Domestic and International tuition assessment

Tuition fees are assessed based on a student’s residency status, which is determined by citizenship or permanent residency. To receive domestic tuition rates, students must provide documentation verifying their eligibility.

Domestic tuition criteria

You will be assessed domestic tuition fees if you meet any of the following criteria:

Canadian citizen
Permanent resident of Canada
Parent or guardian is a permanent resident of Canada and you meet the definition of a dependent child
Convention refugee
Parent or guardian is a convention refugee and you meet the definition of a dependent child
Diplomat assigned to Canada
Parent or guardian is a diplomat assigned to Canada and you meet the definition of a dependent child

Note

International students are assigned a tuition fee cohort that determines their fee schedule. See International tuition fee cohorts.

Documents required

Students eligible for domestic tuition fees must provide the following documents.

Category	Documents Required
Exchange students visiting SFU under an approved exchange program between their home university and SFU (Student Mobility Agreement) who pay tuition fees to their home university. https://www.sfu.ca/students/exchange/prospective.html	Student Mobility Agreement, approved by Senate Committee on International Activity
Permanent Resident of Canada (Landed Immigrant)	Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) (previously called a Record of Landing) Canadian Permanent Resident Card
Dependents¹ of Permanent Resident of Canada (Landed Immigrant)	Proof of Relationship with the Permanent Resident Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) (previously called a Record of Landing) of the Parent/Guardian Canadian Permanent Resident Card of the Parent/Guardian Permanent Resident status is attained as of the "Landed on" date, indicated on the Confirmation of Permanent Residence, not the "Date Issued."
Convention Refugee (Protected Person)	Any person in Canada who has been determined under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to be a Convention refugee and can present a Notice of Decision issued by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. (Note: Refugee Claimants are not eligible for domestic fee assessment)
Dependents¹ of Convention Refugee (Protected Person)	Proof of Relationship with the Convention Refugee Notice of Decision issued by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada of Parent/Guardian
A student who is in Canada to carry out official duties as a diplomatic or consular officer	Diplomatic and/or official visa Diplomatic Appointment Confirmation Letter
Dependents¹ or spouse of diplomatic or consular officers in Canada	Diplomatic and/or official visa Diplomatic Appointment Confirmation Letter of Parent/Guardian Proof of Relationship with the Diplomat

International tuition criteria

You will be assessed international tuition fees if you do not meet the criteria for domestic tuition fees.

If you hold multiple citizenships and one of them is Canadian, you will be assessed as a domestic student.

SFU does not retroactively change tuition fees from international to domestic for past terms. Fee changes can only be applied to the current term and future terms, and are subject to the tuition deadline noted below.

Students who become eligible for domestic tuition during their studies are responsible for informing SFU and providing supporting documentation.

Note: SFU does not offer domestic tuition fees for dependents of work permit holders.

Deadlines

Students must submit the required documentation by the term’s tuition deadline to be assessed for domestic tuition fees. This requirement applies to all categories listed below.

For instructions on how to submit documentation in goSFU, please contact urecords@sfu.ca.

Permanent Resident status rule

Permanent resident status is attained as of the "Landed on" date indicated on the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). Fees will not be changed retroactively for previous terms, regardless of the “Landed on” date indicated on the COPR document.

¹ Dependent child

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, a dependent child is someone who:

a) has one of the following relationships with the parent, namely,

(i) is the biological child of the parent, if the child has not been adopted by a person other than the spouse or common-law partner of the parent, or

(ii) is the adopted child of the parent; and

b) is in one of the following situations of dependency, namely,

(i) is less than 22 years of age and is not a spouse or common-law partner, or

(ii) is 22 years of age or older and has depended substantially on the financial support of the parent since before attaining the age of 22 years and is unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition.

(Note: Definition of dependent child may change by IRCC, without advanced notice)

The IRPR definition of a dependent child can be found here.

Dates and deadlines for the academic year can be found here.

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