Financial Obligations

The University reserves the right to modify the published scale of tuition and other student fees without prior notice, at any time before the beginning of an academic term. This document contains the most current information on the University's Financial Regulations and Fees and is the authoritative document regarding the University's financial regulations as well as the billing of tuition and compulsory fees.

C. Financial regulations

1. Overview

In order to register, a student’s account must be in “good standing” (i.e. the student has no outstanding balance or monies owing from a previous or current term). Once a student has registered for a course(s) or course notation, e.g. CIP, STOQ, the student becomes responsible for payment of the resulting fees. Fees become due at the start of each term and must be paid no later than the published payment deadline date.

2. Payments, payment deadlines and what fees must be paid

For the purpose of this document, the definition of the words "payment" and "paid" is:

"A student's account is considered to have been paid only when the student's payment appears on the student's account."

The student’s payment must appear on the student’s account no later than the published payment deadline date. If the student makes a payment at his/her bank or on the bank’s online payment service, and if that payment is made on the actual payment deadline date, or one or two days before the payment deadline date, the payment will not appear on the student’s account until after the deadline, and the late payment and interest fees will be charged.

All monies owing to the University (such as tuition and compulsory fees, residence rent, delinquent emergency loans, library fines, etc.) must be paid when they become due; that is, the payment must appear on the student's account no later than the payment deadline date.

A Student's Account balance is available on the student portal (under the MyConcordia Menu » Financial » Student's Account). Payment deadline dates are available under the Fee Payment Deadlines section and on the Student's Account. No printed invoices or statements of account are issued by the University.

3. When are fees due and when must fees be paid?

Tuition and compulsory fees become due on the first day of class and must be paid in full (appear on the student's account) no later than:

Note:
When a payment deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, payments will be accepted until 7 pm on the next business day. Payments received after that time will be subject to a late payment fee and monthly interest charges.

Note 1:
No printed invoices or statements of account will be issued by the University. If someone other than the student will be paying the student’s fees, e.g. a parent or spouse, the student must make sure that the person paying the fees is fully aware of the payment deadlines, methods by which payment can be made and the consequences of making a late payment.

Note 2:
Payments made through a bank’s online payment service takes approximately 3 to 5 business days to appear on the student’s account. Other payment methods may also take several days to appear on the student’s account. Please keep this mind when meeting a payment deadline.

4. Methods of payment

The University will not accept cash or credit cards for the payment of student tuition and other fees. Payments can be made by:

• Online/web banking or telephone banking services offered by a Canadian chartered bank. The student must set up Concordia University as a payee and use his/her 7-digit student ID number as the Concordia account number.
  
  

  Note:
  Each bank's processing time varies and it normally takes a minimum of 3 - 5 business days for the payment to appear on a student’s account.

• Automatic teller machines (ATM) in Canada. The student must set up Concordia University as a payee with their Canadian banking institution and use his/her 7-digit student ID number as the Concordia account number.
  
  

  Note:
  Each bank’s processing time varies and it normally takes a minimum of 3 - 5 business days for the payment to appear on a student’s account.

• A personal or certified cheque, money order or bank draft can be mailed as follows. The cheque must be made payable to Concordia University and a legible student I.D. number must be written on both the front and back of the cheque. The cheque payment is mailed to
  
  
  Concordia University
  c/o Student Accounts Office
  Postal Box 339
  Place d'Armes Post Office
  Montreal, QC H2Y 3L9
  
  

  Note:
  All corrections made to a cheque, e.g. wrong date, amount, etc. must be initialled by the bank account holder. Otherwise, our bank may not process the cheque, the cheque will be returned to the student and the student will be charged a returned item processing fee.

  
  Students can avoid mailing and processing delays by preparing a post-dated cheque , making it payable on the deadline date and mailing it well ahead of the payment deadline date. Our bank will process the payment on the date noted on the cheque and the payment will appear on the student’s account by the payment deadline date. The student will not be charged a late payment fee or interest for any cheque that is negotiable (dated) on the deadline date, e.g. September 30th for fall term fees.
• Wire transfers for International students
  

  Please contact studentaccounts@concordia.ca for information related to wire transfers for International students

• Wire transfers for U.S. students only

  Please contact studentaccounts@concordia.ca for information related to wire transfers for U.S students

• In-person payments made at the Birks Student Service Centre in S-LB-185 can be made by personal or certified cheque, money order, bank draft or debit card (Interac)
  
  

  Note:
  Canadian banks limit the “daily” amount that can be withdrawn with a debit (Interac) card even if the monies are available in the student’s bank account. Before going to the Birks Student Service Centre to pay a large sum by debit card, students are asked to contact their bank to advise them that a large payment will be made. The bank should also be advised of the amount of the payment. Your bank will temporarily lift the “per day” limit, and your payment will be processed by Concordia without undue delays.

5. Payment arrangements for students with an outstanding balance from a previous term

In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the student’s control, students with an outstanding (overdue) balance from a previous term may be eligible to negotiate a payment arrangement with the Student Accounts Office.  A payment arrangement would allow the student to register for courses during the regular registration period only, i.e. not during the early registration period.  The Student Accounts Office begins to negotiate payment arrangements two weeks prior to the start of a new academic term and will continue to accept requests until the last day to register for that term.

The late payment and interest fees apply to all outstanding balances that are not paid by the published fee payment deadline dates even when a payment arrangement has been negotiated.  The terms and conditions of a Special Payment Agreement contract require the student to make a down-payment of 75% of the outstanding balance from the student’s most recent term of registration plus 100% of older balances will be required before the Accounts Restriction will be lifted.

The terms and conditions of the contract require the student to pay the remaining 25% of the outstanding balance from the previous term, plus applicable late payment and interest fees, as follows:

All fees for term(s) in which the student is permitted to register (as a result of signing the contract) must be paid by the following dates or registration for future terms will be cancelled:

If the student does not meet the terms and conditions of the Special Payment Agreement contract, the student will not be eligible to negotiate a payment arrangement with the Student Accounts Office for one full academic year, i.e. the next 3 to 5 academic terms.

Note
Payment arrangements do not supersede the University’s financial regulations with regard to the release of diplomas, scholastic certificates, official and unofficial transcripts of academic record, attending convocation plus letters of attestation of academic standing, confirmation of enrolment, confirmation of grades or completion of program, financial standing, immigration status, degree verification, detailed statements of account, payment receipts or permission to register in future terms. In addition, students will not be permitted to register for additional courses or future academic terms until all current amounts due are paid in full.

The University reserves the right to cancel a current registration if payment arrangements are not honoured. However, current registrations will not automatically be cancelled for non-payment of an outstanding balance.

6. Other payment arrangements

• Students with an Accounts Restriction who wish to register
  
  Students paying Quebec or non-Quebec resident tuition fees; and some students receiving financial aid from the U.S. may be eligible to may be eligible to with an accounts restriction who wish to register may be eligible to apply for a Tuition and other fees deferral contract if they have not yet received their provincial or federal student loan and/or bursary before the end of a registration period. Students must apply to the Financial Aid and Awards Office at S-GM-230 for a deferral.
  
  

  Note
  By signing a tuition deferral contract, the student agrees to pay all monies owing to the University at the time of the disbursement of their student aid. The lending agency will automatically deduct the monies owed to the University from the loan or bursary and will forward the monies directly to the University.
  
  Late payment and interest fees will be charged even when the student’s account is paid by a student loan or bursary.

• Students whose fees are paid to the University by a “Sponsor” (e.g. government, embassy, corporation, etc.) must present original proof of sponsorship to the Student Accounts Office before the payment deadline date. Any fees not covered by the student’s sponsor must be paid by the student no later than the payment deadline date.
• A University employee may be eligible for an employee tuition waiver. The tuition waiver form and information on how apply for a waiver is available on the Human Resources website.
  
  A tuition waiver covers only the base tuition rate for University credit courses. Non-Québec resident and international student premiums plus all compulsory fees charged by the University are not covered by the waiver. All compulsory fees must be paid by the student no later than the fee payment deadline; otherwise late payment and interest fees will be charged on the outstanding balance (excluding the portion that will be covered by the tuition waiver).
  
  All waivers are reported as taxable benefits for the student with the issue of a T4A and Relevé at the end of the covering taxation year.
• Payroll deductions may be available to teaching and research assistants and certain Concordia employees. The student must go to the Payroll Office in S-FB-1120 to complete and submit a Payroll Deduction form.

7. Consequences for late payment and/or non-payment of fees

• Late payment and interest fees
  
  When a payment for monies owing to the University does not appear on the student’s account by the payment deadline date, a late payment and monthly interest fee will be charged. The late payment fee is charged to a student’s account a maximum of one time each term and interest is charged on outstanding balances at the end of each month until the outstanding balance has been paid in full.
• Accounts registration restrictions; registration and course changes
  
  An Accounts Restriction will be applied to any student’s account with an outstanding (overdue) balance. Students with an accounts restriction are not permitted to register for, or make course changes to an existing registration in a current or future academic term.  Students are permitted to drop a course(s) or withdraw from their program of study at any time, however.
  
  Courses for which a student has registered in the current and future academic terms are not cancelled and the student is not barred from attending class, sitting for "in-class" examinations, or submitting course work.
  
  Students with an Accounts Restriction are not permitted to attend Convocation. An Accounts Restriction is automatically removed when the outstanding (overdue) balance is paid in full.
• Release of official transcripts and other official documents
  
  Failure to make payment when a fee becomes due is sufficient cause for the University to bar a student from having access to Library and IT services, accessing some student portal services including but not limited to:  My Class Schedule, My Book List, My Grades, Transcript, Registration excluding withdrawals from a course(s), Get a Locker, Student Parking, and the Continuing Education menu items such as Transcript, Class Schedule or Contract.
  
  Failure to make payment when a fee becomes due is sufficient cause for the University to withhold diplomas, scholastic certificates, official and unofficial transcripts of academic record plus letters of attestation of academic standing, confirmation of enrolment, confirmation of grades or completion of program, financial standing, immigration status, degree verification, detailed statements of account, special company/tuition receipts and so on.
  
  Transcripts for students with outstanding balances on their student account will be released under the following circumstances only:
  • to internal competitions and external funding agencies when the release of the transcript is necessary for the student to continue in, or complete their studies and/or research at Concordia University; and,
  • for applications to a Concordia University degree program.
  All other requests for official transcripts or other documents will not be granted.

8. When miscellaneous fees/charges become due

Miscellaneous fees (e.g. interest charges, locker fees, fines, etc.) are due 30 days from the date that the charge is posted to the student’s account.  After that date, late payment and interest fees are applied to accounts with an outsanding balance.

9. Adjustments to a student's account

All accounts are subject to revision for changes to the published scale of fees (which may be made without prior notice at or before the beginning of an academic term), registrations of record and for the adjustment of errors or omissions, as well as in the case of courses cancelled by the University.

10. Tuition & Enrolment (Tax) Receipts

Tuition & Enrolment (tax) receipts are issued each February for the previous taxation year and are available to students on their student portal (www.MyConcordia.ca).

11. Returned items (e.g. cheque payments)

Current and/or future registrations may be cancelled if a cheque or credit card payment (e.g. application fee) is returned for any reason. A returned items processing fee will be charged for each returned item.

12. Delinquent student accounts

If monies owing to the University are not paid when they become due the monies owing will be considered to be overdue and the student’s account will be considered to be delinquent.

13. Delinquent accounts collections

Overdue payments and delinquent accounts are managed as follows:

1. Late payment Fee
   A late payment fee will be charged on overdue balances on the Student’s Account.
2. Interest fees
   Monthly interest fees are charged on all overdue balances at the rate of 8% per annum (or 0.67% per month, compounded). This rate may change from time to time in conformity with prevailing interest rates. Monthly interest is charged on unpaid fees for the
   • fall term courses/enrolment beginning September 30th
   • winter term courses/enrolment beginning January 31st
   • summer term courses/enrolment beginning May 31st
3. Collection of a delinquent account
   The Student Accounts Office will
   1. send an e-mail to the student’s e-mail address on record as a reminder that the student’s account has become delinquent and that the account will be placed with a collection agency if payment is not received within a specified period of time; or
   2. send a statement of account or letter to the student’s mailing address on record as a reminder that the student’s account has become delinquent and that the account will be placed with a collection agency if payment is not received within a specified period of time; and
   3. place the account with a collection agency if payment has not been received within the period of time noted on both the e-mail and letter reminders.
   The University reserves the right to proceed by way of legal action.