If your fees will be paid by an outside agency such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, CIDA, or a foreign government, you must have written proof of this sponsorship. Your sponsor must confirm the conditions of their sponsorship in writing on company letterhead to the University. This allows the University to initiate a contract with your sponsor and effect the payment to your fee account. You need to notify the University at least one month before the beginning of the term in which the contract takes effect. For more information and the required forms, see mcgill.ca/student-accounts/parents-and-sponsors/third-party-sponsorship.

When a third party agrees to pay fees on behalf of a student, payment is recorded on the fee account, which reduces the balance the student must pay. The University reserves the right to insist upon payment. If the third party does not pay the promised fees within 90 days of invoicing, the student is responsible for paying the fees plus the late payment fee and accrued interest.

Student funding may be paid directly to your student fee account or directly deposited to your bank. Please verify the payment schedule and the method of payment on Minerva's Financial Aid/Award menu if you are expecting a fellowship/award.

Students who are expecting awards to be paid in early January prior to the fee deadline may reduce their payment amount by the total amount of their awards. This will avoid unnecessary credit balances to be refunded.

Please note that credit balances in student fee accounts that result from payment from fellowships/awards are refundable only after the official course "course withdrawal with full refund" deadline for each term.

Students may also receive external scholarships from other organizations, outside agencies, parents’ employers or community groups. These awards are typically sent directly to the University. Such students should provide the Student Accounts Office with a letter from the external body indicating the details and requirements of how the scholarship funds should be distributed, including any conditions for the award. If such information is not specified, the amount of the scholarship will be split into two terms and will be credited to the student’s account as soon as the student is registered, with the second instalment credited the first working day in January. If the student does not meet the requirements of the scholarship, the funds will be returned to the external body.

Students may need an anticipated scholarship to reduce their balance owing for a given term. If so, email student.accounts [at] mcgill.ca with “External Scholarships” in the subject line, at least one week before the fee deadline as stated on the e-bill, and indicate the amount, currency (Canadian or US dollars) and agency or company issuing the scholarship. A fee deferral for the expected amount will reduce the amount owed. The deferral will expire by the end of September for the Fall term or January for the Winter term. Interest will be assessed at the prevailing rate on outstanding amounts beyond the deferral deadline.

Students with no outstanding tuition or fees from a prior term may request that payment(s) of tuition and fees be deferred based on self-reported demonstrated sources of funding from the university, government, or other external agencies. Such requests will be granted on a term by term basis during which time no interest or late payment charges will be applied to the fees covered by the deferral. The length of time that a fee deferral is in effect will depend on the nature of the fee deferral. For the list of deferrals and their duration, please refer to the Student Accounts website at mcgill.ca/student-accounts/awards-assistance/tuition-fees-payment-deferral.

Students may apply for a fee deferral via the “Defer Payment of Tuition and Fees” form through the Financial Aid/Award menu on Minerva, selecting the category applicable to their situation. All applicants will be verified to ensure they have self reported their situation accurately.

The Minerva application for deferral of tuition fees form is available in mid-July for the Fall term (mid-December for the Winter and early April for the Summer). Students who apply up to the fee deadline can be assured that the deferral will be in effect prior to interest being charged on their account.

A fee deferral generally covers the amount of the Fall (Winter or Summer) term charges, which include tuition, administrative and certain academic fees, and health and dental insurance. Charges not covered by the tuition deferral include, but are not limited to, housing charges, meal plans, printing charges, or any other amounts owing that are not considered registration charges. Interest on outstanding already-billed amounts will continue to be charged on a monthly basis excluding amounts covered by the student aid tuition deferral.

Students are reminded that tuition and student housing fees have first call upon financial aid received from any source.