Some UBC students have a portion of their UBC fees paid by a sponsor such as an Indigenous community, employer, or government agency. This is called sponsorship billing.
To have an organization sponsor your studies at UBC, they must meet the required criteria and apply before the start of term. The student and sponsor should notify the Sponsorship Billing office right away if there are changes to the sponsoring agency or the coverage amount.
Your sponsor must complete the online application form before the start of term. If your sponsor doesn’t have Internet, please have them submit the Sponsorship Third Party Billing Form (pdf) and return it by fax to 604 822 5816.
Sponsors can apply to support a student for as short as one term or over multiple years. Sponsors are asked to specify the duration of the sponsorship on the application form.
Once the Sponsorship Billing office receives the form, they will update your account and let you know your next steps.
By setting up or entering into a sponsorship agreement, you are agreeing to allow UBC to share information from your student account directly with your sponsor. Information that can be shared with your sponsor includes, but is not limited to, your registered courses, program information, tuition and fee assessments, awards, bursaries or scholarships, grade information, and any other items that may be associated with your study. Please email ubc.sponsorship@ubc.ca if you have any specific questions.
The Sponsorship Billing office will email your sponsor an invoice after the add/drop deadline of each term:
Upon receiving the invoice, your sponsor has 30 days to make their payment. The Sponsorship Billing office will also send you a copy of the invoice by email, and you will also be able to view each invoice in your Student Service Centre (SSC) through the Message Centre.
Once the Sponsorship Billing office receives your sponsor's payment, they will apply it to your tuition and fees and email you an update.
It is your responsibility to pay any tuition and fees that your sponsor does not cover by the tuition due date. Check “Sponsorship Billing” under Finances in your Student Service Centre (SSC) to see what isn't covered by your sponsor. You will be responsible for the payment of any remaining balance by the tuition deadline.
If your sponsor doesn't pay the invoice by the deadline, or if there is an outstanding balance on the portion for which you are responsible, your student account will be placed on financial hold. At that point, you won't be able to make changes to your registration, view grades, or order transcripts. There will also be late payment fees charged to your account.
If you're planning to sponsor a student, you cannot be an individual, parent, or other relative. If a sponsor or any third party vendor is reimbursing tuition and fees directly to the student, then this is not a sponsorship.
Sponsors can be Government Agencies, Companies, Indigenous bands, or other organizations. Sponsors are invoiced each term for the costs they agree to, and pay UBC directly for these fees.
All sponsors must submit an online Sponsorship Billing Application for each student they wish to sponsor or a group of students who fall under the same sponsorship criteria. If you are unable to apply online, please send a completed Sponsorship Third Party Billing Form (pdf) to the Sponsorship Billing office.
Once the Sponsorship Billing office receives the application, they will update the student’s account within 2 to 3 business days and send a confirmation email to the student when the sponsorship is added.
UBC has the right to refuse sponsorship or sponsor payments. Please be aware that contracts or payments from a person, company, or government department could be refused due to rules and regulations implemented by the Canadian government.
UBC can accept payments in either Canadian or US funds. No other foreign currency is accepted. All US funds received by UBC will be converted to Canadian funds using the daily exchange rate provided by the UBC Finance office on the date that UBC processes the payment. UBC cannot use the exchange rate provided by the sponsor.
Sponsors who want to avoid any exchange rate discrepancies are recommended to send funds in Canadian funds only. UBC cannot control the fluctuation in the US and Canadian currency exchange rate, which sometimes can change within the same day.
When setting a sponsorship contract dollar limit, if applicable, the sponsor can only set dollar limits in Canadian funds. Any foreign currency limits will be converted into Canadian funds, since UBC can only assess tuition and fees in Canadian funds. Please email ubc.sponsorship@ubc.ca if you have any questions about foreign currencies and exchange rates.
In keeping with Canada Revenue Agency guidelines, it is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization to issue a T4A tax receipt to their sponsored students. UBC does not provide this service.
Sponsors should submit their sponsorship billing applications by the dates below. If you are unable to apply before the deadlines, please contact the Sponsorship Billing office at ubc.sponsorship@ubc.ca.
| Academic Session | Dates | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Summer Session | May to August | April 1 |
| Winter Session Term 1 | September to December | August 1 |
| Winter Session Term 2 | January to April | November 1 |
All sponsors will receive invoices after the add/drop deadline, also known as the course change date, of each term:
This helps to make sure the invoice is correct, since students may change their registered courses before the course change date.
Payments are due within 30 days upon receipt and can be made by cheque, wire, or electronic funds transfer (EFT). If your payment will be delayed, please contact the Sponsorship Billing office at ubc.sponsorship@ubc.ca so that the student is not penalized for late payment.
If you are an Indigenous student receiving band sponsorship, consider the following:
For more information, email the Sponsorship Billing office at ubc.sponsorship@ubc.ca.
If you would like to submit a form by fax, please use the fax number 604 822 5816.
