This update is provided for archival purposes only.

Public Health guidance and University of Waterloo operations may have changed. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our COVID-19 frequently asked questions.

Reducing student fee bills for Spring 2020

Thursday, April 9, 2020

This message was originally sent to employees by Chris Read, associate provost, students, and Dennis Huber, vice-president, administration and finance.

  • We are reducing the incidental fees we charge students 
  • We will only charge fees that support student learning and wellbeing 
  • Fee bills will appear in Quest in mid-April 

We know that COVID-19 is having a significant effect on the University experience of our students. We want students to know that they can expect to continue their studies with the University of Waterloo and we will help them to achieve academic success.

We are doing everything we can to make sure that we are giving students the support they need to keep studying towards their degree despite the uncertainty.

On March 27, 2020, we told students that we were reviewing all incidental fees because we have changed some of our student services and some are not accessible to students studying at a distance from our campuses.

Leaders from the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) and the Graduate Students Association (GSA) and the University have completed that review.

We will not charge for a number of fees including the following:

  • WUSA and GSA fees for the Grand River Transit UPass
  • WUSA and GSA fees for events, social and club or student society fees
  • Fees related to Athletics and Recreation
  • Most voluntary student endowment contributions

We will continue to charge fees that support student learning and wellbeing. These supports remain in place despite the fact that most students are not physically on campus. This means we will continue to charge:

  • WUSA and GSA fees for health and dental plans
  • WUSA and GSA core services fees
  • Student services fees including Wellness, Centre for Career Action and Student Success Office

You can see a full list of the fees that are applicable for Spring 2020 on the Finance website here for Undergraduate students and here for Graduate students.

Many services and supports continue to be available to help students learn and study. You can find a list of modified services on the COVID-19 website.

Students can expect to see their Spring 2020 fee bill mid-April. Students will be notified at their uwaterloo email address once the Spring 2020 bills are available in Quest. Students can contact sfs@uwaterloo.ca with any questions related to fees or fee bills.

Thank you for everything you are doing to help our students deal with these uncertain times.