Quick links: Not fees arranged (NFA) holds | Fees owing (FEE) holds | Fines and other fees | Note holds
What is a hold on your student account?
A hold on your student account is a restriction or note placed in Quest which may prevent you from accessing services or completing transactions. This might include registering for classes, obtaining official transcripts, or even graduating. Holds may be placed on your account for various reasons, such as:
- an outstanding balance
- overdue library or parking fines
- a no refund note, to prevent refunds from being issued automatically
You can learn more about holds on your student account by viewing the sections below.
If you still have questions about a hold on your account, please contact Student Financial Services.
"Not Fees Arranged" (NFA) holds
The tuition and fee due date occurs approximately one month prior to the start of each term and it is your responsibility to ensure that your registration status on Quest is "Fees Arranged" by the term due date. Once that date has passed there are "Fees Arranged Extension Fees" charged, and finally, a "Not Fees Arranged" (NFA) hold is applied.
There are different consequences when an NFA hold is applied, depending on whether or not you are an undergraduate (bachelor's) or graduate (master's or doctoral) student. Learn about the consequences and deadlines for each, below.
"Fees Owing" (FEE) holds
A FEE hold can be added to your student account for several reasons:
- a balance remains outstanding on your student account sixty days after the due date for the term
- you need to reimburse the university for a financial aid refund we issued to you, because the financial aid has been removed from your student account
- a UHIP charge has been added to your account for additional coverage you've requested
- your UWaterloo-approved third party sponsor is more than two terms in arrears in paying our invoices
The FEE hold will restrict your ability to access your transcripts, view your grades on Quest, enrol in courses and receive refunds.
To remove the FEE hold, you need to make a payment that fully covers the outstanding balance on your student account. Once your payment has arrived on your student account, the hold will automatically come off early that day. Most bank payments arrive on your student account within 3 - 5 days.
Note that per Policy 46 Appendix A, "Formal records of academic achievement (e.g., transcripts, graduation diplomas) will not be provided to the student if the student has outstanding debts to the University."
Other types of holds with a negative impact
Holds on student accounts for overdue library fines, parking fines, Waterloo International exchange fines, St. Paul's housing and parking fines, St. Jerome's housing and parking fines, Health Services, Bookstore, WatCard and fees charged in various faculty departments will also restrict your ability to view grades, access transcripts and enrol in courses.
Both undergraduate and graduate students can pay outstanding amounts for Parking and Chemistry holds at The Centre. Once the fine has been paid in full, The Centre staff will contact Parking or Chemistry to have the hold released immediately.
Student Financial Services cannot remove holds placed by other departments. You must pay the department directly. If you make the payment to your student account, it cannot be transferred to another department.
Holds related to outstanding Emergency Loans can only be removed by Student Awards & Financial Aid or the Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs office. You can repay an emergency loan online using debit or credit. You cannot repay an Emergency Loan by bank payment.
Other holds applied by SFS
No Refund (RFN) - prevents a refund from being issued automatically. Please contact Student Financial Services to arrange your refund.
Information (INF) - indicates that comments viewable to staff only, have been added to your account; eg permission to share account information with a parent.
Write-off Bad Debt (WOF) - a long-overdue balance has been removed from your account balance for accounting purposes; the hold restricts access to transcripts, enrolment and refunds; contact Student Financial Services to pay the overdue amount and have the hold removed.