Final-year fees of PhD studies

Background

Fees for the final year of full-time doctoral students are prorated based on the twelve-month academic year. In other words, program fees for the final year of doctoral studies are not calculated by term; instead, they are calculated per month (although incidental fees, which are mandatory for university services, are still billed by term). Essentially, until the final version of the corrected thesis is submitted to the U of T electronic repository (ProQuest), the 15th of every month is a fees deadline. The balance accrued depends on the program completion date (i.e., the date by which the student submits their final thesis to ProQuest). Moreover, doctoral students beyond their program time limit (six years for PhD or seven years for direct-entry PhD), who are in the final extension year, have their fees prorated based on 50% of the annual domestic (plus incidental) fees.

The Student Accounts Office will be notified of the completion date and will adjust the fees accordingly. However, fees are not immediately adjusted after program completion. The exact timing of fee adjustments may vary with a few factors, such as the point in the fee cycle when the thesis was submitted and fluctuations in workflow at the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and the Student Accounts Office. Students should expect to see the final (adjusted) balance approximately six weeks after thesis submission. The account balance is reported on ACORN.

Procedures

1.0 Review the fee (breakdown) schedule:

1. Navigate to the Student Accounts website
2. Find the SGS Fee & Refund Schedules
3. Select the Schedule that is representative of your student status (e.g. Domestic; final-year before time limit)

2.0 Fee payment options (PhD students will be billed for the full year but may choose to pay):

1. the full year (overpayments will be credited back to you after the final fee assessment); or
2. the minimum payment to register (as indicated on the fee invoice from ACORN); or
3. the fee based on the expected date of completion.

Note(s):

1. Some students may have their balance adjusted in two stages (because SGS and the Student Accounts Office may make adjustments at different times).
2. A minimum charge (determined by the Student Accounts Office) will be billed to students who cancel their registration in this session in a program on or after the published date for the first day of classes for the Fall-Winter session.
3. If you choose to pay less than the full year fee, note that starting October 15, a monthly service charge at a rate of 1.5% compounded (19.56% per annum) will be applied to any outstanding Fall term fees, and starting December 15, a monthly service charge at a rate of 1.5% compounded (19.56% per annum) will be applied to any outstanding Winter term fees.

Contacts and additional resources

• SGS Final-Year Fees: https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/academic-progress/program-completion/final-year-fees/
• Student Accounts Fee Schedules: https://studentaccount.utoronto.ca/tuition-fees/current-summer-fee-refund-schedules/
• Student Accounts General Inquiries: http://uoft.me/client-services