Deferring Your Tuition Fees
A tuition deferral is an arrangement where you can delay payment of your tuition fees to a later date, allowing you to complete your registration without an immediate payment. Below, you will find details on available tuition deferral options, eligibility criteria, and the application process.
General Eligibility
You may be eligible to defer your tuition fees – allowing you to register without payment – if you meet all of the following conditions:
- You have tuition charges for the current academic session.
- You have paid all outstanding fees from previous sessions.
- You meet one of deferral categories listed below (e.g., OSAP, third-party)
- You have no active academic restrictions, such as probation, suspension, or any academic conditions affecting your registration.
- You must submit a tuition fee deferral request each session. The deferral period begins once invoices are issued – typically in mid-July for the Fall-Winter term and mid-April for the Summer term -and continues until your divisional registration deadline.
Deferral Categories
You may be eligible to defer your minimum payment and register without payment if you are receiving government financial aid, U.S. Student Aid, U of T awards of at least 50% of your tuition amount, a graduate funding package or a third-party sponsorship.
Please review the categories below for additional eligibility requirements and the application process.
If you are waiting for your OSAP funding to arrive, you may be eligible to defer your minimum payment to register in ACORN if:
- You meet the general eligibility requirements above
- You have submitted your OSAP application by the recommended deadline:
- Fall or Fall/Winter sessions: June 30
- Summer Session: March 31
- You have been approved for OSAP for the current session
- Note: If you’ve only recently been approved, please allow up to 5 days for your tuition deferral eligibility to appear in ACORN
If you are waiting for provincial or territorial student aid to arrive, you may be eligible to defer your minimum payment in ACORN if:
- You meet the general eligibility requirements above
- You have submitted your Provincial and Territorial Student Aid by the recommended deadlines:
- Fall or Fall/Winter sessions: June 30
- Summer session: March 31
- You have submitted your required documents to the University Registrar’s office through the Out of Province Portal and waited 5 business days, then log into ACORN during the tuition fee deferral period.
If you are waiting for U.S. Student Aid to arrive, you may be eligible to defer your minimum payment in ACORN if:
- You meet the general eligibility requirements above
- You apply and are confirmed for one of the following US Loan programs: U.S. Government Student Loans, Alternative/Private Loan program such as Sallie Mae, Veteran Affairs Benefits program.
- Once you have completed your application, allow five (5) business days, then log into ACORN during the tuition fee deferral period to request the deferral.
Undergraduate Scholarships or Awards
You are eligible for a tuition fee deferral on the basis of Undergraduate Scholarships or Awards in ACORN if:
- You meet the general eligibility requirements above
- You have a scholarship or award offered by the University of Toronto for the current session of an amount that exceeds the minimum payment to register – Fall term tuition fee total for Fall-Winter session or 50% of Summer tuition fee total for Summer session
External Awards
- You meet the general eligibility requirements above
- Your external award is paid to the University of Toronto and exceeds the minimum payment to register – Fall term tuition fee total for Fall-Winter session or 50% of Summer tuition fee total for Summer session
- You complete the form and submit it to the University Registrar’s Office Awards office via email awards.uoft@utoronto.ca at least 10 days before your divisional registration deadline.
Graduate Awards
You are eligible for a tuition fee deferral on the basis of Graduate Scholarships or Awards if all of the following conditions apply:
- You meet the general eligibility requirements above
- You are receiving a major award, research stipend, teaching assistantship, and / or a funding package; and that the amount of this funding exceeds the Minimum Payment to Register amount on your ACORN invoice
You are eligible for a tuition fee deferral on the basis of an accepted third-party sponsorship arrangement if all of the following conditions apply:
- You or the Sponsor have paid for prior session fees,
- an eligible Third Party Sponsor Organization will pay a portion of current session tuition fees that exceeds the minimum required payment (Fall term tuition fee total for Fall-Winter session or 50% of Summer tuition fee total for Summer session)
- you submit for a tuition fee deferral request for each registration session prior to your division’s deadline.
Request a Deferral
For most of the deferral categories listed above, you can request your tuition fee deferral directly through ACORN.
- Provincial or Territorial Financial Aid: you must ensure to complete the required forms before proceeding with your deferral.
- Third-Party Sponsorship: this process is not handled through ACORN, please follow the steps in the third-party section above.
- External Awards: this process is not handled through ACORN, please follow the steps in the external awards above.
Steps to process your Tuition Fee deferral in ACORN
Step 1: Login to ACORN during the tuition fee deferral period.
Step 2: Go to the ‘Finances’ section and click on ‘Tuition Fee Deferral’.
- You will know immediately if you are eligible to defer your tuition fees
- Complete the declaration and click ‘Defer My Fees’
Step 3: Check your registration status in your Activity Log. If your tuition fee deferral request is successful, your ACORN registration status will change from ‘Invited to Register’ to ‘Registered’ immediately. If your registration status has not changed, reach out to your college or faculty’s registrar’s office.
Student Responsibilities
You are still responsible for paying your fees by the payment deadline, even if you do not receive your funding or if your eligibility changes.
Late payments are subject to monthly service charges of 1.5% compounded (19.56% per annum) on your outstanding balance.
After Deferring, What Happens Next?
Congratulations! A successful deferral means your status is registered. Your registration is complete and the minimum payment to register has been deferred to a future date and no longer appears on your invoice.
What you need to do next: Monitor Your Invoice. Continue checking your ACORN invoice for updates. You are responsible for ensuring your invoice is paid by the applicable payment deadlines.
OSAP will send payments directly to the University of Toronto. Check the Net Cost section in ACORN to see if you have any remaining balance that must be paid by the final payment deadline.
If you‘re receiving financial aid from another Canadian province or territory, funds are sent directly to you. You are responsible for making payment to the University by the final deadline.
Depending on the type of loan, funds may either be sent to the University or directly to you. Ensure that any outstanding balance is paid by the final deadline.
Most awards are processed between mid-September and mid-October and will be applied toward tuition first.
Award disbursements are outlined in your graduate unit’s funding agreement. Typically, awards are issued in three installments: September, January, and May.
Invoices for the Fall-Winter session are usually sent to sponsors in November. In some cases, Winter term invoices may be sent in February. You are responsible for covering any fees your sponsor does not pay.
- Health & Dental Insurance: If your sponsor does not cover UHIP or student society health and dental fees, you must pay these fees yourself or opt out, if eligible.
Issues With Your Deferral
There are several common reasons why your financial aid and award deferral may not be processed in ACORN.
- Outstanding Balance from a Previous Session
If you have an unpaid balance from a previous session, your deferral request will be blocked. Please make a payment, allow time for it to be processed, and then try the deferral request again in ACORN.
- Already Registered
If you are already marked as “Registered” in ACORN through another method, you cannot defer your tuition fees – your registration is already considered complete.
- Recently Applied for Financial Aid
If you’ve only recently applied for OSAP, Provincial or Territorial Loans, or U.S. Student Aid, your eligibility for deferral may be delayed. Check ACORN regularly for updates. If you’re approaching the registration deadline, consider requesting a manual deferral. In most cases, tuition deferral eligibility appears in ACORN within 5 business days of submitting your application.
- Part-Time OSAP
Deferral eligibility for part-time OSAP is typically communicated by the Ministry to the University in early August. Until then, you may experience delays and might need to request a manual deferral.
- Invited to Multiple Programs
If you’ve been invited to more than one program, you must decline the additional program(s) before your tuition deferral can be processed. This can be done by selecting “Decline” next to the program in ACORN or by contacting your Registrar’s Office.
- Registered in Two Programs
Students invited to register in two programs, or those in a combined program, are not eligible for tuition deferral through ACORN and must request a manual deferral.
- Admission Conditions Outstanding
If your admission is conditional (e.g., pending final transcripts or other documents), your deferral request will not be approved until those conditions are fulfilled.
- No Tuition or Academic Fees
If you are not being charged any program or course fees, or are only being charged ancillary fees, such as co-op fees, you won’t be eligible for a deferral in ACORN. Sometimes adding a course can trigger a tuition invoice and your eligibility to defer.
- Rotman Graduate Programs
Students in Rotman graduate programs are not eligible for tuition fee deferrals through ACORN. Please contact the Rotman Registrar and Academic Services Office directly for assistance.
If you have tried to process your deferral through ACORN but are having difficulty, you may request a manual deferral.
Financial Aid Deferrals
Contact your registrar’s office. You will be required to complete a form, and you may be asked to provide financial aid estimate or funding summary confirmation of your funding. These forms should only be used if the ACORN deferral process was unsuccessful. For financial aid deferrals, please ensure you have waited at least 5 days after submitting your application before requesting a manual deferral.
Undergraduate Awards
If you have a scholarship or award offered by the University of Toronto for the current session of an amount that exceeds the minimum payment to register and are unable to defer in ACORN
- University of Toronto Mississauga students submit deferral request online.
- University of Toronto Scarborough students can view deferral request instructions.
- University of Toronto St. George (downtown) students: complete the fee deferral form and email your completed form, the award letter and a copy of your ACORN invoice your divisional registrar
- Please complete the form and email it, along with your award letter and a copy of your ACORN invoice, to your Faculty or College Registrar (Faculty of Arts & Science).
Graduate Awards
If you have a graduate funding package (i.e., in a funded cohort) and are unable to defer through ACORN you must complete the Register Without Payment Form and submit it to your Graduate Unit or the School of Graduate Studies.
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you are receiving an award from the University of Toronto and the amount is less than the minimum payment required to register, you are not eligible to defer your tuition fees. However, you may deduct the value of your award from the minimum payment amount and are required to pay the remaining balance by the registration deadline.
Residence fees cannot be deferred through the ACORN deferral process. However, some University of Toronto residences may offer extended payment deadlines for students receiving Government Student Loans. Please contact your specific residence to determine your eligibility.