Out of province tuition fee exemptions

Source: https://www.uottawa.ca/study/fees-financial-support/university-fees/out-province-tuition-fee-exemptions Parent: https://www.uottawa.ca/study/fees-financial-support/university-fees/tuition-international

Some out-of-province students pay Ontario tuition fees. If you've been billed as a non-Ontario resident and need to apply to pay Ontario tuition fees, this page explains who’s eligible, how to apply and what supporting documentation to submit in the application process.

Deadlines

If you’ve been billed non-Ontario resident tuition fees but are eligible to pay Ontario resident tuition fees due to your residency status, you can request a tuition fee billing change. Submit your request with the required documentation by the following deadlines:

Fall 2025: September 26, 2025

Winter 2026: January 30, 2026

Spring-Summer 2025: July 23, 2025

Notes

The adjustment will be made during the study period when the fee change has been approved. We don’t make fee changes for prior study periods.
No exceptions to these deadlines can be made.

Eligibility for Ontario resident tuition fees

Submit the required documentation based on which of the eligibility scenarios below applies to you by the Fall-Winter or Summer term deadline.

You’re a dependent student and your parent’s primary residence is in Ontario

Required documentation:

Your parent’s most recent Notice of Assessmentconfirming residency in Ontario and proof of dependent relationship.

(a) Proof of dependent relationship AND(b) your parent’s property tax bill orresidential lease agreement AND(c) one of the following documents from your parents:
Utility bill (e.g., hydro, gas, water, cable, cellphone)
Valid provincially-issued photo identification (e.g., Ontario driver’s licence, Ontario Photo Card)
Child Tax Benefit statement
Home insurance policy
Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid (T4E)
Statement of Old Age Security (T4A) (OAS) or Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits (T4A) (P)
Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions
Employment confirmation (e.g., pay stub or letter from employer)

Suggested supporting documentation demonstrating the dependent relationship between you and your parents:

A Canadian long-form birth certificate with parental information
A foreign birth certificate officially translated into English or French with parental information
Parent’s Record of Landing document (IMM1000/IMM5292/IMM5688) with list of accompanying family members
Parent’s Confirmation of Permanent Residence visa with list of accompanying family members
Notice of Decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada with list of accompanying family members
Proof of adoption documents with parental information

Notes:

Documents demonstrating the dependent relationship with your parents must include your full legal name. The name(s) and address on the property tax statement or lease agreement requested in 2(b) must match the documents provided to meet the 2(c) requirements.

As a dependent student, you don’t have to live with your parents during your study period.

You’re an independent student, your primary residence is in Ontario, and Ontario is the last province you’ve lived in for 12 consecutive months prior to being a postsecondary student

Required documentation:

Your most recent Notice of Assessmentconfirming residency in Ontario.

(a) Your property tax bill or residential lease agreement covering the last 12 months prior to being a postsecondary student AND (b) any one of the following documents:
Utility bill (e.g., hydro, gas, water, cable, cellphone)
Valid provincially-issued photo identification (e.g., Ontario driver’s licence, Ontario Photo Card)
Child Tax Benefit statement
Home insurance policy
Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid (T4E)
Statement of Old Age Security (T4A) (OAS) or Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits (T4A) (P)
Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions
Employment confirmation (e.g., pay stub or letter from employer)

Notes:

Your name and address on the property tax statement or lease agreement requested in 2(a) must match the document provided to meet the 2(b) requirements.

You’re an independent student, your spouse or common law partner’s primary residence is in Ontario and Ontario is the last province your spouse or common law partner has lived in for 12 consecutive months in a row

Required documentation:

(a) Proof of marriage or proof of common law status for a period of three years

Suggested supporting documentation: a Canadian marriage certificate or foreign marriage certificate translated into English, declaration of a common law union (IMM 5409), a notarized affidavit of common law status, any one document with both partners’ or spouses’ names providing evidence of co-habitation for the last three years, such as a tax statement, mortgage statement, property tax bill or lease agreement.

(b) Proof of cohabitation for any period and proof of dependent children (natural or adoptive)

Suggested supporting documentation:proof of a dependent child AND any one document with both spouses’ or partners’ names providing evidence of cohabitation, such as a tax statement, mortgage statement, property tax bill or lease agreement.

AND

Your spouse’s or partner’s most recent Notice of Assessment confirming residency in Ontario.

(a) Your spouse’s or partner’s property tax bill or residential lease agreement covering the last 12 months AND (b) any one of the following documents (re-use any applicable documents from 1(a) and 1(b):
Utility bill (e.g., hydro, gas, water, cable, cellphone)
Valid provincially-issued photo identification (e.g., Ontario driver’s licence, Ontario Photo Card)
Child Tax Benefit statement
Home insurance policy
Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid (T4E)
Statement of Old Age Security (T4A) (OAS) or Statement of Canada PensionPlan Benefits (T4A) (P)
Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions
Employment confirmation (e.g., pay stub or letter from employer)

Notes:

Documents demonstrating marriage or a common law relationship must include your full legal name. Your spouse’s or partner’s name and address on the property tax statement or lease agreement requested in 3(a) must match the document provided to satisfy 3(b).

You’ve been approved for permanent residency through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

Required documentation:

A Confirmation of Nomination letter from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration attesting to your participation in the program.
Proof of Permanent Resident (PR) status or approval in principle status (AIP) such as a valid PR card, Confirmation of Permanent Residence visa, approval in principle letter or acknowledgement of receipt letter from the IRCC.

Notes:

To qualify as an Ontario resident for tuition fee purposes, you must be a permanent resident or, if you’re awaiting approval of your permanent resident status and are in Canada on a study visa, you must have had an international fee exemption approved by the Office of the Registrar through InfoService.

You’re receiving or are eligible to receive provincial funding from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) in the current academic year OR you received or were eligible for OSAP funding in a previous year and have not had a break in enrolment

Required documentation:

The University will determine your OSAP funding status. There’s no need to submit documentation to prove you meet this requirement.

Definitions

To help you determine if you fit one of the eligibility scenarios above, here’s a list of definitions. They should help you understand Ontario resident tuition billing. However, they don’t show whether you’re eligible for other University of Ottawa services.

Parent

“Parent” or “parents” refers to one or both birth parents, adoptive parents, step-parents, legal guardians or official sponsors.

Approved in Principle (AIP) and Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR)

According to the Government of Canada glossary, permanent residence applicants have been “approved in principle” when they’ve received a letter from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stating that they meet the permanent residence eligibility requirements, but they have to pass the medical, security and background checks. Students can present their Approval in Principle or official Acknowledgment of Receipt letter as proof of this status.

Independent student

You’re an independent student if one of the following is true:

You’re married or in a common law relationship
You’re a parent
You’ve been out of high school for six years or more at the start of your study period
You’ve worked full time for at least 24 months in a row
Both your parents are deceased

Dependent student

You’re a dependent student if all of the following are true:

You’re not married or in a common-law relationship
You’re not separated, divorced or widowed
You’re not a parent
You’ve been out of high school for less than six years before the start of your study period
You haven’t worked full time for at least 24 months in a row

Common-law relationship

As defined by the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), you are living in a common-law relationship if you and your spouse:

have cohabitated continuously for a period of at least three years or;
are in a relationship of some permanence and are the natural or adoptive parents of a child.

Request form

To request Ontario resident tuition fee billing, complete and submit the form along with the required documentation. If your request is approved, your enrolment records will be revised to show you’re billed Ontario resident tuition fees. We’ll send our decision on your request to your @uOttawa.ca email address.