Athletic Fees

These mandatory fees are not related to a specific program or domain of study, and are not included in the Tuition Fees. Athletic Fees are drawn from the Tuition and Living Allowance Costs Survey which is conducted by Statistics Canada on an annual basis. The Athletic feevalues in this tool are a provincial average of the upper and lower costs at participating institutions.

Books

The estimated cost of books needed to complete a program of study. The annual cost of books comes from a sample of institutions per province; a national average is calculated and populates this tool.

Compulsory Fees

Fees a student is required to pay, including: annual admission fees required when submitting applications, Student Council fees, student services fees, field trip costs, examination fees, graduate thesis costs, and other amounts payable by students to the educational institution which are obligatory in connection with their course of study. This may include fees payable for membership in professional or other societies.

Health Services Fees

These are fees required by the institution for health services. Health Services Fees are drawn from the Tuition and Living Allowance Costs Survey which is conducted by Statistics Canada on an annual basis. The Health Services fee values in this tool are a provincial average of the upper and lower costs at participating institutions.

Married/Common-law Student

A common-law partner is a person who is cohabiting with a borrower in a conjugal relationship, having so cohabited for a period of at least one year. A spouse is a person of the opposite sex who is married to a borrower.

Married/common-law students whose marriage/common-law relationship ceases are considered to be either independent students or single parent students, depending on whether the student has a dependent child(ren).

Other Fees

Mandatory fees that are not included in the Tuition Fees. They can be exam fees, thesis fees, professional association membership fees, etc. Other Fees are drawn from the Tuition and Living Allowance Costs Survey which is conducted by Statistics Canada on an annual basis. The Other fee values in this tool are a provincial average of the upper and lower costs at participating institutions.

Single Dependent Student

Students identified as dependent are considered to be financially dependent on parent(s), guardian(s), sponsor(s) or other supporting relative(s) and do not qualify as independent students. Dependent students:

Have never been married or in a common-law relationship; and,
Have never been single parents with legal custody and financial responsibility for supporting child(ren); and,
Are pursuing post-secondary education within four years of leaving secondary school; or,
Have not been in the labour force full-time for two years (the two years need not be consecutive; however, each year must be a period of twelve consecutive months).

Single Independent Student

Students identified as independent are considered to be financially independentof their parent(s), guardian(s) or sponsor(s) because:

There is no parent, guardian, sponsor, or other supporting relative (due to death or disappearance); or
The student has been out of secondary school for four years; or,
The student has been in the labour force full-time for two years; or,
The student was previously identified as a married/common-law student or a single parent student but no longer meets the criteria for these identifications (e.g., widowed or divorced/separated students).

Single Parent Student

Students identified as single parent students are students who have never been married or in a common-law relationship, who are separated or divorced from a spouse/common-law partner, or who are widowed, and who have legal and/or physical custody and responsibility for supporting a child(ren).

Student Association Fees

Mandatory fees required by the Student Associations that are not included in the Tuition Fees. Student Association Fees are drawn from the Tuition and Living Allowance Costs Survey which is conducted by Statistics Canada on an annual basis. The Student Association fee values in this tool are a provincial average of the upper and lower costs at participating institutions.

Supplies

The estimated cost of supplies needed to complete a program of study. Supplies include workbooks, paper, pens, typing, and photocopying services, etc.

Tuition/Program Fees

The cost of a program of study in a postsecondary institution. The tuition/program fees come from the Institution's Web site, and are updated annually.

The Budget Estimator

The Budget Estimator takes into consideration the money you have now, and the money you expect to receive in the future. It calculates a basic balance sheet that reconciles the cost of your education and allows you to easily find out if you will be able to balance your budget.

The Online Budget Planner

The Online Budget Planner provides you with a complete working budget for your period of study.

Financial Planner