Starting in 2022, U of T now charges higher fees domestic students whose primary residence is outside Ontario. APUS opposed this change, and are aware that due to a flawed system of identifying students from outside Ontario, a disproportionate number of part-time students have wrongly been charged higher fees.
But don’t worry, we’re here to help, and can help you make sure that you aren’t overcharged.
Do I count as an in-province student?
You should not be charged out-of-province fees if you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person or indigenous person who is any of the following:
- A dependent* student whose parent(s) primary residence is in Ontario. This is defined by having lived in Ontario for 12 months in a row prior to being a post-secondary student.
- An independent* student (or their spouse or common law partner) whose primary residence is in Ontario, and Ontario is the last province lived in for 12 months in a row prior to being a post-secondary student.
- A student approved for permanent residency through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.
- A student receiving/eligible to receive Provincial funding from OSAP in the current academic year; or was a recipient/eligible for OSAP funding in a past year and have not had a break in enrolment.
- An Indigenous person of Canada: First Nations (status or non-status), Inuit and Métis.
- A dependent student whose parent(s) are recently deceased and at least one parent had their primary residence in Ontario at the time of death.
- A student in extended society care.
* You are defined as a dependent student if you are not married or in a common-law relationship, you are not separated, divorced or widowed, you are not a sole-support parent, you have been out of high school for less than 6 years before the start of your study period, and you have not worked full-time for at least 24 months in a row. Otherwise, you are defined as an independent student.
How to tell if you’re being charged out-of-province fees
You can easily check which fees you are being charged by looking at your ACORN invoice.
If you are being charged out-of-province fees, your course fee item will read “Course fee Dom. Non-Ont Resid.”, whereas if you are being charged in-province fees, it will read as “Course fee – Domestic”.
I’m wrongly being charged out-of-province fees! How do I change this?
If you have been wrongly been billed out-of-province fees, you can request a tuition fee billing change by submitting your request with the required documentation here.
Proof of your current address (from either a rental agreement or property tax bill) or your most recent Notice of Assessment from Canada Revenue Agency are usually sufficient evidence of your Ontario residency. If you need further assistance don’t hesitate to contact our Academic Advocacy Coordinator at [email protected].
The deadlines to request a change to your fee status are as follows:
- Fall – October 1st
- Winter – February 1st
- Summer – June 1st