenders or unauthorized third-party service providers to be paid towards tuition and/or fees. 

Transactions from private lenders will be rejected and students will be responsible for any fees incurred as a result of the payment or return. If you have unpaid tuition and fees because of rejected transactions, you may be put on financial hold and charged an interest penalty.

An exception applies for specific full-time Sauder School of Business graduate programs—Master of Business Administration, Master of Management, and Master of Business Analytics—which may be eligible for loans from Prodigy Finance. If you are an applicant to one of these programs, please contact Sauder directly.

Paying in-person at Enrolment Services

UBC can not accept cash, cheque, debit, or credit card payments for tuition and student fees at the Enrolment Services Advising Centre in Brock Hall.

As there are no equivalent online services, only external award and U.S. dollar cheques will continue to be accepted by in-person payment for tuition and student fees. 

Scholarships and Passport to Education

Claiming your UBC scholarship

If you are a UBC scholarship recipient, the scholarship funding will be applied to your student account against fees owed after you've accepted the award in your Student Service Centre (SSC). Awards that have not been accepted will not be dispersed.

Scholarships paid out in installments will have funds credited to your tuition account on the date specified in the award legal agreement.

If your award amount is less than the total amount owed, you must pay the difference by the fee deadline to avoid late charges. If your award amount is more than your tuition owed for the term, please sign up for direct deposit before accepting the award to receive the balance directly.

Scholarships cannot be applied towards acceptance or registration deposits, so please make sure you pay your deposits separately.

Redeeming a BC Provincial scholarship

This redeeming process is for BC Provincial scholarships including:

  • BC Achievement
  • District/Authority
  • BC Excellence
  • Pathway to Teacher Education
  • Graduation Program Examination

Online verification

Submit the following documents through the Scholarship Redemption webform:

  • Provincial Scholarship Voucher
    Write your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and email address on the voucher. Check that your mailing address is correct. If it's not, provide your current address.
  • Verification or Proof of Enrolment
    Log into your Student Services Centre (SSC) and select "Proof of Enrolment" under Grades & Records.
  • Proof of Tuition Fee Payment
    In your SSC, select "Tuition History" under Finances. Take a screenshot as proof of payment. You are required to pay all of your outstanding fees by the tuition due date before redeeming this scholarship.

In-person option

  1. Gather your Provincial Scholarship Voucher
    Write your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and email address on the voucher. Check that your mailing address is correct. If it's not, provide your current address.
  2. Verify your document
    Have your Provincial Scholarship Voucher stamped and signed by Enrolment Services Advising Centre.
  3. Submit your verified voucher
    Scan or take a photo of your verified voucher and submit it through the Scholarship Redemption web form.

Redeeming a Passport to Education (for BC students)

If you are a BC student, you can redeem Passport to Education stamps to pay for a portion of your fees.

Please do not send your passport in the mail, as UBC will not accept responsibility for lost passports.

Depositing external award cheques

Mailing cheques to UBC Development Office

Undergraduate students that have received an external award should request the granting agency or organization to send the cheque directly to the UBC Development Office for processing with the subject line “Attention: External Awards Processing".

If you've received the cheque from the organization directly, please download your Proof of Enrolment in your Student Services Centre (SSC) under Grades & Records. Write down your student number, and include it in your mail with the cheque to the UBC Development Office. Allow 6-9 weeks for processing.

In some cases, the granting agency or organization may require supporting documentation from the student before the cheque can be released.

Please contact Enrolment Services if you have any questions.

Deposit your award cheque directly to your UBC account

  • Make sure your cheque is correctly filled out, and that your student number is written on the front of the cheque on the memo line.
  • Payments received by external award cheque at Enrolment Services in Brock Hall will take at least 6-9 weeks to appear on your tuition account.
  • Bring your cheque and payment slip to Enrolment Services at Brock Hall

UBC will use the currency exchange rate of the day it is processed and not necessarily the day it is received by UBC.

Sponsorship

Instructions for sponsorship or third-party billing

Some UBC students have a portion of their UBC fees paid by a sponsor such as an Indigenous community, employer, or government agency. When UBC sends a bill for fees to sponsors this is called "third-party billing."

If you are a sponsored student, Enrolment Services can process tuition and student fee payments directly from your sponsor. 

It is important that you and your sponsor understand what steps you both must take to ensure your fees are paid on your behalf. The student may have fees they are responsible for that are not covered under their sponsorship agreement. It is also important to be aware of what happens if your sponsor changes or withdraws their support.

Find detailed information, dates, and instructions below:

If you have questions regarding your sponsorship, contact your sponsor directly. If your sponsor needs help with the application form, or they have billing questions, they can contact Sponsorship Billing: 

  • Fax: 604 822 9858
  • Email: ubc.sponsorship@ubc.ca
  • Mailing address: Enrolment Services, 1874 East Mall Vancouver,  BC Canada V6T 1Z1

Late payment of fees

Your fees must be paid in full by the payment due dates. Otherwise, students may be placed on financial hold and charged a processing fee as well as an interest penalty. The financial hold will be removed when the outstanding balance, including penalties, is paid in full.

View details

Tuition adjustments and refunds

If you are planning to drop or withdraw from a course, you may be eligible for a tuition refund or adjustment.

Find out more

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