How to pay your fees

The University of Calgary accepts payment for tuition and general fees primarily through Canadian banking with a personal bank account. Both domestic and international students can pay their fees online from nearly anywhere in the world through CIBC Student Pay and Convera Global Pay for Students.

Payment plans are also available for all students in all programs. Please see our website here for eligibility, terms and conditions, and enrolment instructions.

The preferred method of payment is through online banking with a Canadian bank account. Students who do not have a Canadian bank account can pay their fees through Convera Global Pay or CIBC Student Pay.

Payment by major credit card is now available for all students. International students can utilize either Convera Global Pay or CIBC Student Pay to make a credit card payment, and domestic students can make a credit payment through CIBC Student Pay. Please note: service providers charge a processing fee on all credit transactions, which is visible before finalizing the transaction.

Students can pay their residence and academic fees through the options outlined on this webpage. Ensure that your payments are directed towards the correct account type to avoid late interest or service withholds. Students paying through Canadian Online Banking can review the appropriate payees under the “Payment Tips” section below.

2024 - 2025 Fee payment deadlines

Winter 2024: Friday, January 26, 2024

Spring 2024: Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Summer 2024: Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Fall 2024: Friday, September 20, 2024

 

Which payment option is right for me?

The University of Calgary offers multiple payment options for students. Which method is right for you depends on if you hold a Canadian bank account, if you are paying from outside Canada, or if you wish to pay by credit card.

The preferred method of payment for all students is a bank-to-bank transfer through Canadian online banking. Instructions for making a payment through your online banking can be found below. International students are advised to get a Canadian bank account after landing in Canada.

Students are advised to take the listed processing time into account when making payments. Students should ensure their payments are received by the relevant term fee deadline to avoid late interest. International payments through CIBC Student Pay or Convera Global Pay can be subject to delays outside the Universities control. UCalgary is not responsible for delays in posting payment from sanctioned countries, or countries experiencing economic crisis.  

Domestic Methods of Payment

Students paying from a Canadian bank account or credit card can pay their fees using the options outlined below. If your bank does not list the University of Calgary as a payee through online banking, then a transfer of funds can be requested through CIBC Student Pay. Students do not need to be a client of CIBC to use this service.

Payment PlatformMethod of PaymentWho uses it?CostProcessing Time
Canadian Online BankingBank-to-Bank TransferAnyone with a Canadian bank accountNo Cost3-5 Business days
CIBC Student PayCredit CardAnyone with a Canadian credit cardConvenience fee of 2.5%2-3 Business days
CIBC Student PayDirect Debit - Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)Anyone with a Canadian bank accountProcessing fee of 0.5%4-5  Business days

International Methods of Payment

Students who do not have a Canadian bank account or are paying fees from an international bank account or credit card can use the options outlined below. As exchange rates and service fees can vary, it can be beneficial to review your options through both Convera Global Pay and CIBC Student Pay. Other payment options not listed here may be available through these services, depending on the country the payment is originating from.

Payment Platform Method of Payment Who uses it? Cost Processing Time
CIBC Student Pay Bank Wire Anyone paying from outside Canada Exchange rate or a service fee of 1.25% up to 2 weeks*
CIBC Student Pay Credit Card Anyone with an International credit card Convenience fee of 2.5% 2-3 Business days
Convera Global Pay Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) / Wire Transfer / Direct Debit Anyone paying from outside Canada Exchange Rate up to 2 weeks*
Convera Global Pay Credit Card Anyone with an International credit card Service Fee (2–3%) 3-5 Business days

*EFT/Wire/Direct Debit transactions produce a quote that must be submitted to your bank to process payment to UCalgary. After you submit the payment transfer request to your bank, they bank will begin the transaction. It will then take 3-7 business days for the payment to be processed and to appear on your UCalgary account. Processing times vary depending on where the payment is originating from.

Payment Instructions

Online Banking is the fastest and preferred method of payment for any student who holds a Canadian bank account. This is available for both domestic and international students. Payments are processed by your financial institution. Payments can be made from any Canadian bank account. Funds will be applied to your UCalgary account within 5 business days.

  1. Step 1: Log On

    Log into your bank’s online system.

  2. Step 2: Create a Payee Profile

    Add the “University of Calgary – Tuition Fees” as a payee on your bill payment profile (the payee name will vary from bank to bank). If the payee is not immediately obvious, try searching for variations of the University of Calgary (UCal, UoC, UofC, etc.), and “tuition”.

    Please ensure you are making payments for tuition and general fees separately from payments for residence charges. A separate residence payee (exact name will vary) and banking transaction is required to pay residence related charges.

  3. Step 3: Enter your Account Information

    The account number is your eight-digit UCalgary ID number (UCID) and the first five letters of your last name. If your name is less that five letters, include the full last name. Do not include any special characters, such as spaces or hyphens. For example:

    Jane Smith (UCID: 00486321), would use the account name: 00486321SMITH

    Francis Zimmerman (UCID:10005238) would use the account name: 10005238ZIMME

    Sara Sam (UCID:30192222) would use the account name: 30192222SAM

    Bobby Lee-li (UCID:12345678) would use the account name: 12345678LEELI

  4. Step 4: Allow for Processing Time

    It can take up to five business days for online payments to be processed and posted to your student account. Payment that are received after the payment due date are subject to late interest.

    Admission deposit and application payments must be initiated the deposit/application deadline to ensure your application or offer of admission is not cancelled.

When paying your fees to the University of Calgary with Canadian online banking, you will have to create a payee for the transaction. There is one UCalgary payee for the Academic account, for your tuition and general fees, and one UCalgary payee for the residence account, for room fees and meal plans.

Refer to the chart below to see some common banks, and how to find the correct payee. Please note that this information is subject to change.

  1. CIBC

    Search words
    “Tuition” or “University of Calgary”

    Academic Account Payee
    University of Calgary – Tuition

    Residence Account Payee
    University of Calgary – Res

     

  2. TD

    Search words
    “University of Calgary”

    Academic Account Payee
    University of Calgary – Tuition

    Residence Account Payee
    University of Calgary - Residence

     

  3. RBC

    Search words
    “University of Calgary”

    Academic Account Payee
    University of Calgary – Tuition

    Residence Account Payee
    University of Calgary - Residence

     

  4. Scotia Bank

    Search words
    “Calgary”

    Academic Account Payee
    University of Calgary

    Residence Account Payee
    Univ of Calgary Residence Fee

     

  5. BMO

    Search words
    “University of Calgary”

    Academic Account Payee
    University of Calgary Tuition

    Residence Account Payee
    University of Calgary - Residence Fees

  6. ATB

    Search words
    “University of Calgary”

    Academic Account Payee
    University of Calgary Tuition Fees

    Residence Account Payee
    University of Calgary Residence Fees

     

International students who do not hold a Canadian bank account can pay their fees by a bank-to-bank transfer or credit card through Convera Global Pay for Students. This service allows you to pay your fees in the currency of your choice, from nearly anywhere in the world. Payment by major credit card is also offered through this service, with an additional processing fee charged by the provider. For bank-to-bank transfers, there are no fees charged in addition to the exchange rate. 

Detailed instructions for completing a payment can be found here.

  1. Step 1: Access Convera Global Pay for Students

    Access Convera Global Pay's University of Calgary page.

    Please note: When making a payment through Convera, please be advised all transactions to and from sanctioned and restricted jurisdictions are not permitted. If your bank country is not listed on the Convera payment portal, you will need to choose another method of payment not through the Convera portal.

  2. Step 2: Select the items you wish to pay for

    Select the country that the payment will be originating from, then select the items you wish to pay for and input the amount. One payment can be made for both tuition and residence, as long as each payment type is selected.

    Please note: Due to banking regulations, not all currencies are available. If your home currency is not offered, you can pay in another currency, such as the US dollar.

  3. Step 3: Select your method of payment

    There are no additional fees for selecting the Bank Transfer / Bank Wire options, aside from the exchange rate. An additional fee of 2.0 – 2.75% will be added to any credit card payments. This fee is placed by the service provider, not the University of Calgary.

  4. Step 4: Complete the student / payor details and payment

    To avoid delays in processing, please ensure you accurately input the student details.

    If using a bank transfer / bank wire option, print off the instruction sheet and bring it to your local bank. They will be able to facilitate the transaction. Alternatively, the transaction can be completed with an online banking service.

    If opting to use a credit card, the transaction can be completed entirely online.

    Refer to the above chart on payment processing times to see how long your payment will take to appear posted to your account by payment type.

International students who do not hold a Canadian bank account can pay their fees by bank-to-bank transfer or credit card through CIBC Student Pay. This service allows you to pay your fees in the currency of your choice from nearly anywhere in the world. Payment by major credit card is also offered through this service, with an additional processing fee charged by the provider. For bank-to-bank transfers, there are no fees charged in addition to the exchange rate. 

Domestic students who wish to pay by credit card can also do so through CIBC Student Pay. Please be aware that there is a service fee levied by CIBC for credit card payments. You do not need to be a CIBC client to use this service.

Detailed instructions for completing a payment can be found here.

  1. Step 1: Access CIBC Student Pay

    Access CIBC Student Pay's University of Calgary page.

    Please note: You do NOT need to be a client of CIBC to use this service.

  2. Step 2: Select the items you wish to pay for

    Select the country that the payment will be originating from, then select the items you wish to pay for and input the amount. One payment can be made for both residence and tuition, as long as each payment type is selected.

  3. Step 3: Select your method of payment

    There are no additional fees for selecting the Bank Transfer / Bank Wire options, aside from the exchange rate. An additional fee of 2.0 – 2.75% will be added to any credit card payments. This fee is placed by the service provider, not the University of Calgary.

  4. Step 4: Complete the student/payor details and payment

    To avoid delays in processing, please ensure you accurately input the student details.

    If using a bank transfer / bank wire option, print off the instruction sheet and bring it to your local bank. They will be able to facilitate the transaction. Alternatively, the transaction can be completed with an online banking service.

    If opting to use a credit card, the transaction can be completed entirely online.

    All payments take processing time to appear posted to your student account depending on the payment type you choose. Refer to the above chart on payment processing times to see how long your payment will take to appear posted to your account by payment type.

If you are experiencing difficulty making a payment with Convera Global Pay for Students or CIBC Student Pay, please see the contact information here.

Other Payment Options

Students withdrawing funds from a Registered Education Savings Plan are often required to submit a Confirmation of Registration Letter to have their funds released. This letter is available for download in the Student Centre.​

To download the letter, follow the instructions given in the How-to guide.

If you have any further questions, please contact Enrolment Services directly.

Students may have their education being paid in whole by a third party, with minimal exclusions, such as government agencies, companies, First Nations/Metis/Inuit groups or other organizations.

Each term you are sponsored, you must upload a sponsor letter via a student service request Third Party Sponsorship application. 

To learn more about third party sponsorship, please refer to the following website: https://ucalgary.ca/registrar/finances/tuition-and-fees/third-party-sponsorship

If you receive external awards/scholarships/bursaries, these are not considered third tarty sponsors and cannot be invoiced by UCalgary for external payment. 

UCalgary can take payments by External agencies through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or physical cheque.

  • To pay by EFT through UCalgary Accounts Receivables, please contact UCalgary Finance at finance@ucalgary.ca
  • External agency cheque or money orders must be made payable to The University of Calgary, and can be sent to the following mailing address:
    • Accounts Receivables
      MacKimmie Tower, 9th Floor
      2500 University Drive NW
      Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4

If paying by external agency cheque, submit payment as soon as possible, preferably no later than 30 days prior to the start of the term to avoid payment posting delays to the student account. Payments made later than 30 days prior to term start may result in late interest and holds being assessed to the student’s account due to payment processing time. Payment by external agency cheque can take up to 4 weeks for processing to the student account, and requires supporting documentation referencing the student, otherwise delays in applying payment to the student account may occur. Students are accountable for any holds or late interest incurred due to the processing time for external agency payments.

Tax information for External Awards recipients:

Please refer to the following webpage for any tax impacts to students receiving External Award payments.

 

Personal cheques, money orders and bank drafts are no longer accepted by Enrolment Services as a form of payment as of Winter 2021. Personal cheques, money orders and bank drafts that are sent to Enrolment Services will be returned to sender.

Refer to the steps above to pay your fees by online banking, Convera Global Pay for Students, or CIBC Student Pay.

As of winter 2021, in person tuition payments are no longer available. Please see the above online payment options. Students with external agency payments, please see “External Award Payments and Sponsored Students” for additional information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! International students can use either Convera Global Pay for Students, or CIBC Student Pay to pay their fees by major credit card. Domestic students can utilize CIBC Student Pay to pay their fees by credit card as well. Please note that the service providers charge a processing fee for all payments made by credit card.

All payments take processing time to appear posted to the student account. Refer to the above chart on payment processing times to see how long your payment will take to appear posted to your account by payment type. Refer to the Payment Issues page for instructions on how to address a payment that is taking longer than expected based on the processing times chart above.

All payments take processing time to appear posted to the student account and students need to factor in payment processing time when paying fees by any deadlines. If students are charged late interest due to payment processing time, the student is accountable for paying any late interest.

The university is not responsible for delays in posting payment from sanctioned countries, or countries experiencing economic crisis.

International students are advised to obtain a Canadian bank account once they arrive in Canada. More information on getting a Canadian bank account can be found here.

If you are unable to pay the full amount of tuition and general fees by the term fee deadline, then the Payment Plan may be considered. If you are paying fees by direct debit, EFT or wire transfer through CIBC Student Pay or Convera Global Pay, a payment plan may not be ideal given the processing times involved in transferring funds. Refer to the above chart to learn more about processing times by payment type.