Jan. 23, 2023

Understanding UCalgary's tuition fees

 An education at UCalgary – one of Canada’s top-five research universities - is a valuable investment and we want to make sure you have all the information you need to support understanding that investment and making an informed decision.
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Tuition Fees

Undergraduate students’ tuition fees will show in your student centre when you register in courses. Fees amounts are based on the faculty offering the course and your residency; students who have Canadian citizenship or permanent resident or refugee status pay the Canadian/permanent resident tuition rate and international students pay the international rate.

Fees are due on the fee payment deadline of each term. All students can pay their fees online from nearly anywhere in the world through our payment options. Payment plans are also available for students in all programs and allow students to pay in installments over the term, rather than being due all at once.

Before you register, estimates are available in our Undergraduate cost calculator.  

Tuition fees are reviewed regularly by the Board of Governors in consultation with students. You can find the most up-to-date tuition and fee amounts in the academic calendar.
 

Maximum Tuition Guarantee

International students receive information about maximum tuition amounts with their admission letter. Initially the admission letter contains estimated maximum tuition amounts until January. Guaranteed maximum tuition amounts are finalized and communicated once approved by the Board of Governors.

We often get asked why this amount differs from the amount in the cost calculator. Here’s the difference:

The guaranteed maximum tuition amounts are for the duration of your program at UCalgary and are based on the highest number of courses required for your program at the highest tuition rate. This means that the costs for your program will never be more than what is stated in the admission letter but may be less depending on the courses you are required to take in your program.

The cost calculator includes an estimate of first year costs based on typical course load for students using current approved tuition rates.

For example, the guaranteed maximum tuition amount for an Engineering student is based on 36 units of Engineering courses (12 courses per year) for the four years to graduate. The information in the cost calculator is based on 33 units (11 courses) of course work (5 in Engineering and 6 in other faculties), which is a typical course load for first year Engineering students using current 2022-2023 approved fees.

The cost estimator will also estimate general fees, personal expenses and costs for living on or off-campus to help with your planning.