If your fees will be paid by an external organization or agency (e.g., Department of Veterans Affairs, Saudi Bureau, foreign government), you must have your sponsor confirm the conditions of their sponsorship (sometimes called a financial guarantee) in writing on their corporate letterhead and send this letter to the University. Once received by the University and if registration has occurred, your account will be adjusted. Sponsors must confirm annually the list of eligible students by August 1st of each year or one month prior to the start of the term. For more information, please refer to mcgill.ca/student-accounts/parents-and-sponsors/third-party-sponsorship.

If the sponsor does not pay the promised fees within 90 days of invoicing, you are responsible for paying the fees plus the late payment fee and accrued interest.

Student awards may be paid directly to your student fee account or direct deposited to your bank. Please verify the payment schedule and the method of payment on Minerva's Financial Aid/Awards menu if you are expecting a scholarship or 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 scholarships and awards are refundable only after the official "course withdrawal with full refund" deadline for each term.

You may also receive external scholarships from other organizations, outside agencies, parents’ employers, or community groups. These awards are typically sent directly to the University. You 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 your account as soon as you have registered, with the second instalment credited the first working day in January, which will be prior to the fee payment deadline. As such, you may reduce your payment amount by the total amount of your awards. This will avoid unnecessary credit balances to be refunded. If you do not meet the requirements of the scholarship, the funds will be returned to the external body.

You may need an anticipated scholarship to reduce your 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.

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

Students with no prior outstanding tuition/fees 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 on the fees covered by the deferral while the deferral is effective. Once the deferral has ended, notification will be sent and fees will be due in full by the next payment deadline, otherwise interest and late payment fees will apply. 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.

Students may apply for a fee deferral via "Defer Payment of Tuition and Fees" through the Financial Aid/Awards 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. Note that students who apply late may not request cancellation of interest.

A fee deferral generally covers the amount of the Fall (Winter or Summer) term charges, which include tuition, administrative, and certain academic fees, as well as 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.