Provincial and Territorial Student Aid Programs
Students who are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or protected persons may be eligible for financial assistance from their provincial or territorial government.
To submit government financial aid forms to be completed by the University, access the Out-of-Province Portal.
Fall/Winter Applications
Applications become available from your home province or territory around May of each year.
Summer Applications
Contact your home province or territory’s financial aid office several months prior to the start of summer session classes. They will help you to determine the process, your eligibility, and time frames for applications.
How to Apply
Full-Time Status for Financial Aid
For financial aid, “full-time” means you are enrolled in at least 60% of a full course load in each term you apply for funding or interest-free status.
- If you have a documented permanent, persistent, or prolonged disability, full-time is 40% of a full course load.
Important:
This definition may be different from how your Faculty defines full-time status for registration.
Course Load Requirements
- Your course load is not averaged across terms.
- You must meet the full-time requirement in each term separately.
Example:
If you receive funding for both fall and winter, you must take:
- 60% course load in the fall, and
- 60% course load in the winter
(40% each term if you have a documented disability)
Check Your Province/Territory’s Rules
You are responsible for checking your home province or territory’s requirements, including:
- Program length
- Number of study weeks
Students with Disabilities
If you have a documented disability:
- You must confirm your disability status with your home jurisdiction.
- After that, you can contact U of T Accessibility Services to connect with an advisor for support.
To receive financial aid or interest-/payment-free status, you must be enrolled full-time in each term you apply for.
- Course loads are not averaged between terms.
- Full-time definitions for financial aid may be different from your Faculty’s definition.
Full-Time Status: Fall/Winter
Undergraduate Students
You must be enrolled in each term:
- At least 1.5 credits (60%), or
- 1.0 credit (40%) if you have a documented permanent disability with your home province
Exception: Newfoundland and Labrador
If your home province is Newfoundland and Labrador:
- Provincial funding: 80% course load required
- Federal funding: 60% course load required
Graduate & Professional Students
You must meet the full-time course load set by your program or Faculty.
Full-Time Status: Summer
Undergraduate Students
May-August (full summer):
- 1.5 credits, or
- 1.0 credit with a documented permanent disability
May-June OR July-August only:
- 1.0 credit, or
- 0.5 credit with a documented permanent disability
Exception: Newfoundland and Labrador
- Provincial funding: 80% course load required
- Federal funding: 60% course load required
Graduate & Professional Students
You must meet the full-time requirements set by your program or Faculty.
Part-Time Status
If you do not meet the full-time course load requirements, you are considered a part-time student for financial aid purposes.
- Contact your home province/territory to find out if you are eligible for part-time financial aid.
Before applying for financial aid, make sure your program is approved for funding by your province/territory.
The following programs are not approved for provincial funding:
- International Dentist Advanced Placement Program (IDAPP) for Foreign-Trained Dentists
- Dental Specialty Assessment and Training Program (DSATP)
- Non-conjoint Toronto School of Theology Programs
- Note: Conjoint TST programs are eligible to apply for OSAP
- All Executive programs at the Rotman School of Management
- Executive MBA programs (Rotman)
- Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting (Faculty of Management)
- International Pharmacy Graduate Program (Canadian Pharmacy Skills)
- Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Additional Qualification (AQ) courses
- School of Continuing Studies courses
- Residency programs
- Certificate in Environmental Management
- Certificate in Renewable Energy
- Certificate in GIS for Environmental Management
- Certificate in Environmental Health
- Certificate in Leadership in Higher Education
- Internationally Trained Lawyers Program
- National Committee on Accreditation (Faculty of Law)
- Master of Mathematical Finance
- Doctor of Public Health
- Master of Forensic Accounting
- Any non-degree studies
To apply for financial aid, you must follow the application process for your home province or territory.
- Visit your province or territory’s website to complete your application
- Be sure to check the application deadlines, as they vary by province/territory
Provincial and Territorial Websites
If your financial aid application requires forms to be completed by the University, follow the steps below:
Submit Your Forms
- Upload any required paper forms through the Out-of-Province Request Portal
- These will be completed by the Out-of-Province Financial Aid team
Special Instructions for British Columbia Students
- If you applied for full-time StudentAid BC, submit your Appendix 3 form directly through the StudentAid BC online portal
Processing Timelines
The University Registrar’s Office will begin processing requests:
- Mid-July for Fall/Winter applications
- Mid-April for Summer applications
This timing ensures that program costs and study dates are available.
Important:
- If you submit forms before these dates, expect longer processing times
- All requests are processed in the order they are received
What to Expect
- Submit forms early, but plan for processing to begin mid-July or mid-April
- Watch your email or portal for updates once your request is being processed
Processing Time
Please allow:
- Up to 3 weeks from mid-July for Fall/Winter requests
- Up to 3 weeks from mid-April for Summer requests
What to Do
- Check your utoronto email regularly
- Look for confirmation that your forms have been completed
- Follow any next steps included in the email
After applying for financial aid, your next step is to pay your fees or request a fee deferral.
Fee Deferral
- If you submitted your required documents (see Step 4), you may be eligible to defer your fees
- A fee deferral allows you to delay payment while your funding is processed
After You Pay or Defer
Once you have either:
- Paid your fees, or
- Successfully requested a fee deferral
- The University will confirm your enrolment with your province or territory
- See the Confirmation of Enrolment section for processing timelines
Submitting Forms for Completion and/or Fee Deferral
Full-time and Part-time Students
- Apply through StudentAid BC
Complete your online application using the StudentAid BC Dashboard.
The University Registrar’s Office monitors the StudentAid BC SIMS portal for new applications. - Wait for processing
Allow at least 5 business days after submitting your application before requesting fee deferral. - Request your fee deferral
Log in to ACORN.
Click the Tuition Fee Deferral button to officially request your fee deferral.
Timeline for Completion
Please allow up to three (3) weeks for processing after ACORN fee invoices are released:
- Mid-July (Fall term)
- Mid-April (Summer term)
Important Note
- The University Registrar’s Office automatically monitors applications submitted through StudentAid BC.
- You do not need to email to confirm submission of your Full-Time or Part-Time Application.
Full-time and Part-time Students
- Submit your request
- Use the University of Toronto Out-of-Province Request Portal to submit your Program Information Form request.
- Depending on your province or territory, this may include:
- New Brunswick – Request for Program Information
- Newfoundland and Labrador – Program Cost Form
- Northwest Territories – Form D: Student Enrolment Form
- Nunavut – Student Enrolment Form
- Prince Edward Island – Academic Information for Educational Institutions
- Quebec – Form 1121
- Saskatchewan – Program Information Form
- Yukon – Program Information Form
- Wait for processing
- Allow at least 5 business days after submitting your request.
- Request your fee deferral
- Log in to your ACORN account.
- Click the Tuition Fee Deferral button to officially request your fee deferral.
Timeline for Completion
- Please allow up to three (3) weeks for processing after ACORN fee invoices are released:
- Mid-July (Fall term)
- Mid-April (Summer term)
Important Note
- The Financial Aid team monitors the Out-of-Province Request Portal regularly and will see your submission.
- You do not need to email to confirm that you have submitted your Program Information Form request.
Full-Time Students
- Submit your funding notice
- Upload your Government Student Funding Notice through the University of Toronto Out-of-Province Request Portal.
- This document must show the total amount of funding (loans and/or grants) you are eligible to receive.
- Accepted documents by province:
- Alberta: Award Letter
- Manitoba: Notice of Assistance or a screenshot of the My Award Information section from your Manitoba Student Aid portal
- Nova Scotia: A screenshot from your Nova Scotia Student Aid portal that includes:
- Study period dates
- Total assessed funding amount
- Wait for processing
- Allow at least 5 business days after submitting your request.
- Request your fee deferral
- Log in to your ACORN account.
- Click the Tuition Fee Deferral button to officially request your fee deferral.
Timeline for Completion
- Please allow up to three (3) weeks for processing after ACORN fee invoices are released:
- Mid-July (Fall term)
- Mid-April (Summer term)
Important Note
- The Financial Aid team monitors the Out-of-Province Request Portal and will receive your submission.
- You do not need to email to confirm that you have submitted your Government Student Funding Notice.
Confirmation of Enrolment
Confirmations of Enrolment are completed by the University Registrar’s Office.
Processing timeline
COEs are completed within three (3) weeks, based on whichever is later:
- The start of classes, or
- The date the COE request is received from your province
Eligibility requirement
Your ACORN status must show “REG” (registered) in a full-time course load for each funded term.
After submission
Once your COE is completed-or if there are any issues-you will be notified through your utoronto.ca email.
Receive Your Funding
You will receive your funding 5-10 business days after your Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) is completed.
How funding is delivered
- Your government student aid funding will be deposited directly into the bank account listed in your application.
- No funds are sent directly to the University of Toronto by your home province.
Paying your fees
-
Use your loan and/or grant funding to pay any outstanding balance on your student account.
-
You can view your financial details in ACORN under “Financial Account.”
-
For help, refer to the ACORN How-to step-by-step guide.
Student Responsibilities
- Apply for financial aid with your home province or territory.
- Apply early, before the start of your study period, to avoid delays in funding.
- Follow all deadlines, policies, and application steps set by your home province.
- Repay your student loans according to the terms provided by your lender if you graduate, withdraw, or stop studying full-time.
- Submit an Interest-Free Status request, if applicable, for any Canada or provincial/territorial student loans while you are studying full-time. (See “Interest-Free Status” for details.)
- Provide complete and accurate information to the University Registrar’s Office when required. (Only you can access your financial aid file with your home province.)
- Report any changes immediately to both:
- the University Registrar’s Office, and
- your provincial/territorial financial aid office
This includes changes to your course load or unsuccessful course completion.
- Follow all policies and deadlines related to your student financial account in ACORN.
What it means to be registered:
- You are considered a registered student once you have:
- Paid your tuition and incidental fees, or
- Made approved arrangements to register without payment (e.g., tuition fee deferral)
-
If you defer your fees, you are still responsible for paying all charges, including any service charges that may apply.
Your responsibilities as a registered student:
- Follow all academic and non-academic policies, rules, and regulations of the University of Toronto and your academic division (see your divisional calendar).
- Keep your personal information up to date in ACORN, including your:
- Mailing address
- Phone number
- U of T email (UTOR email account)
Paying your fees:
- Once you receive your government student aid funding, you must pay at least the Minimum Payment to Register shown on your invoice.
- Funding is not sent directly to the University, so you must use it to pay your fees.
- If your funding application is denied, you are still responsible for paying your fees as soon as you receive notice.
Residence fees:
- Residence payments cannot be deferred.
- You must pay your residence fees by the deadline set by your residence.
Withdrawal from Studies
To remain eligible for full-time grants and loans, you must stay enrolled in a full-time course load for the entire study period covered by your funding.
If you drop below a full-time course load, you must notify both:
-
- the University Registrar’s Office, and
- your provincial or territorial financial aid office
Important:
Reducing your course load below full-time-or withdrawing from all classes-may affect:
-
- Your current funding, and
- Your future eligibility for student loans and grants
Before dropping any courses, you should speak with:
-
- your home province or territory financial aid office, and
- your Faculty or College Registrar’s Office
This will help you understand any financial and academic impacts before making changes to your enrolment.
For detailed information about maintaining eligibility for part-time grants and loans, contact your home province or territory financial aid office.
If you are no longer enrolled in a part-time course load, you must notify both:
-
- the University Registrar’s Office, and
- your provincial or territorial financial aid office
Important:
Withdrawing from part-time studies may affect:
-
- Your current funding, and
- Your future eligibility for student loans and grants
Before dropping any courses, you should speak with:
-
- your home province or territory financial aid office, and
- your Faculty or College Registrar’s Office
This will help you understand any academic and financial impacts before making changes to your enrolment.
Interest-Free Status
Students who previously received government student loans may be eligible to have their loans placed in interest-free and/or payment-free status while studying.
Who is eligible:
-
Students currently registered full-time or returning to full-time studies at U of T
-
Alberta and Quebec students studying part-time may request interest-free/payment-free status for previous part-time loans
-
Medical residency students must contact their home province to confirm eligibility and required steps
- If eligible, any required confirmation documents must be submitted to the Postgraduate Medical Education Office at the University of Toronto for completion
How to Request Interest-free and/or Payment-Free Status
Steps (NSLSC portal)
If you are not currently receiving government student aid, you must request to have your enrolment confirmed so your loans do not enter repayment.
Steps to submit a Confirmation of Enrolment request on the NSLSC portal:
- Log in to your NSLSC portal
- From “My Dashboard,” select “Confirm My Enrolment” under the “My Account” menu
- Enter the following details:
- School: University of Toronto
- Student ID: your U of T student number
- Submitting this request will notify lenders to place both federal and provincial loans into interest-free/payment-free status (unless otherwise specified).
Processing details:
- COE requests appear to the University up to 21 days before your study period begins
- Your enrolment will be confirmed once your full-time registration and course load are verified in ACORN
- You will be notified when your COE is completed through the Out-of-Province Request Portal
Province-Specific Forms (PDF Required)
If you are required to submit a paper form, upload it through the Out-of-Province Request Portal:
- Alberta: Confirmation of Registration – Form B
(for students with only Alberta/provincial loans and no federal loans) - Prince Edward Island: Confirmation of Enrolment form (to maintain interest- and payment-free status)
- Quebec: Form 2006 – Full-Time