Microsoft 365 Licensing – Toolkit overview and eligibility


Microsoft 365 toolkits 

The University of Toronto (U of T) provides all community members with access to a Microsoft 365 toolkit. These toolkits give staff, students and faculty access to core Microsoft applications such as Outlook email and calendaring, in addition to a range of other Microsoft 365 applications.  

The Microsoft toolkit assigned to an individual is designed to match the nature of their relationship with the University and the type of work they perform on a regular basis. U of T uses a Microsoft licensing model to grant access to Microsoft 365 products automatically: the license provisioned to an individual user is determined by their official employee and/or student database records. 

Please read the remainder of this knowledge article to learn more about: 

  • The types of Microsoft toolkits that are available 
  • The criteria that determine toolkit eligibility
  • Answers to frequently asked questions
  • The subarea codes used in the licensing assignment model

For an overview of the Microsoft products that are available with each toolkit, please read: Microsoft 365 Licensing – Toolkits for staff, faculty, students and other community members. 

Exceptions 

Toolkits aren’t always one size fits all: a U of T community member may require access to Microsoft products outside of their toolkit. In these instances, IT support staff should submit a licensing assignment review request through the Enterprise Service Centre on behalf of the individual. Individuals who submit their own requests will be redirected to their divisional IT. Please read the exceptions request policy knowledge article for more information. 

Please note that individuals’ employee and/or student database records must accurately reflect their relationship to the University. Falsification of information so that community members may obtain access to additional Microsoft tools is not permitted. 

Microsoft toolkit types 

The table below provides an overview of the different Microsoft toolkits that are offered to U of T community members. To learn more about toolkit assignment criteria and the products that can be accessed through each toolkit, see “Which toolkit am I eligible for?” and “What’s inside my toolkit?” below. 

Toolkit type 

Designed for... 

Assigned to... 

Full 

U of T staff* and appointed, salaried faculty who require access to standard and advanced Microsoft tools to perform their roles at the University

Executive leadership 

Professional and managerial staff 

Appointed salaried faculty 

Administrative staff with regular computing duties 

Library workers 

Research associates 

Post-graduates 

Other individuals whose roles require access to additional services such as Power BI or Telephony 

*Appointed faculty and staff who are also enrolled as students should see Dual status.

Standard 

U of T staff and who require access to standard Microsoft tools to perform their roles at the University. 

Casual staff

Clinical (MD) Faculty, Status Only Faculty, and Adjunct Faculty

Staff who do not have regular computing duties as part of their role

Student 

U of T community members whose primary role* is student and require access to a full range Microsoft tools. 

Full time students 

part-time students 

*Note: Staff members enrolled as a part-time OR full time student

Dual status

U of T staff and faculty with full or part-time student status who require access to standard and advanced Microsoft tools to perform their roles at the University.

Active staff and faculty with full or part-time student status

Alumni 

U of T alumni who wish to stay connected with the University community through email and calendaring. 

Alumni 

Email 

U of T retired faculty, Friends of the University and other affiliates who require access to U of T email and calendaring to facilitate their work with the University. 

Retired faculty 

Friends of the University 

Other affiliates 

Which toolkit am I eligible for? 

The toolkit a U of T community member is eligible for is determined by the nature of their work with the University and the tools they need to perform their role. For a detailed overview of default toolkit assignments by subarea code, please view the appendix below. 

Please review the table below for an overview of different roles and their corresponding toolkit types.

Note: Active staff and faculty with student status should reference the "I’m a staff/faculty member, but also a part-time student. Which toolkit will I get?" FAQ.

Role 

Toolkit type 

Notes 

Senior leadership  

 

Full 

 

Note: ‘Administrative staff’ includes non-PM administrative staff who do not belong to USW. ‘USW staff’ includes all administrative and technical USW staff. 

 

The full toolkit also includes individuals whose roles require access to advanced administrative tools as per the exceptions policy. 

 

 

Professional and 
managerial (PM) staff  

USW staff 

Appointed salaried faculty 

Librarians  

Library workers  

Non-PM and non-USW administrative staff  

Police 

Post-doctoral 

Research associates  

Research officers  

Sessionals and stipendiaries 

Stationary engineers, building management, systems technicians and building engineers 

Casual staff 

Standard 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: ‘Casual staff’ includes all salaried, temporary and hourly casual staff.  

Clinical (MD) faculty

Status only faculty

Adjunct faculty

Crafts, trades and manual workers 

Hospitality workers  

Sales and service personnel  

Trades workers  

Full time students 

Student 

 

part-time students 

Fellows 

Graduate assistants 

Teaching assistants 

Active staff and faculty members with student status

Dual Status

Note: See "I’m a staff/faculty member, but also a part-time student. Which toolkit will I get?" in the FAQ below.

Alumni 

Alumni 

Excludes U of T alumni who are active staff, students or faculty.  

Retired librarians 

Email 

 

Retired faculty 

Friends of the University 

Other affiliates 

Frequently asked questions

General 

Where can I learn more about how toolkit/license assignments work?

The new and improved licensing assignment model is automated, streamlined and transparent by design: it recognizes that technology isn’t one size fits all. Our Microsoft licensing assignment model was created to equip you with the Microsoft tools you need for the type of work you do at the University. 

For example, if you are a staff member and your role involves a lot of administrative work, you likely have the full toolkit. Alternatively, if you are someone who does a lot of work away from a computer (e.g. a food service worker), you likely have the standard toolkit. 

Who decides who gets which toolkit? 

The University uses information in ROSI, HRIS and other data sources to determine the default toolkit that someone is assigned. This process is automated. 

Is my account secure if I have a full, standard, student etc. toolkit? 

Yes, all toolkits are secure and meet the University’s security standards. All toolkits also feature Microsoft advanced threat protection features. 

Standard toolkits 

I’ve been assigned a standard toolkit, but I really need access to a tool that’s included in the full toolkit. What should I do? 

We recognize that technology isn’t one size fits all, and sometimes an individual might require access to a Microsoft tool that is not included in their default assigned toolkit. In these cases, we ask that your local IT support person submit an exceptions form through the Enterprise Service Centre. We will review your request and get back to you as soon as possible. Learn more about submitting an exceptions request.

Is the full toolkit better than the standard toolkit? 

The full toolkit is not better than the standard toolkit. Both toolkits give you access to the same core Microsoft tools, with the exception of more specialized administrative tools like Power BI and Bookings. If your work is not highly administrative, it is unlikely that you will require access to the full toolkit. 

Can I still use Word, PowerPoint and Excel if I have the standard toolkit? 

Yes, the standard toolkit grants you access to Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The only difference is that the standard toolkit solely provides access to the online versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel. A great benefit of this is that you can access your Office documents from any computer in the world with an internet connection. 

If you have the full toolkit, you can also download Office apps on up to five personal devices. This is a great option for those who need to perform advanced administrative work from multiple locations or computers. 

Anyone can download desktop Office applications to work devices via the University of Toronto Microsoft Campus and School Agreement (CASA). Learn more here. 

To learn more about using Office online with the standard toolkit, read these knowledge articles:

Can I still use Outlook for my work email if I have the standard toolkit? 

Yes, you can still use Outlook if you have the standard toolkit. On work devices, you can download the desktop version of Outlook as needed via the University of Toronto Microsoft Campus and School Agreement (CASA). You can also access your U of T email from anywhere in the world through Outlook Online (OWA) at mail.utoronto.ca. 

Can I still use Teams if I have a standard toolkit? 

Yes, you can continue to use the online or desktop version of Teams. You can download Teams for free from: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-teams/download-app. 

Staff and faculty enrolled in full or part-time studies 

I’m a staff/faculty member, but also a part-time student. Which toolkit will I get? 

By default, all staff and faculty with an active full or part-time student status will be assigned a dual status toolkit. These toolkits include the same features associated with the student toolkit and also provide access to additional advanced administrative tools such as Forms, Bookings, Planner and Project. 

Appendix 

The table below outlines the subarea codes that determine the default Microsoft 365 license a faculty, staff or student community member is assigned.*

SubArea 

Description 

Expanded Description 

Microsoft License Assigned 

50 

Pres/V-P/V-Prov 

President, VPs, Provost (Senior Leaders of the University - Academics) 

Full (A5) 

100 

Academic 

Faculty members (Professors, etc) 

Full (A5) 

400 

Librarian 

Librarians (UTFA) 

Full (A5) 

510 

PM 

Professionals and Managers 

Full (A5) 

550 

Admin./Conf. 

Admin Confidentials (HR Staff non PM) 

Full (A5) 

600 

Research Assoc 

Research Associates 

Full (A5) 

700 

Carp F/T L27 

Carpenters FT 

Standard (A1) 

800 

Lib FT,PT L1230 

Library workers FT and PT 

Full (A5) 

900 

CUPE F/T L3261 

Facilities & Services FT 

Standard (A1) 

1000 

CUPE RPT L3261 

Facilities & Services PT 

Standard (A1) 

1100 

Elec F/T L353 

Electricians FT 

Standard (A1) 

1200 

Lock/MachF L353 

Locksmiths and machinists FT 

Standard (A1) 

1300 

Unifor FT L2003 

Stationary engineers, building management systems technicians and building engineers FT 

Full (A5) 

1400 

Police F/T L519 

Police FT 

Full (A5) 

1600 

Plumb F/T L46 

Plumbers FT 

Standard (A1) 

1700 

Sht Mtl F/T L30 

Sheet Metal FT 

Standard (A1) 

1800 

Res Officer F/T 

OISE Research Officer FT 

Full (A5) 

1900 

C3261FP 89ChNut 

89 Chestnut residence hospitality workers 

Standard (A1) 

2000 

USW 

USW - administrative and technical employees FT and PT 

Full (A5) 

2100 

ELC-CUPE L2484 

Early Learning Centre - Day care workers and support staff 

Standard (A1) 

4100 

C3261Cas 89ChNt 

89 Chestnut residence casual employees 

Standard (A1) 

4150 

Elect Tmp L353 

Electricians Temp 

Standard (A1) 

4250 

Lock/MachT L353 

Locksmiths and Machinists Temp 

Standard (A1) 

4450 

Police Tmp L519 

Police Temp 

Full (A5) 

4650 

Plumb Tmp L46 

Plumbers Temp 

Standard (A1) 

4750 

Carp Tmp L27 

Carpenters Temp 

Standard (A1) 

4950 

CUPE Tmp L3261 

Casual workers on all three campuses Temp 

Standard (A1) 

5100 

Casual Salaried 

Non Appointed - Casual Salaried 

Standard (A1) 

5150 

Casual Hourly 

Non Appointed - Casual Hourly 

Standard (A1) 

5200 

TeachAsst L3902 

Teaching Assistants 

Student (A5 SUB) 

5250 

Grad Asst L3907 

Graduate assistants at OISE  

Student (A5 SUB) 

5300 

CUPE 3261 Cas 

Casual Employees CUPE 3261 

Standard (A1) 

5350 

Lib 1230 StuCas 

Library workers CUPE Local 1230 (Student casual) 

Student (A5 SUB) 

5450 

CUPE 3902,Unit3 

Sessional Lecturers - CUPE 3902 Unit 3 

Full (A5) 

5470 

PoSTANDARDocL3902U5 

Post-doctoral fellows CUPE 3902 Unit 5 

Full (A5) 

5500 

Academic Mgr 

Academic Managers not paid by the University (Hospitals) that manage UofT EE - Recently created  

Full (A5) 

6000 

Canadian 

Students and Fellows - External 

Student (A5 SUB) 

6100 

Foreign 

Students and Fellows - Foreign  

Student (A5 SUB) 

7200 

Admin./Conf. 

External Appointed - Admin Confidentials (HR Staff non PM) 

Full (A5) 

7210 

PM 

External Appointed - Professionals and Managers 

Full (A5) 

7500 

Casual Salaried 

External Non Appointed - Casual Salaried 

Standard (A1) 

7550 

Casual Hourly 

External Non Appointed - Casual Hourly 

Standard (A1) 

*For active staff and faculty with student status, please see the dual status toolkit.