Indigenous University Preparation Program (IUPP)

All SFU students will receive an SFU computing ID (login for numerous campus services). Once you receive your official acceptance letter including your 9-digit student number in your non-SFU email address, please activate your computing id.

Check your SFU email account frequently. Once classes begin, ALL important information from your professors, Teaching Assistants (TAs)/ Teaching Mentors, university administration, and staff is sent only to your SFU email address.

Outlook is the official communication delivery system for SFU and IUPP. Please make it a habit to check this email frequently, as important information from your course professors/TAs, staff and other departments like Student Finance, is provided through this email. Your U-Pass reload notice will go to this email as well.

You can connect SFU Outlook to your iOS devices and Android devices, so that you don't miss any important notice or information. You are responsible for keeping up with your email notices.

• Sponsorship through your Nation (if applicable)
• ACCESS - Aboriginal Community Career & Employment Services Society, provides education and training services to Indigenous people (Status, Non-Status First Nations, Inuit and Métis) living in Greater Vancouver. The application process involves making an appointment (604-913-7933), meeting with an advisor, and submitting an application! If approved, they provide funding for tuition, books and living expenses.
  • ACCESS - Website: https://www.accessfutures.com/
• If you are living—or have lived—as a youth in care in BC, you may qualify for financial support to cover some of the costs of your education through the BC Provincial Tuition Waiver (if applicable). Even if you feel you do not qualify for the tuition waiver due to length of time in care etc., we would still encourage you to apply see what comes out of it!
• If the above funding options do not work out, here are some other funding options to explore:
  • Scholarships & bursaries (deadlines: February 1, August 1, November 1)
    • Indspire
  • Bursaries: 
    • Aboriginalstudents.ca
    • Aboriginallearning.ca
  • Student loans:
    • StudentAidBC

For an estimate of our tuition and fees, visit this page here.

If you are wondering how to pay fees using a third party sponsor such as your Employer, ACCESS or a First Nations or Métis organization to pay tuition, visit this page here. Please ensure your sponsor submits the appropriate sponsorship authorization form no later than the tuition fee deadline for the term. Deadline to pay tuition and student fees is Tuesday, September 21^st, second week of classes. A 2% late fee penalty will be assessed after the due date and on the first of each month thereafter. Find all posted deadlines on the website.

Credit cards are not accepted for tuition payments. Learn more about how to pay our fees on this page.

If you are using other methods like student loans etc. where the money will be sent to your banking account to pay tuition, check this page to learn how to set up internet banking.

Our program can be taken both on-line or in-person. Our classes on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays are hybrid, which means they are offered both in-person on the Burnaby Campus, but the instructor will also keep their Zoom on, to allow our students to also take the course virtually. Aside from that, our classes on Tuesdays/Thursdays will only be offered virtually

Course registration will be done by IUPP staff as all of our courses are exclusively for IUPP cohort students, so you will not have to worry about that! If you are not currently registered in all the required courses for FALL 2021, please be patient as we work on posting our classes and enrolling you in them! This will be done very soon!

Your professors will be notifying you of where to find the required materials for your classes. For FANX-91 and FANX-92, you will be picking up a workbook and a drawing tablet very soon since this course will be taught virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These drawing tablets will be returned to our program at the end of the year so that we can continue using them for future cohorts.

For other courses, reading material may also be available through SFU’s online library service where you can access a digital version of the reading material.

U-Pass: You cannot opt out, unless you are not eligible. Check your eligibility here. Generally, even if you are driving in, you still have to pay for the U-Pass.

However, you may be eligible for a U-Pass Exemption if you live outside Metro Vancouver and intend on taking courses remotely, and/or you live in Metro Vancouver but your on-way transit time is more than 2 hours. There are many other categories for why you may be eligible for a U-Pass, check this website if you would like to know more about how you can get a U-Pass Exemption! You have to submit a U-Pass Exemption Application each term and the deadline for the Fall term is September 14, 2021 at 4:30pm (PT), while the deadline for the Spring term is January 11, 2022 at 4:30pm (PST).

If you will be driving to campus and require a parking pass, apply for a parking pass here.

Please review the Health and Dental Plan opt out information. Students can’t opt out if they’re covered only by MSP. You can opt out completely from the SFSS Health & Dental Plan upon showing proof of other equivalent health and dental coverage. There is a specific time period for opting out of the health plan. For starting in the Fall term, the time period in which you can opt out of the health plan is: Aug. 27 – Sept. 21, 2021.

There are no classes on Tuesday, September 7^th since that is SFU’s Welcome Day, where you will get to meet all the staff, mentors and other students. Classes will be starting on Wednesday, September 8^th. You will be getting emails regarding this - check your email often, especially in the first week.

Due to the COVID-19 social distancing, our ID Card production has transitioned to an online process. You may need your SFU ID Card for the following reasons:

• To identify you for exams
• If you plan to visit campus or live in SFU Residence and Housing
• If you use your U-Pass BC to access TransLink public transit

Read this page here before completing the webform to receive your SFU Photo ID!

SFU is committed to the full participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of academic life. The Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) supports such equal participation by coordinating the provision of reasonable academic accommodations and services for students with disabilities. Contact them via email (caladmin@sfu.ca) or voicemail (778-782-3112) on weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at your earliest convenience to learn more about your options!

MyFinances101 is an online financial literacy course that is available for free to help you understand your personal finances. Consisting of 7 modules, filled with insightful resources and helpful tools, MyFinances101 will provide you with a good level of foundational knowledge for your financial future, teaching you about banking, budgeting, taxes and more.

Kismet Somal, BSc
Associate Student Recruiter, Indigenous University Preparation Program
Email: iaupprec@sfu.ca
Phone: 604-353-7006
Office: Robert C. Brown Hall (RCB), Room 8107

Funding options for youth in care:

SFU Tuition Waiver for former youth in care:

The Provincial Tuition Waiver Program waives tuition fees for B.C. students who are former youth in care between 19 and up to their 27th birthday who are attending a B.C. public post-secondary institution.

Youth Education Assistance Fund (YEAF)

This program provides grants of up to $5,500 per program year to former B.C. youth in care students between 19 and 24 years of age. Students may receive a maximum of four grants.

Students should be applying on a term by term basis.  The forms can be submitted to the the SFU Financial Aid and Awards office to complete the confirmation of enrollment section.

Agreements with Youth Adults (AYA funding)

The Agreements with Youth Adults (AYA) program can assist you if you have been in foster care or had a youth agreement. This program can provide assistance, with costs of things such as housing, child care, tuition and health care while you go back to school, or if you are attending rehabilitation, vocational or approved life skills programs.

Aged Out brought to you by Former Youth in Care

This online resource was created by and for youth that have been in care or are currently in care.  This interactive website explores topics such as education, health and wellness, housing, money & income and ID Needs.

Other funding opportunities may be available as well!

Sponsorship

Since the IUPP is a university preparation program, it is intended to meet the full-time eligibility requirements for most government-funded sponsorship programs. You may be eligible for sponsorship by First Nations band funding, funding through Métis organizations and/or funding from Inuit organizations. https://www.sfu.ca/students/fees/howtopay/methods/thirdparty.html  

ACCESS - Aboriginal Community Career & Employment Services Society

ACCESS provides education and training services to Indigenous people (Status, Non-Status First Nations, Inuit and Métis) living in Greater Vancouver. If eligilible, they provide funding for tuition, books and living expenses.

Indspire

It is a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada.

Indspire provides hundreds of scholarships, bursaries and awards to thousands of Indigenous students every year and you may be eligible for some of them.

Deadline dates: February 1, August 1, November 1

Bursaries

Links below have a compilation of different bursaries available for your educational journey

Aboriginalstudents.ca

Aboriginallearning.ca provides resources for First Nations, Métis and Inuit learners wishing to pursue or continue college or university (post-secondary) studies in British Columbia

Student loans and grants through Studentaid BC as a full-time student

Since our program is a full-time 8-month long program, student loans and grants (for full-time) are available to our students. If you are receiving sponsorship, it may not exclude you from receiving student loan funding. Government student loans may consist of loan funding which is repayable and grant funding which is non-repayable.

Although student loan funding is repayable, there are many debt management programs available which can assist you if you are financially unable to make your payments. Please see the StudentAid BC page on repaying your loan.

You may also be eligible for some scholarships and grants listed here.

Unsure or want more information? Ask us!

Our current team includes:

• Our IUPP staff
• Our amazing professors
• Our supportive academic mentors

Each member of our team is readily available to guide and support you with any challenges you may experience during IUPP. They will always try to either help you themselves or point you in the right direction!

There are also numerous free support services offered by SFU for Indigenous students to ensure your mental wellbeing that we tell our students about. These services include counselling sessions, live chats etc.

Indigenous Student Centre (ISC)

The ISC provides a space for to enrich our students’ academic, social and cultural lives.

There are many (currently virtual) services and programs for our students.

These services:

• Academic Advising,
• Elders Program,
• Financial Aid and Awards Advising,
• Health and Counselling Services,
• Indigenous Graduate Students,
• Peer Cousins Mentorship Program,
• Tutoring Program,
• Virtual Library Space,
• Workshops and Events.

First Nations Student Association is an independent student-run organization which hosts several events and services to support our students.

Upon achieving a GPA of 2.8 or better, you are both guaranteed direct admission to SFU, and may also be able to access a paid Summer Student Research Assistanship if COVID permits!

SFU Residence and Housing is a living learning community made up of towers, traditional residence halls, studio style apartments and townhouses.

All rooms are private single rooms (i.e., no roommates) which means that you won't have to share your room with anybody.

Find out more about the different housing availabilities here.