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Tuition Fee Credits (TFC)
As further thanks for your generosity and time and effort, we are pleased to offer our school associates, in-school coordinators and school administrators up to four tuition fee credits (TFCs) each semester.
Each TFC is a voucher that can be applied to cover a fixed dollar amount of the tuition fees for any for-credit course at Simon Fraser University. For the 2024-25 academic year, each TFC is worth $212.04. The value of a TFC is the same whether credits are applied to undergraduate or graduate tuition.
WHAT IS A TUITION FEE CREDIT (TFC)?
SFU defines the value of one tuition fee credit as the dollar value of one unit of basic undergraduate tuition. This value is fixed at the same rate, whether the tuition fee credits are redeemed for undergraduate or graduate tuition at basic or premium rates. Only fees listed as "Tuition" are eligible to be covered by tuition fee credits; student and ancillary fees are ineligible.
RECEIVING TUITION FEE CREDITS
Tuition fee credits are issued to school associates, in-school coordinators, and school administrators at the end of the semester in which a student teacher is hosted. Upon issue, a certificate will be sent via email. TFCs become valid the semester after hosting a student and remain valid for two years.
In general, school associates, in-school coordinators and school administrators receive tuition fee credits as follows:
- School associates: Receive four TFCs. If more than one school associate is involved in the mentorship of a student teacher, the TFCs will be divided among the teachers involved.
- School administrators: Receive four TFCs. If more than one administrator is involved in the mentorship of student teachers, the TFCs will be divided among the administrators involved. This amount is independent of the number of students hosted at a school.
- In-school coordinators (EDUC 401/402): Receive two TFCs.
Redeeming tuition fee credits
Tuition fee credits can be redeemed by completing and submitting the online form after you've enrolled in classes for the semester. This form is to be used if you are redeeming the TFCs for yourself. If you wish to transfer the TFCs to someone else, please see the section on tranferring tuition fee credits below.
When you submit your form, you will receive a confirmation message within five business days stating the amount to be added to your student account.
Tuition fee credits are posted to student accounts after the third week of class. This date falls after the tuition deadline, so please ensure that you have paid the remaining balance owing on your student account to avoid any late fees.
- School associates, school administrators and in-school coordinators may redeem up to 10 credits per semester* up to a lifetime maximum of 30 credits.
- Individuals outside of these categories who have been transferred TFCs may redeem up to 4 credits per semester* up to a lifetime maximum of 12 credits.
*Note: The amount of tuition fee credits redeemed may not exceed the monetary value of all fees listed as "tuition" on goSFU. Additional Student and Ancillary Fees, such as student activity fees, health and dental plans and U-Pass, are not eligible to be covered by TFCs.
Transferring tuition fee credits
Unused tuition fee credits may be transferred to a spouse, child, colleague or promising educator, per the criteria below. To transfer TFCs, please fill out the TFC transfer form. On the form, you will have the option of having the credits applied to the current semester or saved under your name in our database for future use.
Transfer Policy
Tuition fee credits may be transferred to:
- Spouse: A person to whom the employee is legally married and lives with, or a person who, although not legally married to the employee, has co-habited with them for at least twelve months in a marriage-like relationship and is known in the community as the employee's spouse or partner. The spouse may be a person of any gender.
- Dependant: A child or stepchild of the employee who is under twenty-five years of age on the first day of classes of the semester. The benefit will expire at the end of the current academic semester should the child attain twenty-five years of age. The child must be mainly dependent upon the employee for financial support.
- Colleague (currently working at your school): For this purpose, colleagues include enrolling or non-enrolling teachers on temporary or continuing contracts and school administrators. We hope that recipients of transferred credits will consider becoming school associates in the future.
- Promising educator: TFCs may also be gifted to a promising educator who meets one of the following criteria:
a) is a certified teacher working in any school district without a continuing contract, such as a TTOC;
b) is an SFU student, in any faculty, who is an aspiring teacher.
Those gifting TFCs to a promising educator are providing encouragement to current colleagues not on continuing contracts or future educators who demonstrate a strong commitment to being or becoming outstanding teachers.
POLICIES AND REGULATIONS
- Each TFC is worth the monetary value of one undergraduate credit. For the 2023–24 academic year, each credit is valued at $207.88.
- TFCs can be applied to base tuition amounts of any credit course, graduate or undergraduate.
- Continuing Studies courses are non-credit and are therefore ineligible. The University reserves the right to exclude any special program or course from the waiver policy.
- TFCs become valid the semester after they are issued and remain valid for two years.
- To redeem TFCs, the recipient must be registered in a credit course.
- If a course is dropped, TFCs cannot be returned.
- TFCs cannot be applied towards previous balances owing.
- Credits may not be sold.
- Avoid late penalties by submitting TFC redemption requests by the end of the second week of the semester.
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR ENFORCE POLICIES RELATED TO THE ISSUING, REDEMPTION AND/OR TRANSFER OF SCHOOL ASSOCIATE TUITION FEE CREDITS.
How do I redeem TFCs?
If you wish to use the TFCs for yourself, please complete the online form. If the credits are being transferred to you, please complete the transfer form.
How many TFCs can I redeem?
School associates, in-school coordinators and administrators may redeem up to 10 credits per semester, up to a lifetime limit of 30 credits.
Recipients of transferred credits may redeem up to four credits per semester, up to a lifetime limit of 12 credits.
The value of TFCs may not exceed the amount of tuition owing for a given semester.
Will my TFCs be applied before the tuition deadline?
Yes, TFCs are posted to student account before the tuition deadline. Please ensure that any balances not to be covered by tuition fee credits are paid in advance of the tuition deadline to avoid any late fees. (Please see below.)
How do I avoid late fees on my student account?
To avoid late fees, you must pay your balance owing minus the amount of tuition credits stated in your confirmation email. For example: if your total balance is $2500 and you will receive tuition fee credits worth $783.52, you would pay $2500 minus $783.52, which is $1716.48.
Alternatively, you may choose to pay your balance in full and have the TFCs applied to your account retroactively. In this case, the TFC will appear on your account as a negative balance. You may leave this balance on your account for use in a future semester, or request to have the overpayment refunded to you. For more information, please see the Fees and Tuition Refunds webpage.
When do TFCs expire?
TFCs become valid the semester following a placement and expire two years from when they are first issued. For example, the TFCs awarded for a placement in the Fall 2020 semester would become valid in the Spring 2021 semester and would expire after Spring 2023.
My credits will expire before I can use them. What can I do?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to extend the validity of TFCs. If your TFCs are expiring, please consider transferring them to a spouse, dependant, colleague or promising educator who will be able to redeem them before they expire (please see the eligibility criteria above).
What do I do if I have reached my TFC redemption limit?
If you are a school associate, you may continue to accrue TFCs from student teacher placements and transfer them to eligible parties.
If you are the recipient of transferred credits, it is possible to increase your TFC limit by joining our team of school associates.
I am currently working with a student teacher. When can I expect to receive my tuition fee credits?
TFCs will be issued at the end of the semester in which a placement occurred and may be redeemed starting with the following semester.
Do "promising educators" need to be enrolled in the BEd program at SFU?
No, promising educators do not need to be currently enrolled in a program with SFU's Faculty of Education. They must, however, express an interest in becoming future educators, such as a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in anticipation of teaching high-school physics. (Please note that certified teachers not on continuing contracts are also eligible promising educators.)
How far in advance can I submit my TFC request?
You can submit a TFC redemption request as soon as you are enrolled in classes for the semester.
I have already paid my tuition this semester. Can I still use TFCs?
Yes. This will result in a negative balance on your account which can either be used for future semesters or refunded to you via direct deposit. For more information, please see the Fees and Tuition Refunds webpage.
How can I tell how many TFCs I currently have on my account?
For an account summary, please email pps_tuition_fee_credits@sfu.ca.
Note: For more information about tuition fee credits, email pps_tuition_fee_credits@sfu.ca.