Self-service

New: Say goodbye to cheques! Receive your refund faster with Interac e-Transfer!

To submit your request:

Go to Applications in uoZone and select Refund Request.

Don't forget to change your mailing address if necessary. You can change your address on uoZone under Applications. Any questions?

Important information about refunds

1 - You must withdraw from your courses by the date indicated in Important dates and deadlines.

If you do not withdraw by the deadline, you forfeit your right to receive a financial credit.

Note: Dropping courses may affect any financial aid or scholarships you receive. Financial Resources informs the Financial Aid and Awards office if your course load changes, and your funding may subsequently be affected. To find out whether this is the case for your financial aid or scholarships, visit the Financial Aid and Awards website or office.

If you have received OSAP and following the cancellation of your registration you have a financial credit on your student account, please note that the refund will be fully or partially refunded to the National Student Loan Center to reimburse OSAP.

Any remaining credit balance will then be refunded to you.

2 - A credit is automatically applied first to any amount you owe to the University. Any remaining credit amount can be refunded to you.

If you have received a refund and your bursary is canceled at a later date, you must reimburse the University. Your student account will be amended to reflect this change. If you fail to reimburse the University, your account will be subject to the rules governing overdue accounts.

3 - Fees apply for requesting a refund.

If a change in your course selection generates a credit on your account and you request a refund, a $25 administrative charge is deducted from your refund, as indicated in the University’s administrative fees schedule. The course change or withdrawal must be registered in your student file by the deadline for course changes or withdrawal indicated in Important dates and deadlines. No administrative fee applies for refund requests related to scholarships.

4 - Refunds of residence fees are subject to the terms of your residence contract.

Dropping courses or withdrawing from the University doesn’t automatically cancel your residence reservation or your residence contract. For more information on housing, please visit the Housing Service website.

5 - Refunds for meal plan fees are subject to the uOttawa Card Service terms.

The uOttawa Card Service only issues refunds when it receives your complete documentation. You do not automatically receive a refund just by withdrawing from courses or leaving the University. For more information, see the uOttawa Card Service terms and conditions.

Note: If you paid for your meal plan along with your residence fees, your refund will be credited to your student account. If you paid for it in person or online, it will be done by cheque.

6 - Processing times

Assessment of the request: Approximately 10 business days;
Processing: You will receive an email from Interac within 24-48h following the assessment;
During peak periods, processing times may be longer.

7 - Notes

The University does not reimburse third parties and will issue a refund only to students (except for sponsored students).
Reimbursement from a payment coming from abroad will be refunded to the student abroad.
Dropping a course does not necessarily generate a credit on your student account. The drop date, a change in the student classification and other factors are taken into account.

Rules governing fees and refunds

The Board of Governors reserves the right to change its fee and its refund rules without prior notice. Review the Rules Governing University Fees for more information.

T2202

Print your form through uoZone, under the Finances and jobs tab. The form will be available on or before February 19. You don't have to include this form with your income tax—you submit it only if the government asks for it later on.

Remember that the T2202 isn't an official receipt, but rather a confirmation of the deductible fees for a given fiscal year. Only the fees you have actually paid appear on your T2202.

For more information on your income tax return, visit the Canada Revenue Agency website.

(Note the official name change of the form, from T2202A to T2202 starting at the 2019 taxation year)

T4A

You receive a T4A slip if you received awards, scholarships or bursaries from the University of Ottawa during the fiscal year (even if the funds come from other agencies or organizations). The slips are available on uoZone at the end of February.

For more information, visit the Canada Revenue Agency website.

If you are a student who is also an employee of the University and you received a salary in 2018, please remember to go to your University of Ottawa employee email for details about your T4/T4A.

RL-8 slip (Relevé 8) (Quebec residents)

RL-8 slips are issued by the Ministère du Revenu du Québec and is intended for Quebec residents. Print your slip through uoZone, under the Finances and jobs tab. RL-8 slips will be available on or before February 15.

A credit for full-time post-secondary studies is calculated based on the number of sessions that the student started and completed during the year. The amount is to be claimed by the person claiming the student as a dependant (generally the student's father or mother). This amount is not tuition fees.

U-Pass

For tax years

Prior to 2017: You can claim a portion of the cost of your transit pass on your Income Tax Return. Print your slip through uoZone, under the Finances and jobs tab.

2017: You can only claim the cost of monthly public transit passes or passes of longer duration for travel on public transit for the period of January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017. For more information, please visit Canada Revenue Agency.

After 2017: Due to the elimination of the public transit tax credit, a UPass tax receipt won't be issued after 2017.

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

The Employer Identification Number of the University of Ottawa (required by the United States) is 98-0654654.

Also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number (FTIN), this number must be provided by American students, who must submit information on the amounts they receive from abroad in their tax return.

Individual Tax Number for Non-Residents (ITN)

If you are an International student and don’t have a social insurance number, you’ll need an Individual Tax Number for Non-Residents (ITN). To obtain this number, please visit the Canada Revenue Agency.

Other information

The University does not provide tax advice. Whether or not you can take advantage of these tax credits depends on your personal circumstances. For more information on income tax, visit the Canada Revenue Agency.

If you are a resident of the province of Ontario or the province of Saskatchewan for the purpose of income tax for 2017 and after, please see the following links for information regarding changes to tax credit or contact the Canada Revenue Agency.

Ontario (provincial)
Saskatchewan (provincial)
Canada (Federal)

For questions about your income tax slips, contact InfoService by email at [email protected], by phone: join the virtual line or in person at 75 Laurier Avenue East.

Students have voted to make membership in a student insurance plan mandatory. Premiums cover certain health and dental expenses. Please visit one of these websites for the schedule of benefits available to you under your group insurance plan or for any other questions related to the insurance plans, including opt-in and opt-out:

New: Undergraduate students have voted to access a service of virtual health care offered by Studentcare. For more information on this new service including opt-in and opt-out, please consult the following page: Virtual Health Care

To make premium collection efficient and inexpensive for the Students' Union and the Graduate Students' Association, the University of Ottawa has agreed to include premiums with university fees. The premium amount appears on your statement of account.

Your insurance premiums must be paid by the date indicated in the Important dates and deadlines, or as soon as your class selection is approved.

Please note that your opting out of the insurance plan does not extend to the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP), which international students are required to join.

These forms will be useful to you.

Billing authorization form (sponsorship) (PDF, 598KB)
Replacement cheque (PDF, 766KB)
Third-Party Authorization Form to Release Student Information (PDF, 628KB)

Request for cancellation of tuition fees when withdrawing from a course

This page explains how to request cancellation of tuition fees if you decide to withdraw from a course. Since the applicable procedure depends on your withdrawal date, read the following sections carefully for more information about:

important dates and deadlines
conditions to receive credit (see the following sections in particular: “Exceptional circumstances” and “Prepare your justification letter and gather your supporting documents”).
preparing your request

Note: Other fees (residence, meal plan, U-Pass) have different rules and deadlines. See the relevant links in the section named Important information above on the right-hand side.

Important: Withdrawing from courses can have an impact on scholarships, bursaries and government financial aid you receive, as the amount is calculated based on your number of courses. Check with the Financial Aid and Awards Service before making any changes to your course load.

Procedure to request cancellation of tuition fees when withdrawing from a course

Check the academic dates and deadlines and determine which of the three situations below applies to you:

Important! Make sure you note the difference between these two important deadlines:

Deadline for withdrawing with a financial credit
Deadline for withdrawing with no financial credit

Possible situations

1. Withdrawing from a course before the deadline for withdrawal with a financial credit

If you officially cancel your courses online by the deadline, you will receive a financial credit. The credit will be applied to your student account. Learn more about withdrawing from a course.

2. Withdrawing after the deadline for a drop with financial credit, but before the date for a drop with no financial credit

Be sure to officially cancel your courses online so that a withdrawal, not a failure, is entered in your student record. Learn more about withdrawing from a course.

If exceptional circumstances have prevented you from submitting your request before the deadline for withdrawing with a financial credit, you can submit a request for cancellation of tuition fees to your faculty or InfoService (for special students). Check your faculty’s website to find out the steps you need to take, which can vary from one faculty to another.

If your request is denied by your faculty or InfoService, you can appeal the decision to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee.

Appealing a decision to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee

Before submitting an appeal to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee, make sure you have taken all of the previous steps that apply to your situation. You must also have received a negative decision from your faculty or from InfoService.
Submit your complete appeal file to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee within 10 working days of receiving the decision from your faculty or from InfoService.

3. Withdrawing from a course after the two withdrawal deadlines

The first step is to complete the form for withdrawal from a course and cancellation of tuition fees and to submit it to your faculty or InfoService (for special students). Check your faculty’s website to find out the steps you need to take, which can vary from one faculty to another.

If your withdrawal is approved without financial credit by your faculty or InfoService, you can appeal the decision to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee.

Appealing a decision to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee

Before submitting an appeal to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee, make sure you have taken all of the previous steps that apply to your situation. You must also have received a negative decision from your faculty or from InfoService.
Submit your complete appeal file to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee within 10 working days of receiving the decision from your faculty or from InfoService.

Admissibility of appeal requests

You can appeal a decision by your academic unit if there are exceptional circumstances. You can usually appeal a decision for the current term as well as the three previous terms. If, however, you wish to appeal a decision that applies to an earlier term, select the oldest term available in our online tool. Specify in your letter the term for which you are submitting your request, your course list and the reason why you are submitting your appeal now rather than earlier.

Appeal requests are subject to an initial assessment before being submitted to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee. Your request will be considered inadmissible if any of the following applies:

You submitted your request more than 10 working days after receipt of the decision from your faculty, your school or InfoService (unless you have a valid reason)
You attended your final exams for the course(s) for which you are requesting cancellation of tuition fees
You have a grade in your transcript for the course(s) in question.

Exceptional circumstances

You can appeal a decision only if exceptional circumstances have prevented you from registering your withdrawal in your student file before the deadline for withdrawing with a financial credit, as indicated in the important academic dates and deadlines. Exceptional circumstances are serious problems that prevent you from functioning normally and meeting course deadlines. Some examples:

Physical or mental illness (a medical certificate confirming that you can’t take part in classes, complete assignments or exams, etc. is required)
Death of a family member (a death certificate is required)

Faculties, InfoService and the Student Account Reimbursement Committee consider the following when assessing requests:

reasons for the request
justification letter
supporting documents (medical certificate, etc.)
reasons for making a late request
course attendance or use of University services after the withdrawal deadline

Please note that you must notify your faculty or school in the event of any of the following:

concerns about the quality of teaching
concerns about the language of instruction

In addition, any requests submitted for the following reasons will be denied:

failure to understand the important academic dates and deadlines
probable failing grade in a course
failed attempt to withdraw from the course using the online enrolment tool
financial hardship
course not meeting needs or expectations
employment or other occupational commitments

Impact of withdrawal on other services

Financial aid and awards

Financial Resources must inform the Financial Aid and Awards service if your course load changes. Withdrawing from courses can have an impact on any government financial aid, scholarships or bursaries you receive. For more information, go to the Financial Aid and Awards website.

Residence fees

Withdrawing from courses or the University does not automatically cancel your residence reservation or residence contract. For more information about residence fees, see your contract and the Housing Service website.

Meal plans

Meal plans are compulsory in some residences. Residence-related fees will therefore be reflected on your meal plan statement of account.

Optional meal plans are charged directly to your uOttawa Card, not your statement of account. For more information, see the uOttawa Card Service website.

uOttawa Card and U-Pass

An exemption for U-Pass fees charged may be granted if you withdraw from a course. If so, your student account will be credited on the date the request is approved or finalized. If you make your request during a term, any credit will be prorated. In such cases, you can request a credit to your student account online, or save the credit for future use.

Please note that late, retroactive or incomplete requests are not accepted.

For more information, including deadlines, see the exemptions to the U-Pass program.

To avoid any problems, submit a complete file to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee.

Please note that your personal information will be safeguarded and kept confidential at all times. Learn more about access to information and privacy.

Justification letters should stick to the facts, presented in chronological order, and include:

your name, your student number and the date
an explanation of the exceptional circumstances that apply to your request
the purpose of your request and the result you’re seeking

You should also state in your letter if this is your first request in connection with these exceptional circumstances. Remember to attach your supporting documents.

Helpful tips

You don’t have to follow these suggestions, but they may help clarify your situation.

If you have previously made a similar request involving the same exceptional circumstances, explain the steps you took to prevent such a situation from happening again. For example, in the event of a health issue, did you see your doctor for an assessment of your ability to continue your studies? Did you do so shortly before the deadline for withdrawing with a financial credit?

If you weren’t able to withdraw before the deadline, explain why clearly. Did the incident occur after the deadline for withdrawing with a financial credit?

If you received University services (course attendance, correction of assignments, sports services, etc.), remember that these services have value and incur costs. As a result, be prepared to explain why you feel your refund request is justified.

If you did not attend class or submit any exams or assignments during the period covered by a refund request, consider asking your professors for a non-attendance confirmation letter.

Health reasons

Refund requests for health reasons must be accompanied by a medical certificate or support letter from the University of Ottawa’s counselling and therapy service.

The certificate must include your name, period of absence and date of return to studies, the date of your medical consultation and the signature of the health care professional. If the authenticity of your medical certificate is in doubt, the Student Account Reimbursement Committee may require that it be validated by Health and Wellness services. The certificate must also clearly state that you were unable to withdraw from the course(s) by the deadline.

You should note that if you attend a class during the disability period indicated on your medical certificate, you can no longer submit an appeal based on health reasons.

Important: You don’t have to submit any documents that mention a diagnosis or the name of the medical condition in question. Such information is confidential and is rarely useful for the committee members, as they are not health professionals.

Student Account Reimbursement Committee

Role

The Student Account Reimbursement Committee examines tuition fee refund requests submitted by students who withdraw from courses after the official deadline for withdrawing with a financial credit, where the requests have been denied by the home faculty, or by the Office of the Registrar, in special cases.

The committee decides whether tuition fees charged to student accounts should be maintained or cancelled when students officially withdraw without a financial credit. The committee is in no way responsible for the consequences of such a withdrawal for your student record or continued studies.

Important: Dropping courses can have an impact on any financial aid or scholarships you receive, and you may have to pay back part of the money you have received. Before making any changes to your course load, check with Financial Aid and Awards.

Committee membership and mandate

Membership

The committee consists of four voting members:

two staff members from the faculties, one representing undergraduate studies and one representing graduate studies
one Student Accounts service representative
one Office of the Registrar representative

The manager of the Student Accounts service serves as chair. The chair can take part in discussions, but can’t vote unless there is a tie. The Student Accounts delegate serves as chair when the regular chair is absent. A member of the Student Accounts staff other than the voting member serves as secretary. The secretary doesn’t take part in discussions or vote. The secretary prepares cases coming before the committee, arranges meetings and notifies students in writing of the committee’s decisions.

Quorum: Three members constitute a quorum at meetings.

Recusal: Faculty representatives must recuse themselves where appeals are made by students enrolled in a program in their faculty. The committee may also require a member’s recusal if there are reasonable doubts as to the member’s impartiality.

Mandate and assessment criteria

The important academic dates and deadlines calendar includes two official deadlines: the deadline for withdrawing from a course or activity with financial credit (refund of tuition fees, minus administrative fees) and the deadline for withdrawing from a course or activity with no financial credit (no refund).

The University realizes that, in serious unforeseen circumstances, it may be difficult or even impossible for students to withdraw from a course before these deadlines. Accordingly, in a spirit of fairness, the committee will review refund requests that are submitted after the official deadline for withdrawal with a financial credit.

The committee considers the following when assessing requests:

reasons for the request
justification letter
supporting documents (medical certificate, etc.)
reasons for making a late request
course attendance or use of University services after the withdrawal deadline

Procedure to Appeal Decisions by the Student Account Reimbursement Committee

Review of a decision

If you have new information that could change or affect the committee’s decision, you can submit a new request to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee, which will re-examine your file in light of the new information.

Appeals Committee

If you feel the committee’s decision is unfair, you can ask the Financial Resources Appeal Committee for a review.

The committee consists of the Associate Vice-President, Financial Resources and the Associate Registrar.

To file an appeal, email your request to [email protected], making sure to include Financial Resources Appeal Committee in the subject line.

Your request will be assessed within 10 working days of receipt.

Make sure to submit all of the following:

a new letter explaining why you feel the decision is unjust
your original request to the Student Account Reimbursement Committee, with your supportive documents
the Student Account Reimbursement Committee’s emailed response.