Fees and finances
There are a variety of sources to help cover the costs of attending university
Funding your education
Students usually tap into multiple funding sources to cover the costs of university. These can include a combination of scholarships and bursaries, external awards, student loans, RESPs, and part-time jobs. In addition to many on-campus job opportunities, UCalgary also offers paid research experiences for students to complete during the summer months. Taking a multifaceted approach to funding your education will help cover the costs of your academic journey while gaining valuable life experience.
Understanding your fees
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to understand your tuition and fees.
Student fees provide you with great benefits including:
- Athletic facilities
- Transit passes
- Dinos game tickets
- Campus recreation
- Health and dental
Your cost estimator
University is a valuable investment and planning for your university costs and how to fund your education is important. To simplify the process, we’ve created an online Cost Estimator Tool.
Use it to get a estimate of costs specific to your unique circumstance.
Payment plans
Our goal is to make paying tuition and fees as straightforward as possible for students. That’s why UCalgary students have the option to self-enrol in a payment plan that allows them to pay in instalments over the term, rather than all at once.
Learn more about payment plans
Entrance awards
UCalgary offers $20 million in scholarships, awards and bursaries each year to prospective high school students. Please note that our Entrance Award program is available for both Canadian and international applicants. Applicants must first apply for admission to be considered. UCalgary's award application is competitive.
Entrance Awards for high school students are split into three unique categories:
- Automatic Admission Awards
- Prestige Awards
- High School Entrance Awards
Awards highlights
Automatic admission awards
By applying for admission, you'll automatically be considered for some scholarships such as our President's Admission Scholarship. This award is valued at $5,000 and is given to any student with an admission average of 95% or higher.
- Deadline: N/A
- Application required: No
- Time to apply: N/A
- Notification: Issued at the time of offer of admission
High school awards and Bursaries
Our High School Awards and Bursaries application encompasses 1,100+ awards that vary from $500 to $10,000. These awards consider a range of criteria, such as academic performance, financial need, and extracurricular involvement. Some are also specific to your high school’s location. Submit one application and you’ll be automatically considered for all relevant awards.
- Deadline: March 1
- Application required: Yes
- Time to apply: 15 minutes
- Notification date: May 1
Prestige awards
UCalgary prestige awards are valued up to $30,400 and many are renewable. These awards are for our high-achieving incoming students. The criteria for these awards vary. They always include not only academic excellence, but also accomplishments outside the classroom.
- Deadline: Dec. 1
- Application required: Yes
- Time to apply: A few hours (essay questions)
- Notification Period: March 1 through May 1
How to apply for our entrance awards
- You must first apply for admission which opens on October 1 of each year. You’ll get access to the award application 24 to 48 hours after you’ve submitted your application for admission.
- You can access the award application through your Student Centre (my.ucalgary.ca) My UCalgary. You will need your eID and password which you created when you applied for admission.
Tips for crafting a great award application:
- Stay within the suggested word count.
- Write out your answers in Word or a similar app and then copy/paste them into the application.
- Before you start the application, gather all the details you'll need to include in your response (such as the name of the organization, dates you attended, a person we could contact to verify the details and so on).
- When highlighting your experiences, focus on what you learned, the impact of the activity and be sure to discuss your collaboration.
- Write about activities that have an intrinsic motivation (sports, clubs, volunteers, student council), and don't discuss activities that only benefit you (such as employment or personal wellness opportunities)
- When calculating your resources for financial need, if it includes an assumption of a resource (such as a job you hope to get, but don't have), don't include it in your calculation.
Receiving award payments
External awards
External awards are available from many sources outside of the university and are a great way to supplement your funding. They have a variety of criteria and deadlines. We have links to a number of different sources on our external awards finance webpage.
Clubs, associations and organizations also often provide educational funding to their members and dependents. Check with the clubs or organizations that you or your family members are involved with to see if they offer any awards or funding opportunities.
A selection of groups that offer student scholarships and awards include:
- Alberta Student Aid Scholarships
- Calgary Foundation
- Universities Canada
- Loran Scholars Foundation
- Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE)
- Government of Canada Scholarships
- Indspire Institute
- Mensa Canada Scholarship Programme
- Scholarships Canada.com
- Student Scholarships.org
- Yconic
- Atila
- See also the Indigenous Bursaries Search Tool
Be sure to also speak with your school guidance counsellor about awards. Many high schools have scholarship programs that you could access to help fund your studies.
Additional funding sources
Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs)
RESPs are one source of funding you many use to finance your education. It’s best to begin the process of accessing RESPs as early as June of the year you’re entering university. The Government of Canada’s RESP webpage has a detailed explanation of how to access and use RESPs to pay for your schooling.
To release your money, RESP vendors often ask for a confirmation of registration letter. To access RESPs, you’ll need a confirmation of registration letter (select the “without fees” version of the letter). Learn how to print your confirmation of registration letter (without fees) on our finances webpage. Scroll to the “current students” section for details.
Student loans
Student loan applications generally open in June. Each province has specific dates and instructions to follow. Check with your provincial provider for details on how to apply.
Details on Alberta student loans can be found on this section of our finances website.
Details on out-of-province student loans can be found on this section of our finances website.
Loans for international students are issued through your home country, and often through a local banking institution. We encourage you to carefully review the terms and conditions of any loan agreement.
As a Title IV eligible foreign school, UCalgary students may be considered for one of the Direct Loans Program. Visit our U.S. loans page and click on each loan type to find more information and determine your eligibility.
Link: https://www.ucalgary.ca/registrar/finances/student-loans/us-student-loans
If you're ineligible for direct loans, or if you need to borrow additional funding to meet the cost of attendance, you can apply for a Sallie Mae Student Loan.
As a foreign school, we’re unable to disburse Pell Grants to U.S. Direct Loan applicants.
Part-time jobs
There are many part-time jobs that will allow you the freedom to pursue your studies while also earning some extra money. And many of them are on campus!
The best place to start is by checking out the Centre for Career & Personal Development (CCPD) website. CCPD hosts an active job board for UCalgary students that’s continually updated. It also offers many job-search tools such as resumé and cover letter assistance, job search resources and workshops, and interview preparation sessions.
UCalgary’s Students’ Union boasts a mighty team of 500 part-time staff and volunteers who are behind the diverse and vibrant programs, events and services to the campus community. Keep an eye on its website throughout the year for exciting opportunities to get involved and make a difference.
Paid research positions
UCalgary students have access to many paid research opportunities. One of the main programs is the Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE). PURE is an exceptional undergraduate research experience that empowers UCalgary students to gain mentorship and learn valuable skills for their future. It provides up to $7,500 for undergraduate students in all disciplines to embark on an 8–16 week summer research project with a supervisor in a field they’re passionate about.