Fees & Payments
Find out the cost to live in student housing at UBC, plus when and how to pay.
Quick facts
Top things to know about fees for housing and meal plans.
- Fees vary by residence area and room type.
- Pay residence and meal plan fees directly to Student Housing—not to your tuition account.
- When you receive an offer email, you must pay a deposit or first instalment of fees by the deadline indicated in the email. Failure to make this payment means you forfeit your residence offer.
How do I pay my offer acceptance deposit?
If you receive a housing offer for a contract starting on or after June 1, 2024, you can pay your acceptance deposit via credit card only.
Pay your deposit with a credit card
Pay through the SHCS Online Service Centre with a Visa or Mastercard.
Don’t have access to a credit card?
If you do not have access to a credit card to pay your acceptance deposit, please contact us immediately to discuss alternative options at information@housing.okanagan.ubc.ca or 250 807 8050.
How do I pay my residence fees?
Payment options for ongoing residence fees.
We will continue to update this section as UBC fully transitions to Workday in early-fall 2024.
We recommend pre-authorized debit (PAD) as the quickest and easiest way to pay your residence fees.
Pre-authorized debit (PAD)
If you have a bank account at a Canadian financial institution, you can pay your residence and meal plan fees via pre-authorized debit (PAD) from your chequing or savings account.
To make a pre-authorized debit payment:
Your PAD payment will be posted to your SHCS account immediately. However, it can take several days for your financial institution to fully process your payment and issue funds to UBC SHCS.
Additional notes:
- Use matching contact info: In TouchNet, you will need to use the billing address and phone number that match the information associated with your bank account.
- Future payments: After you submit your first payment via pre-authorized debit (PAD), SHCS does not automatically withdraw funds via PAD for future fee payments. You will still need to manually submit each future payment—and set up your banking information in TouchNet each time.
Credit Card (Visa or MasterCard)
Pay by credit card via the Student Housing and Community Services Online Service Centre for:
- Residence, and Residence meal plan fees
- Assessment and late fees
- Early arrival and extension fees
Please note that a non-refundable 2.5% convenience fee will be applied to online credit card payments for the above items. This fee is paid directly to the payment processor, not to UBC.
Please note: The confirmation email will be sent by the payment processor to the email entered by the payee at the time of making a payment.
We also send a confirmation email to the email associated with a student’s profile, but ours does not include the detailed breakdown (i.e. it will not show the convenience fee).
You can use your credit card to make fee-free payments online or in person at Student Housing and Community Services for:
- Residence application fees
- Residence, and Residence meal plan acceptance deposits
- Residence room transfer fees
- Voluntary meal plans
Online Banking Bill Payment
Bill payment via online banking is now available for residence and meal plan fees.
Make a bill payment from your Canadian online bank account by adding a Payee “UBC Student Housing and Meal Plan”. Your account number at UBC is your student number. Please allow 3-5 business days for processing.
This service is currently available at Scotiabank, HSBC Canada, BMO, RBC, TD Canada Trust, CIBC, and Credit Unions in British Columbia. The service may expand to additional Canadian banks in future.
When do I pay?
Winter Session
Pay fees in three instalments:
- when you accept your offer
- in late September
- in early January
For exact dates, visit our Important Dates page here
Winter Session, Term 1-only fees
Pay fees in two instalments:
- when you accept your offer
- in late-September
For exact dates, visit our Important Dates page here
Summer Residence fees
- Students staying less than 60 days: pay fees in one instalment
- Students staying for 61 days or longer: pay fees in two instalments
More info on our Summer Housing page here
Explore Winter Residence fees by residence area
Fees and Payments FAQs
Where do I find my bank account information?
To find your account information for a chequing or savings account at a Canadian financial institution, you can refer to information or a digital “void cheque” in your banking app or online account, refer to a physical personal cheque, or contact your financial institution for assistance.
For payments requiring your bank account information, you will typically need the transit number, institution number and account number.
On a Canadian personal cheque or digital “void cheque”, you’ll find these numbers at the bottom: the transit number is typically five digits, institution number is typically three digits, and your account number is the remaining 7+ digits.
Does UBC accept payment by wire transfer
UBC does not accept wire transfers for housing, meal plan or tuition fees.
What should I do if I paid my residence / meal plan fees to my tuition account?
If you have paid these fees to your tuition account by mistake, please email information@housing.okanagan.ubc.ca immediately to let us know.
Is there a charge for late payments?
Yes, a fee is charged for late payments. Please refer to your residence contract for details.
When do fees stop being charged?
You will continue to be charged fees until you return all assigned keys to your residence front desk and sign the check out form.