Deadline to opt out of optional and voluntary fees charged for Spring term is May 15, 2020.
Incidental fees are non-tuition fees included in your bill each term you are active in a grad program or course.
The Ontario government’s Student Choice Initiative came into effect Fall 2019. As a result,
- fees that previously represented several services as one charge are itemized on your bill; eg. the GSA fee is displayed as seven separate fees on your bill.
- fees are identified as compulsory, optional or voluntary.
- we are required to charge 13% HST on some optional fees.
- you can choose to opt out of the optional and voluntary fees charged to your student account until the due date for the term.
On November 21, 2019, the Ontario Divisional Court issued a ruling regarding the Student Choice Initiative (SCI). The Ontario government is appealing the recent court decision. A final decision on the status of the SCI has not been determined. The process to opt out of optional and voluntary fees remains in effect for Spring 2020.
Please review fee information below.
Term
A particular four-month period of course study or research. Students are charged fees one term at a time. Due date is always prior to the start of term. To accommodate the unusual circumstances associated with COVID-19, the Spring 2020 due date will be May 15.
- Fall Term – September to December;
- Winter Term – January to April;
- Spring Term – May to August.
Compulsory incidental fees
Co-op fee - compulsory for most co-op programs
- assessed to students in specific co-operative education programs
- charged during specific work term
Graduate Student Association (GSA) fees - compulsory
- assessed by the university, on behalf of the GSA
- Essential Services Admin - administration of core GSA services (supplementary health & dental plans, Grand River Transit UPass, academic initiatives)
- Wellness - administration of wellness events & initiatives
- Academic Support - academic events & initiatives
| Charge per term |
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| Essential Services Admin |
$8.00 |
$8.00 |
| Wellness |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Academic Support |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
Graduate Student Association (GSA) supplementary health & dental plans - compulsory
- assessed by the university, on behalf of the GSA
- students may opt out annually at www.studentcare.ca during the change of coverage period in September (or your first academic term in the year, if that is not Fall term)
- coverage is supplementary to either a Canadian provincial health plan or UHIP
- Canadian or Permanent Resident students who are not covered by a Canadian provincial health plan must contact SFS to enrol in UHIP
- charged to all full-time and part-time on-campus students
- students enrolled in only online courses or in an online program are not eligible for the GSA health & dental coverage
- students on a co-op work term or an Inactive term need to pay the GSA compulsory fees directly to the GSA office to self-enrol in the health & dental plans at www.studentcare.ca during the change of coverage period for that term
- enrol dependants who are already covered under OHIP or UHIP online at www.studentcare.ca
| Charge per term |
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| GSA health plan |
$62.00 |
$62.00 |
| GSA dental plan |
$91.00 |
$91.00 |
Grand River Transit UPass - compulsory
- assessed by the university, on behalf of the GSA
- assessed to all full-time students on an active term
- assessed to students in Waterloo Region only
- allows unlimited access to Grand River Transit services
| |
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| Charge per term |
not charged Spring 2020 |
- |
UHIP - compulsory for students without provincial health insurance
- non-resident health insurance coverage
- international students are automatically assessed the UHIP fee every term, including co-op work terms and Inactive terms, and students with special tuition arrangements
- international students are automatically enrolled into UHIP after they become "Fees Arranged" each term
- international students must enrol dependants who do not have provincial health insurance, within 30 days of the date they become eligible for coverage (ie.arrival in Canada, marriage, termination of coverage under a comparable plan);
- send scanned original passports for each dependant to SFS to enrol dependants
- students will be charged a $500.00 penalty fee for enrolling dependants more than thirty days after they become eligible for coverage
- Canadians and Permanent Residents who do not have provincial health insurance must contact SFS to enrol in UHIP for the three month waiting period for their provincial health insurance to become effective
- Sun Life will mail a UHIP proof of coverage card to students
| |
Student |
Add one dependant |
Add more than one dependant |
|---|
| Charge per term |
$212.00 |
$212.00 |
$424.00 |
Health Services Building fee - compulsory
- assessed to all full-time and part-time students enrolled in an on-campus program in Waterloo or Kitchener
- excludes students on the Cambridge and Stratford campuses
- approved by student referendum in 2009/2010 and approved by the Board of Governors in April 2013
- pays for the addition to the Health Services facility
| |
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| Charge per term |
$10.00 |
$3.00 |
Student Services fees - compulsory
- assessed to all full-time and part-time students in on-campus programs
- in accordance with the Student Services Protocol signed in March 1994 and approved by the Board of Governors in April 1994
| Charge per term |
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| Athletics & Recreation |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Student Buildings |
$4.93 |
$1.48 |
| Co-operative Education & Career Action |
$22.49 |
$6.75 |
| Campus Wellness |
$53.37 |
$16.01 |
| Student Success Office |
$12.18 |
$3.65 |
| Student Security Service |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Writing and Communication Centre |
$12.60 |
$3.78 |
Optional incidental fees
Graduate Student Association (GSA) fees - optional
- assessed by the university, on behalf of the GSA
|
Charge per term
|
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| Social Initiatives |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Advising Services |
$1.50 + 13% HST |
$1.50 + 13% HST |
| Representation at uWaterloo |
$3.80 |
$3.80 |
| External Representation |
$3.30 |
$3.30 |
Graduate House - optional
- assessed by the university, on behalf of the GSA
- assessed to all full-time graduate students on the Waterloo campus
- a "members only" club for graduate students
| |
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| Charge per term |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
Student Association fees - optional
- assessed by the university, on behalf of the GSA
- assessed to all full-time on-campus and some part-time on-campus students
- student's program and academic load determine which fees are charged
| Charge per term |
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| Association of Grad Planners (AGP) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Chemical Engineering Grad Student Association (CEGSA) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Environment Grad Student Association (EGSA) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Student Association for Graduates in English (SAGE) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Kinesiology Graduate Student Association (KGSA) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Graduate Association of Students in Psychology (GASP) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
- |
| Graduate Association of Recreation & Leisure Studies (GARLS) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| Political Science Graduate Student Association |
not charged Spring 2020 |
- |
| Society of Waterloo Architecture Grads (SWAG) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
- |
| School of Public Health & Health Systems Graduate Students' Association |
not charged Spring 2020 |
not charged Spring 2020 |
| School of Accounting & Finance Grad Association (AFSA) |
not charged Spring 2020 |
- |
Voluntary incidental fees
Student Endowment Funds - voluntary; a tax receipt will be issued for payment
- assessed to all full-time students and some part-time students
- student's program and academic load determine which fees are charged
- students who do not opt out of the Endowment Fund fee will receive a donation receipt in February of the following year
- supports updates to laboratory facilities and teaching equipment, and provides course enrichment not otherwise possible
| Charge per term |
Full-time students |
Part-time students |
|---|
| Graduate Studies Endowment Fund |
$20.00 |
$20.00 |
| Waterloo Environmental Studies Endowment Foundation |
not charged Spring 2020 |
- |
| Accounting & Finance Endowment Fund |
not charged Spring 2020 |
- |