Paying tuition

Overview

You can pay your tuition in many ways. To find your tuition and fee amounts, log into your Student Services Centre (SSC) and select “Financial Summary” under Finances.

While in-person services are available, Enrolment Services cannot accept cash, personal cheques from a Canadian financial institution, and debit or credit card payments in person. Please review the full list of online payment options and instructions outlined on this page before making your decision. If you have questions, you may contact Enrolment Services.

Online payment options

Online banking

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

To pay with online banking, you'll first 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. Add “UBC Student Housing and Meal Plan” as a payee. Please do not make Housing and Meal Plan payments to the UBC Tuition account.

Electronic funds transfer (EFT)

If you choose to pay through bank transfer and EFT payments, UBC will deduct funds directly from your Canadian bank account. Payments are posted immediately on your Student Service Centre (SSC), but can take several days for them to be processed in your bank account.

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

Bank transfer and EFT payments may be returned by your financial institution similar to a bounced cheque in the following situations:

There are insufficient funds or funds are 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 place your account on financial hold. You will be charged a $35 insufficient funds penalty and may also be charged additional interest.

International Funds Transfer (IFT)

You can pay your UBC tuition and fees from a foreign bank account with non-Canadian currency using International Funds Transfer (IFT). However, you cannot pay your registration deposits using this method.

International Funds Transfers are processed by Convera, previously known as Western Union Business Solutions. Transactions are secure and efficient, and offer the following benefits:

Competitive exchange rates
No transaction fees from Convera
Locked-in exchange rate for 72 hours, removing much of the uncertainty around the total payment amount
You do not need a Canadian bank account

See the list of accepted currencies (pdf) from Convera. If your local currency is not available, select an alternative currency or CAD option.

Convera price match

If you find a better quote to send a payment to UBC from your bank than the one provided by GlobalPay for Students, Convera will match the total price you have been offered, subject to terms and conditions (pdf).

To take advantage of the offer, email Convera at pricepromise@convera.com and wait for further details on how to upload your 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

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

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

Step 2: Complete the online form

A pre-populated form will open in a new window.
Select the country which you will be sending your payment to.
Select the fee item(s) you wish to pay.
Select your payment currency.
Fill out the payment details and bank details.
Agree to the Terms of Use.
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 Convera payment reference number. This is not a field for your UBC student number.

Step 3: Bank transfer

Print the payment instructions and contact your bank or financial institution online, by phone, or in person.
Start the payment.
Your local bank will transfer funds to Convera, who will then 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 Convera at studentsupport@convera.com or toll-free by phone at 1 877 218 8829.

Interac® Online

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

Interac® Online is only available for Canadian accounts with TD Canada Trust or First Nations Bank of Canada.

To pay using Interac® Online, log into your Student Service Centre (SSC) and select "Interac" from "Pay Fees" under Finances.

Before using this payment method, please consider the following:

Interac® Online cannot process debit/credit card hybrids (e.g., VISA debit, Mastercard debit, AMEX debit, etc.).
Confirm with your financial institution that your daily Interac® limit will be enough to cover your payment.

Credit card online payment

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

You cannot use debit/credit card payments such as VISA debit, Mastercard debit, AMEX debit for payment.

You must pay an additional non-refundable 1.75% convenience fee for payments towards student housing, mandatory meal plans, and tuition fees.

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 downloaded from your 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 downloaded from your SSC, please contact Enrolment Services.

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.

Paying by US dollar cheques in person

You can pay your tuition and student fees in person at Enrolment Services in Brock Hall with a US dollar cheque. Payments received by cheque at Enrolment Services in Brock Hall will take up to 10 business days to process.

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.
Fill out a Tuition Fee Payment Form (pdf) and attach it to your cheque. No post-dated cheques will be accepted.
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.

Enrolment Services cannot accept cash or debit payments in person. If you would like to pay by either of these methods, review the instructions to pay by cheque at any HSBC branch below.

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 your Work Day account as proof of employment.

Below are the online application periods for tuition fee deferral:

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

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 to 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 to 3 business days to be processed.

To pay, complete a Tuition Fee Payment Form (pdf) 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 on Sasamat Street. You only need the tuition form if you're paying at HSBC. You are not required to submit a copy to UBC.

Tuition Waivers

Tuition waivers are employment benefits available to UBC staff and faculty only. Learn about tuition waivers, eligibility requirements, and how to submit them to UBC.

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

The waivers do not cover student fees. Make sure you pay for your student fees in your Student Service Centre (SSC).

If you have any questions, contact the ISC Helpdesk.

Private lenders

UBC does not accept deposits from private lenders or unauthorized third-party service providers for the payment of tuition and/or student 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 of funds. If you have unpaid tuition and fees because of rejected transactions, you may be put on financial hold and charged an interest penalty.

There is an exception for specific full-time Sauder School of Business graduate programs (Master of Business Administration, Master of Management, and Master of Business Analytics). Students or applicants under these programs may be eligible for loans from Prodigy Finance and should contact Sauder directly.

In-person payment 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.

Only external award and US dollar cheques are accepted for in-person tuition and student fee payment.

Scholarships

Claiming your UBC scholarship

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

For scholarships paid in installments, you will receive 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 you must pay, you're required to pay the difference by the fee deadline to avoid late charges. If your award amount is more than the tuition you must pay 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. Please pay your deposits separately.

Redeeming a BC Provincial scholarship

Follow the instructions to redeem BC Provincial scholarships, such as:

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

Online verification

Submit the following documents through the Scholarship Redemption online form:

Provincial Scholarship Voucher
Write your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and email address on the voucher. Check that your mailing address is correct. If it isn't, provide your current address.
Verification or Proof of Enrolment
Log into your Student Services Centre (SSC) and select "Proof of Enrolment" under Grades & Records. Download the PDF document for the correct academic session.
Proof of Tuition Fee Payment
In your SSC, select "Tuition History" under Finances. Take a screenshot or print the page as a PDF document 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

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 isn't, provide your current address.
Verify your document
Have your Provincial Scholarship Voucher stamped and signed at the Enrolment Services Advising Centre.
Submit your verified voucher
Scan or take a photo of your verified voucher and submit it through the Scholarship Redemption online form.

Depositing external award cheques

Mailing cheques to Enrolment Services

Undergraduate students who have received an external award should ask the granting agency or organization to send the cheque directly to Enrolment Services for processing with the subject line "Attention: External Awards Processing".

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

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 your Proof of Enrolment in your mail with the cheque to Enrolment Services. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for processing.

Please contact Enrolment Services if you have any questions.

Bringing your external award cheque and payment slip to Enrolment Services

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. Bring your cheque and payment slip to the Enrolment Services Advising Centre at Brock Hall.

Payments made by external award cheque at Enrolment Services Advising Centre in Brock Hall will take at least 3 to 4 weeks to appear on your tuition account.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship or third-party billing instructions

Some UBC students have a sponsor who pays a portion of their UBC fees. Sponsors can be an Indigenous community, employer, or government agency. When UBC sends a bill for fees to sponsors, this is called "third-party billing". Learn more about sponsorship billing and how the application works.

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 the steps you both must take to ensure your fees are paid on your behalf. You may have fees you are responsible for that are not covered under your sponsorship agreement. It is also important to be know 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 5816
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 deadlines. Otherwise, you may be placed on financial hold and charged a processing fee, as well as an interest penalty. Your financial hold will be removed when you pay the outstanding balance in full.

Get 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.

If you need help

If you're an undergraduate student, please contact your Enrolment Services Advisor directly. To find your advisor’s contact information, log into your Student Service Centre (SSC) and select “UBC Contacts” under Personal Info.

Graduate, postgraduate, and all other students can contact an Enrolment Services Advisor by calling 604 822 9836 or submitting a question through the online form.