Information for New Graduate Students in Computational Mathematics

Congratulations and welcome to the Computational Mathematics (CM) graduate program! In this webpage, you will find information and tips to assist you as you begin graduate studies in the CM program. If you have any questions, please contact the CM Program Coordinator.

Faculty & Department Orientation

Each year, the Faculty of Mathematics and the Department of Computational Mathematics hold orientation sessions in Fall. These orientation sessions are mandatory for all new students. Detailed orientation schedules will be shared through email closer to September.

Mark your calendars: The Fall 2026 orientation sessions will be held on September 8, 2026.

International Students: Study Permit, SIN and Insurance

Study Permit

If applicable, we strongly recommend applying for your study permit immediately after accepting your offer, as processing can take weeks or months depending on your country. For details, please visit Study Permit.

Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Unless otherwise stated, you will be required to work as a Teaching Assistant (TA). To legally work as a TA and receive your TA pay, you must apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN). For details, please visit Social Insurance Number (SIN).

Health Insurance

Please view the following links for full details on the health insurance plans:

Make sure the premiums are charged to your student account and are paid each term, so your health coverage remains active.

Transition Support

Waterloo Grad Ready

You will receive emails from Waterloo Grad Ready from June to September. Grad Ready is a program designed to ease your transition into graduate studies at the University of Waterloo. Check out its website for full details: Waterloo Grad Ready.

International Student Resources

New international students are encouraged to explore our International Student Resources. In particular, the International Student Guide covers key topics including immigration documents, travelling to Canada, Canadian culture, and settling in after arrival.

For more about life in Canada, visit the Government of Canada and Education in Canada websites.

Admission Conditions

Your conditions of admission are outlined in your Offer of Admission letter and listed in your Applicant Portal as next steps. Please follow the instructions to satisfy the conditions of your offer as soon as you can.

Matriculation

Matriculation happens approximately 6 weeks prior to the start of the admit term. Only after being matriculated, will you be able to manage tasks like enrolling in courses or updating your personal information.

UWaterloo Email

Once matriculated, you can set up your UWaterloo email. This is the official email address the University community will use to contact you. Make sure to check it regularly and use it for communications with University faculty and staff. For technical support, please contact IST.

Prior to the creation of your UWaterloo email, all essential communications are sent to the external email address you provided on your application. 

Financial Setup

Your Offer of Admission letter outlines the guaranteed financial support you will receive throughout the program. For most CM students, this includes employment income from two guaranteed Teaching Assistant (TA) appointments* per term for your first two terms, and academic funding from the department and your supervisor in your research-focused final term. No financial support is provided during co-op terms.

*Each TA appointment is 80 hours per term. TAs are expected to be available from the first day of class until grades have been submitted at the end of term.

Please find below details on the TA application process, TA training requirements, and the required financial setup steps.

TA Application

CM students’ guaranteed TA appointments are administered by CM’s designated hiring unit, Faculty of Mathematics – Centre for Education in Math and Computing (CEMC). To be hired for your guaranteed TA appointments, you must, in any term for which a guaranteed TA appointment has been specified for you:

  1. apply for CEMC’s TA posting (Faculty of Mathematics - Graduate Teaching Assistant - Fall 2026) through Workday;
  2. submit your application by the deadline listed in the job posting; and
  3. accept the offer of employment within five calendar days of the date of the offer, unless alternative instructions are provided by the hiring unit.

You must apply for the CEMC posting to be guaranteed your TA positions. When you apply for CEMC postings during your guaranteed terms, you are granted the highest hiring priority; you only need to submit one application for the CEMC posting to be assigned your guaranteed number of appointments that term.

Failure to apply for or accept the guaranteed appointments in time will be considered a voluntary forfeiture of those appointments and the associated funding for that term.

For more information about the TA application process and hiring priorities, please refer to the Graduate student unionization – understanding the basics webpage.

TA Training

Academic Funding

Academic funding (e.g., GRS, scholarships, fellowships, and awards) will be posted to your Quest account as Anticipated Aid before each applicable term. These funds are first applied to outstanding tuition and fees; any remaining balance will be refunded to your bank account by direct deposit.

To receive a refund, you must have added valid Canadian banking information on Quest and not have a “no refund hold" on your student account. For more information, visit Refunds.

TA Employment Income

If you are employed as a TA for a term, you can download your signed Letter of Appointment once it's generated in Workday. This letter can be used as proof of employment income to complete a Promissory Note for fees arrangement. It will be accepted with gross-pay value in the Promissory Note process, for fees arrangement purposes only. 

TA income will be deposited into your bank account following the schedule of pay dates. If you use the Letter of Appointment for fees arrangement and have an outstanding account balance at the end of each month, you will receive an email reminder to pay the balance in full by the end of the term. Failure to clear the outstanding balance by the end of the term may impact your fees arrangement in the following term.

To receive your TA income on time, you must add your Canadian banking information on Workday and complete the onboarding process in advance of the first pay date cut-off deadline (typically the third week of the term). Review the Workday User Guides for more information.

Fees Arrangement

Fees are assessed and posted to your Quest account 3-5 weeks before classes begin each term. You will be notified by email at that time.

You are responsible to ensure that all tuition and fees are paid through your student account each term.

Important Dates and Forms

Graduate students are required to maintain continuous enrollment throughout the duration of their program. Terms are defined as follows:

  • Winter: January 1 – April 30
  • Spring: May 1 – August 31
  • Fall: September 1 – December 31

Important academic dates and deadlines — including the course enrollment period, class start/end dates, and fees arrangement due dates — are available on GSPA's important date calendar. Note that graduate dates differ from undergraduate ones.

Commonly used graduate student forms are available on the Centre’s website.

Campus Access, Facilities & Services

Campus Space

An interactive map is available to help you navigate the University of Waterloo campus. 

As a graduate student in Computational Mathematics, you will receive a key fob that provides access to the MC building outside of regular hours and to most of the spaces listed below. 

  • MC 6478 (Computational Mathematics Lab): Computers, study space, and personal lockers for CM students.
  • MC 6452 (Overflow Space): Additional workspace available when the CM Lab is full. Access via key code.

  • MC 6437 (Graduate Student Mailroom): Student mailboxes and printer (lp9_am). Check your mailbox regularly.

  • MC 6460 (Seminar Room): Location for most seminars and colloquia.

  • MC 5511 (Lounge): Graduate lounge with Keurig coffee machines, filtered water, microwaves, refrigerators, and other amenities.

Some of these spaces can be accessed using a key code. To unlock a room with a key code, press START, enter the key code, and press ENTER. Key codes are available from the Program Coordinator.

The Program Coordinator will contact you with details about the key fob and your assigned locker in the CM Lab closer to the start of your program.

Computer & Printer Access

You can log in to campus computers using your campus email username and password.

Make sure you can also access the student printer (lp9_am) located in the graduate student mailroom at MC 6437.

For more information or technical support, visit the Math Faculty Computing Facility website or email mfcfhelp@uwaterloo.ca.

WatCard

The WatCard is your University of Waterloo ID. It provides access to many services on and off campus, such as Grand River Transit bus rides in the Waterloo Region, food purchases at University of Waterloo Food Services locations, identification for exams, student residence access for residents and printing anywhere on campus.

Visit Student WatCard for more information on applying.