Student Service Centre Frequently Asked Questions

Spring/Summer undergraduate course registration will open at 7 a.m. MST on February 14. You can visit the Spring 2023 Dates and Deadlines web page for important dates and deadlines. 

Spring/Summer courses are currently viewable on Beartracks, although may be subject to changes.

After the registration deadline, you cannot drop or swap courses; you can only withdraw. (Note that there is also a withdrawal deadline). Withdrawals can be processed in Bear Tracks. Some withdrawals will be processed immediately, while others may require faculty review. Continue to attend classes until you have confirmation in Bear Tracks that your withdrawal has been processed.

For more information, please see the Withdrawals webpage or consult with your faculty. 

If you are a Non-Degree Continuing Education student, please consult our Refunds, Withdrawals, and Transfers webpage for information on changing your course registration.

A T2202 is a tax form that is required by the CRA to determine your eligibility for any Educational Tax Credits that are offered.

You can access your Tuition, Education and Textbook Amounts Certificate (T2202) on Bear Tracks. T2202 certificates (formerly called T2202A's) are typically available in mid-to-end of February of each year.

 An email notification will be sent to your U of A account once the form has been made available for the current tax year. You can also access T2202 certificates for previous tax years through Bear Tracks.

 To access T2202 certificates in Bear Tracks, select ‘Financial Account’, then click on 'Tax forms' on the menu on the left and click on T2202. Select the desired tax year. Please note that computers require Adobe Reader to open and print T2202 certificates.

Please update your address in Bear Tracks as your address may be inactive. Once your address has been updated, your T2202 will re-populate with the correct dollar value. 

A T4A is a document provided for tax purposes to those who have received scholarships, awards or bursaries. 

If you are eligible to receive a T4A from the Office of the Registrar, your form(s) will be available in your Bear Tracks, under “Financials”, by the end of February of each year.  

In order to access your T4As in Bear Tracks, you will need to provide your consent for electronic delivery, which can be done in Bear Tracks:

• Log into Bear Tracks
• Navigate to the “Financials” section
• Click on “T4A Tax Form”
• Select “yes”
• Click “submit” to consent

You only need to provide consent once for T4A tax forms distributed by the Office of the Registrar to receive your T4A electronically for all future years. You can change the status of your consent at any time. 

If you do not provide consent for electronic delivery a paper copy will be mailed to your address listed in Bear Tracks instead.

Tax slips are available to all current or former employees who have received taxable earnings or benefits in the taxation year being reported. Questions related to tax documents from taxable earnings or benefits can be directed to the Staff Service Centre. You can also view the Tax Slips for Employees webpage for more details.

Tax documents prior to 2017 (2016 or earlier) are not available through Bear Tracks. If you require a reprint of your T4A that is not available in Bear Tracks, you can visit the “My Account for Individuals” page on the CRA website or email your request to U of A Financial Services at student.payment@ualberta.ca.

If you have received an award from an external provider (not the University of Alberta), please contact the external provider to request your T4A. 

You can provide your SIN in Bear Tracks. After you have logged in you should receive a prompt to add your SIN to your student profile. If you have not received this prompt you may also click on the “Personal Information” tab and select “Social Insurance Number” from the drop-down menu.

If you are having issues with updating your SIN through BearTracks, you can bring your original SIN documents to Student Service Centre during our business hours or submit your updated SIN via mail. You can send a photocopy of your SIN documentation to the address below. Please also include your student ID number somewhere on the photocopied document. Please DO NOT submit an electronic copy for security purposes. 

• Confirmation of SIN letter
• SIN card
• Other documentation showing your SIN, which has been issued by Service Canada or the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Student Service Centre mailing address: 

Once the document has been received and your records have been updated, your SIN documentation will be destroyed.

As a student at the University of Alberta, you are subject to Canada's taxation laws and the Province of Alberta. To help you understand the Canadian tax system, visit Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website.

Canada has a self-assessment system, which means that each individual must determine their own taxes for each taxation year. The taxation year is based on the calendar year of January 1 to December 31. Completed tax returns should be filed by April 30 of the following year. Taxes are calculated by using income, deductions, non-refundable tax credits and refundable tax credits.

If you are a current or former student who has maintained your Bear Tracks access, you can request an authentic, tamper-evident, and legally valid official electronic transcript that will be available to share through MyCreds within a couple of hours of submitting your request.

Mycreds is a secure portal that provides you with access to view and share your digitized and portable post-secondary transcripts anytime, anywhere.

1. Log into Bear Tracks using your student CCID and password.  
2. Select “Academic Records.”
3. Click on "Request Official Transcript” from the menu on the left hand side.
4. Indicate whether you want your transcript request to be processed immediately, after grades are approved, or after your degree is awarded.
5. Select “Electronic Transcript” as the Delivery Method.
6. Submit your request.
7. Within a few hours, you will receive an email instructing you to log into MyCreds to access your official electronic transcript. Please note that a share credit must be purchased each time you send this document to a recipient using MyCreds. Each share credit is either $6 for current U of A students, or $12 for former students and alumni.The automatic process is not run on Saturdays, so students who make MyCreds requests on Saturday may not see their transcript in MyCreds until Sunday.

While you can purchase a share credit to send your electronic official transcript to yourself and download it from MyCreds, sharing that transcript with anyone else may render it “unofficial,” depending on their needs. Please ensure that the recipient will accept an electronic transcript from you (as opposed to the school) before you send it in this format. You will be required to pay for an additional share credit to send it directly to the recipient if the recipient refuses to accept a transcript that you previously shared with yourself.

Your Verification of Enrollment certificate will be available in Bear Tracks 31 days prior to the start of the applicable term, whether you are registered in one, or both linked terms. You may continue to access it for 120 days following the term’s official end date.

Your Verification of Enrolment document for the upcoming Fall 2022/Winter 2023 term will be available to request on August 1 2022, and will be available to request until the following August. 

Effective Winter 2022, your Verification of Enrollment certificate for the current term will no longer be available to download directly from Bear Tracks.

Now, you can request an authentic, tamper-evident, and legally valid official electronic Verification of Enrollment certificate for the current academic year through Bear Tracks. An hour or so after submitting your request, you will receive an email with instructions on creating and logging into your MyCreds account (a secure portal that provides you with access to view and share your digitized and portable post-secondary documents anytime, anywhere). Please note that this process does not run on Saturdays, so requests submitted on Saturday will be fulfilled on Sunday.

Once you have access to MyCreds, you will be prompted to purchase a share credit for $10 CAD (plus applicable taxes) to view and share your Verification of Enrollment certificate. From the time the credit is purchased, you will have 30 days of unlimited viewing and sharing access, so you can send your certificate to as many third parties (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, banks, loan and scholarship providers, landlords, etc.) as needed during that period.

The following major RESP providers have confirmed the use of the Verification of Enrollment certificates issued through MyCreds: 

• Knowledge First Financial (Heritage Education Funds) 
• iA Financial: While a “stamped school document” is a part of their criteria, the University of Alberta Verification of Enrolment document will fulfill their requirements since our documents are considered an official document. 
• Children’s Education Fund (CEF) 

Payment options

There are several payment options available; these options can vary depending on what type of student you are and what type of fee or deposit you are paying. For a detailed breakdown, please see the Deadlines and Payment Instructions page on the Admissions & Programs website. 

Once processed, payments applied to your account can be viewed in BearTracks under "Financials" by clicking on "Account Details" and selecting the correct term. Please note that payments can take several business days to process.

Payment deadlines

Payment deadlines for tuition fees and other types of fees and deposits are outlined in the Academic Schedule in the University Calendar (scroll down to see the Fall and Winter terms). Key dates and deadlines for each term are also published on the Registrar’s Office website.

We have three options for international students to pay their tuition from outside of Canada: Convera, PayMyTuition, and credit card. You can learn more about each option here.

If a student loan delay causes you to miss the term tuition payment deadline, you normally won't be penalized as long as the loan payment pays the total term tuition amount owed and the payment is received less than a month after the term tuition payment deadline.

Overdue tuition payments do not affect your current registration, so you will still be able to continue in your classes. However, a few days after the tuition payment deadline, you will see a financial hold placed on your account that prevents you from adding new classes, getting transcripts, or receiving your diploma if you are graduating. Tuition and fees more than a month overdue will accumulate interest.

For more information, please visit the Financial Services FAQ website.

If you wait until the Winter term payment deadline to pay your Winter tuition fees, you will be assessed a $40 Installment Charge. You can avoid paying this charge by paying for both your Fall and Winter tuition fees by the Fall term payment deadline. Similarly, if you are taking courses in the Spring and Summer semester, you can avoid the $40 Installment Charge by paying for both your Spring and Summer tuition fees by the Spring term payment deadline. You will not be charged an installment fee for your Winter mandatory non-instructional fees as long as you paid all your other tuition & fees in the fall.

Questions?

If you fully opt out of your SU Health and Dental, you will see the fee adjustment on your Bear Tracks.

When you opt out of your SU Health and Dental, you have the option to opt out of just a portion of the fee. Ensure you have received the confirmation email from Student Care (after opting-out) which will illustrate the details of your plan and how you will be reimbursed.

If you choose this route, you will not see an adjustment in your fees assessment on Bear Tracks. You are expected to pay your tuition and fees in full to the university and you are then reimbursed by Student Care after the Change-of Coverage Period. Follow these instructions to opt-out.

There are some fees (SU dedicated fees and Health & Dental plan) that you may be able to opt out of. 

For information on how to change coverage, including opting out of the plan by the Fall Term deadline, or how to enroll if you are a new Winter Term student, please visit studentcare.ca.

No, mandatory non-instructional fees cannot be appealed. These fees are approved by the Board of Governors. There are some fees (SU dedicated fees and Health & Dental plan) that you may be able to opt out of. 

You can apply for graduation by the following deadlines on Bear Tracks, under the Academics tab. See below for application opening dates and deadlines.

Spring Convocation 2023

Deadline to apply: February 1, 2023 (Undergraduate), April 1, 2023 (Graduate)

Apply for Graduation through Bear Tracks by clicking on "Graduation" under the "Academics tab", after which you will be able to select your program and completion term. You will be able to see the status of your graduation application under the "Graduation status" tab on this same page. If you missed the deadline, please contact your Faculty office for assistance. 

Even though you have not received an offer of admission at this time, your application is not closed, it is still active and open for future re-evaluation.

You will be invited to update your grades as you receive new final grades, either quarterly or at the end of the term, depending on what format your school follows. Once we receive this information, your application will be automatically re-evaluated. 

You do not need to submit a new application, you will receive the grade update form on your Launchpad portal when we will begin accepting updated courses and grades (there is no need to contact us directly) Please see here for additional information on the Course Updates.

For more information on the timeline, please take a look at our Dates and Deadlines page.

After you've submitted your application, you will be able to submit updated courses and new final grade 12 marks through the 'Course & Grade Update Form' that will be added to your UAlberta Launchpad between February 15 and April 30. Students studying in a quarter system may be able to also update final grades on December 1. Once submitted, your application will be re-evaluated. We will not accept updates after April 30.

Acceptable types of updates:

• Add/Update final marks for completed Grade 12 courses (mark should reflect the final blended grade if a provincial exam was written)
• Add/update mid-term marks for full-year courses (must reflect at least 50% of course content; interim marks will not be accepted in the second semester)
• Drop previously listed courses if you have withdrawn from them

Please note:

If you have already completed high school or are currently upgrading, you will not be able to self-report your courses and marks on the application form or submit updated courses and marks. Your evaluation will be based on final, official transcripts, once we receive them. 

Exceptions:

If you have already graduated from high school or if the April 30 deadline has passed, you will need to apply using your final, official Grade 12 transcripts. 

Please see our Undergraduate Admissions Website - Submit Updates for more information.

Please note that your application status in ApplyAlberta will continue to say "not complete" as your application status is not updated there. Make sure to refer to your UAlberta Launchpad for application status updates and for information about documents that may be required!

If you have not received your Temporary PIN to log in to Launchpad, please reply to this email to let us know and we can resend it to the email address you have used to create your application.

If you have not received your temporary PIN or want to get your PIN reset, please send us an email request from your personal email on file or UAlberta email address. We will resend the PIN to you. 

You can accept your admission offer in your UAlberta Launchpad portal. Once you log in to your status page, click on “Reply to Offer of Admission”, then select "I ACCEPT my offer of admission to the University of Alberta" and click submit. 

If you are a new applicant to the university, you may also need to pay a non-refundable tuition deposit as part of the offer acceptance process. In order to make a payment through Launchpad, go back to your status page and click on "Submit Payment". For more payment options, please take a look at the Tuition Deposit Payment page.

Deadline

You must accept your offer and pay the tuition deposit by the deadline, which will be indicated in Launchpad, under "Reply to Offer of Admission". Otherwise, your offer may be revoked.

Please note that even after you have accepted your offer, you will still be required to meet any conditions stated in your offer letter. Otherwise, your offer may be revoked. For more information, see your offer letter, which you can view in  your Launchpad status page by clicking on "View Update."

You can accept your admission offer in your UAlberta Launchpad portal. Once you log in to your status page, click on “Reply to Offer of Admission”, then select "I ACCEPT my offer of admission to the University of Alberta" and click submit. 

 If you are a new applicant to the university, you may also need to pay a non-refundable tuition deposit as part of the offer acceptance process. In order to make a payment through Launchpad, go back to your status page and click on "Submit Payment".

If you are paying through Launchpad, your options are either Interac Online or credit card. Please note that credit card payments include a convenience fee of 2.5%. This fee is collected by our payment processor, at the time of payment, in addition to the tuition deposit. For more payment options, please take a look at the Tuition Deposit Payment page.

If you wish to pay for your tuition deposit via your Launchpad portal, please note that you can do so using RBC Interac debit or certain Credit Union cards.

If you don't have an eligible debit card, then you can make the payment through your online banking by following these steps:

• Access your bank website and sign in.
• Add ‘University of Alberta' as a payee on your bill payment profile
• Use your SEVEN DIGIT STUDENT ID NUMBER, then the FIRST FOUR LETTERS OF YOUR LAST NAME as your account number. If your last name has less than four letters, please use your first name to complete the four letters. For example, John Xu = 1234567XUJO
• Enter the amount to be paid and the date on which you would like to pay.
• Complete the transaction as if you were paying a utility bill.

Please note that it can take up to 14 business days for the payment to be reflected on both BearTracks and the Launchpad portal.

Deadline

You must accept your offer and pay the tuition deposit by the deadline, which will be indicated in Launchpad, under "Reply to Offer of Admission". Otherwise, your offer may be revoked.

Please note that even after you have accepted your offer, you will still be required to meet any conditions stated in your offer letter. Otherwise, your offer may be revoked. For more information, see your offer letter, which you can view in your Launchpad status page by clicking on "View Update". Also, you can find information about your tuition deposit deadline on the Accept your Offer page.

If you need to reset your CCID password, please visit the Information Services and Technology website. You must first enrol in the Self Service Password Reset function to add an alternate email/phone number, after which you will be able to reset your password using the Reset Your Password option.

Reset your CCID Password

After you have submitted your application, you will have access to the UAlberta Launchpad portal to check your application status and review any checklist items for your program. If your application states that it’s pending review, then that means an advisor is currently reviewing your application. Launchpad is the first place that any updates will be posted. You will be notified by email when there are updates posted. If we require any further information or documents, we will contact you directly. 

Please note that we are unable to give you an application evaluation update or a specific timeline by email, live chat or phone. Admissions offers are released on a rolling basis, as evaluations are completed.

Depending on what type of student you are, your transcripts may be sent to the university automatically, or you may need to arrange to have them sent. Please see Transcript submission process for more information.

We currently are still receiving and processing documents received by mail, but your institution can also send transcripts to us at transcript@ualberta.ca. We can only accept documents submitted by an institution in that account therefore if you have other documents to provide us for your application, please upload them through your Launchpad. Alberta high schools participating in ApplyAlberta will automatically send your official transcript to the University of Alberta at the end of the school year.  Please monitor your Launchpad status.

The deadline to apply for Winter term has passed. However, you can still apply for Spring or Summer term. Open Studies is a part-time student classification that allows students to take courses for credit without pursuing a degree program. The only requirement for admission to Open Studies is English Language Proficiency. This requirement is outlined in the University Calendar. The deadline to submit documents is the same as the application deadline for the term. A non-refundable and non-transferable application fee of $125 is required for new applicants.

Applications for admission to Open Studies are accepted each term. Deadlines are published in the U of A Calendar.

• Winter Term: December 15
• Spring Term: April 30
• Summer Term: June 30

After submitting an application for Open Studies, students will receive email notifications at their UAlberta email account from the Office of the Registrar regarding their application. Visit Open Studies for more information.

Applications for admission to Open Studies are accepted each term. Deadlines are published in the U of A Calendar.

• Fall Term: August 25
• Winter Term: December 15
• Spring Term: April 30
• Summer Term: June 30

After submitting an application for Open Studies, students will receive email notifications at their UAlberta email account from the Office of the Registrar regarding their application. Visit Open Studies for more information.

Because our application system is a US product, if you have selected Canadian Citizen under your citizenship status, it will show up as Foreign National once you submit your application, as this is a system default.

We can see on our end that you are a Canadian Citizen, so this won't affect your application or evaluation in any way and you don't need to correct or update anything.

Please note that your application proof may indicate "no degree awarded or expected" under your academic history, even though you have indicated that you have already received a degree or will be receiving one on your application form. This is a system error that will not affect your application or evaluation in any way, as we will use your application form, transcripts, and other documents for your evaluation.

All awards administered through the Office of the Registrar are listed on our website. You can visit Scholarships and Awards to find out which awards are available and determine your eligibility, as well as important deadlines.

For more information regarding bursaries and other financial supports, please visit:

• Financial Support
• Government of Alberta Scholarships and Bursaries
• Students' Union Awards & Scholarships

Student Service Centre can assist you with your loan application and advise you on how to manage your loans and pay for your education. Check out our website here for details.

Student loans are administered by the provincial and federal governments. When you apply for your provincial loans, you will be simultaneously assessed for federal funding.

Student loans are interest-free and payment-free during the period of study, followed by a six-month grace period. 

Part-time student loans require using the paper application form from Student Aid Alberta. Once your loan application is complete, you will need to get Page 3 of the form signed by Student Service Centre, or the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research if you are a graduate student. Once the application is complete, you will need to send it to Student Aid Alberta.

Some provinces/territories may allow you to apply for grant funding without taking out a student loan. If you would like to apply for grant funding only, please watch our instructional video here or talk to your provincial loan borrower for more information.

To access the Alberta Student Loan application you will need to create and verify an account through My Alberta Digital ID (MADI). If you are having issues setting up a MADI account or logging in, please contact the MADI helpdesk at https://account.alberta.ca/contact-us. 

You will only answer this question if you estimate that your income for 2022 will be less than it was for 2021. This question is a way to recognize that you may not have the same income while you're in school as you did last year. If you expect your income to be the same or higher just leave this question blank.

Do not include the CESB/CERB in your estimation of the Expected Reduced Income for yourself, parents or spouse.

If you have applied for Alberta Student Loans, please ensure that you check your application on your Student Aid Alberta portal to identify any possible discrepancies along with your registration. If you cannot identify any discrepancies, please use our contact form and one of our advisors can assist you.

If you have applied for an Out of Province loan, please contact Financial Services at student.payment@ualberta.ca for further assistance.

The deadline for our Undergraduate Entrance Scholarships closed on January 11, 2023.  However, we also offer admission-based scholarships that you don't even have to apply for! You will be evaluated for these admission scholarships when you apply for admission. Your eligibility will be based on your high school admission average at the time of your admission offer.

Applications for our Application-based Access Awards (Discover U and Turtle Spirit Pathway Awards) remain open to apply until February 15, 2023. 

Please note that you will need your CCID (Campus Computing ID) which is created several days after you have successfully submitted your application to the university.

If you have any outstanding tuition fees, your award payments will be applied directly to your tuition balance first.  If you are registered full time in both terms, the value of your awards will be split in half, with 50 per cent of the award applied to your tuition account for the Fall Term and the other 50 per cent applied to your tuition account for the Winter Term. Students will start seeing your awards as “Payments Received” after the Add/Drop deadline has passed. 

It can take a few weeks for an external funding cheque to be applied to your account.  Please check your Account Details in your Bear Tracks.  If it has been more than a month since the cheque has been sent to the University, please confirm with the funder to see if the cheque has been processed/cashed. If you have confirmed that the cheque has been mailed to the correct address at the University, please call us at the Student Service Centre at 780-492-3113. 

If you are an Open Studies student, the Student Service Centre can assist you. 

For graduate academic program questions, please contact your department.

For undergraduate academic program questions, please contact your Faculty Student Services office. The things they can help with include:

• Program / Degree planning and checklists
• Course selection / registration
• Declaring / Changing major
• Academic Standing
• Academic Appeals
• Exams - Deferred and Re-exam
• Transfer Credit
• Document requests (Letter of Permission, Letter of Completion, Certificate application)
• Graduation Requirements
• Letter of Expected Graduation Date
• Internships/Co-ops
• Prospective Student Advising
• Career Advising

To secure a spot in your course(s):

• Have an active CCID? You can complete the enrolment online in Bear Tracks — just make sure you proceed to the online credit card payment page to complete the transaction. Missed the payment page? No worries! Just hang tight for 30 minutes and the system will reset itself so you can retry your enrollment again. Please do not use the Make A Payment options in Bear Tracks.
• Don't have a CCID yet? Give us a call at 780-492-3113 and we'll complete your registration and payment by phone. This will complete your student profile setup and issue a CCID for future online registrations. The Student Services Centre is available by phone to help you during our business hours.
• Are you a University staff member looking to use HRDF for Extension courses? Please email us a course registration form — HRDF is not currently a payment option on our online checkout.

If you have any questions about courses, tuition payment options, or any program offered in the Faculty of Extension, we’d be happy to connect with you and provide answers or advice.

We can certainly invoice organizations for course fees. We require:

1. A course registration form completed and signed by the student
2. A Letter of Authorization on company letterhead or a Purchase Order that includes the student’s name(s), course name(s) and date(s), fees, and the printed name and written signature of an official with signing authority (not the student). The letter must state that the University of Alberta is authorized to invoice for payment.

Alternatively, if your organization does not already have a standard letter of authorization or purchase order that they would like to use, you can submit a Financial Guarantee for Invoicing Form. The forms can be submitted via our contact form.

Unfortunately, Continuing Education certificates, citations, and diploma programs are non-credit part-time programs and are not eligible for a Canadian study permit. You are more than welcome to take any course or program that is part of an online delivery from your respective country.

If you are an international student, we strongly recommend that you contact U of A International at advising@international.ualberta.ca prior to applying at the University of Alberta.