Residence Fees

Benefit from knowing that Renison offers some of the most affordable accommodations on the University of Waterloo campus. Your residence fees include our all-you-can-eat meal plan that ensures you will never go hungry!

Natalie and Rubee at Move-in!

Eight-month contracts are available for the Fall/Winter or Fall/Spring Terms. Four-month contracts are possible for the Winter and Spring Terms only.

2024 - 2025 Room Rates*

for University of Waterloo undergraduate degree students

Room type Fall 2024 Term (60%) Winter 2025 or Spring 2025 Term (40%) Total Price (2 terms)
Traditional Double Room  $8,185 $5,465 $13,650
Traditional Single Room  $9,024 $6,024 $15,048
Link Double Room $8,401 $5,609 $14,010

Link Single Room

 $9,134 $6,098 $15,232
Traditional Single-occupancy Double Room
(Very limited)

$9,437

 $6,300 $15,737

Your Residence Room Rate each term includes: 

  • $100 in WatCard Flex Dollars 
  • An all-you-can-eat meal plan 
  • Residence room accommodations
  • Student activities fee
  • Renison Capital Improvement Fee

** Fees are subject to change pending board approval.

Students doing a pyramid on Animal floor

The Residence fine print

DEPOSIT

A $500 deposit is required at the time of accepting your contract. This fee is non-refundable and will be applied to your final fees. 

PAYMENT

Residence fees are posted to students’ Quest accounts four or five weeks before classes begin for the term and are due just before the term begins. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their account for updates that could result from changes to residence accommodations.

Students have multiple options for paying residence fees. More information about paying residence and tuition fees can be found on the University of Waterloo’s Student Accounts Web Page.

INCOME TAX

Residence fees cannot be claimed as rent for income tax purposes. Under the Income Tax Act, universities are exempt from paying municipal property taxes.  

The Ontario Income Tax Act stipulates that all students living in designated university (tax-exempted) student residences are limited to an Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit claim based on an occupancy cost of $25 for the time they resided in the student residence. Therefore, the amount that can be claimed for income tax purposes is $25 and not the full amount of residence fees paid. On Line 6114 (Student Residences) of your income tax return, tick the box to claim $25 as your occupancy cost for the part of the year you lived in residence.  

We do not issue a tax receipt for residence fees or meal plan payments. 

For more information and to view the list of designated student residences, please visit the Ontario Ministry of Finance website and review the “Frequently Asked Questions” section.