Accept Your Offer

students smiling

Congratulations on Receiving an Admission Offer!

In order to confirm your intention to attend the U of A and to become eligible to register in courses, you will need to accept your offer of admission.


How to Accept Your Admission Offer

You can accept (or decline) your offer in Launchpad (and pay the tuition deposit, if applicable).

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Log in to Launchpad.
  2. Review your Status Update letter carefully for any applicable conditions.
  3. Under Forms, click on ‘Reply to offer of admission program choice one.’
  4. Once you click on Submit, you will be taken to the payment page, where you can pay the non-refundable tuition deposit, if applicable. (CAN $5,000 for international applicants or CAN $1,000 for international applicants already in Canada.)
  5. To pay your deposit, click on ‘Submit Payment,’ this will take you to our secure payment site.

Be sure to reply to your offer before the deadline. If you are unable to pay through Launchpad, review the additional payment options below. Launchpad may take longer to show your payment if you use alternate options to pay. Once your payment status updates in Bear Tracks, your payment is received.

Accepting Your Second-Choice Offer

Should you receive an offer to your second-choice program, you are encouraged to accept it and pay the non-refundable tuition deposit (if applicable).

What happens to my first-choice program if I accept my second-choice program? Your first-choice program will continue to be assessed throughout the application cycle. If you receive an offer to your first-choice program at a later date, you can accept this and your non-refundable tuition deposit will be transferred from your second-choice offer to your first-choice offer.


Deadline to Accept Your Offer

The deadline to accept your offer depends on the term you applied for and when an offer was made to you.

Fall Deadlines

Fall 2024 Deadlines
Offer Date Deadline to Accept/Pay
On or prior to April 1 May 1
April 2 - Aug 1 30 days
After Aug 1 14 days

Fall Deadlines - Professional Programs

The deposit amount and deadlines to accept your offer to professional programs (Medicine, Dentistry and Law) vary. Please refer to the faculty website for more details.

Winter Deadlines

Winter 2024 Deadlines
Offer Date Deadline to Accept/Pay
On or prior to November 17 December 1
After November 17 14 days

Spring + Summer Deadlines

Spring + Summer 2024 Deadlines
Offer Date Deadline to Accept/Pay
On or prior to March 18 April 1
After March 17 14 days

Accept Residence (Campus Housing) Offer

Canadian Students

If you applied for residence, you must accept your residence offer in Bear Tracks to secure your space. After you’ve accepted, you will receive a link to your residence contract, along with information about your residence and life on campus.

If you applied for residence on your application form in Launchpad, you can accept the residence and admission offer at the same time by filling out the Reply to Offer of Admission form.

International Students

If you applied for residence, you will be contacted starting in May with your housing offer. No further action is required. If you did not apply for residence you can apply here.


Meet All Conditions

Even after you have received/accepted an admission offer, you are still required to meet any conditions stated in your offer letter. Otherwise, your admission could be revoked.

Log into Launchpad and review your Status Update carefully to see if there are any conditions to your admission offer. While you are on Launchpad, check your Application Status and Checklist. This will indicate any outstanding documents or requirements.

Once we have received your final, official transcripts, applicants who have conditions attached to their offer of admission will receive an additional status update informing them that their conditions have been met. This will take place in mid- to late summer.


Tuition Deposit Payment Options

While the U of A offers three methods of payment, a credit card payment is the simplest method and will be immediately reflected within your Launchpad account.

Pay by Credit Card

  1. Log into Launchpad.
  2. Under the payment due section, click the ‘Tuition Deposit Submit Payment’ link.
  3. Choose your payment method and click ‘Submit Payment.’
  4. You will be redirected to our payment processor site to enter your payment information and process your payment.

Credit card payments include a convenience fee of 2.5%. This fee is collected by our payment processor at the time of payment in addition to the tuition deposit.

Pay through Online Banking

  1. Log on to your bank’s online system.
  2. Add the University of Alberta as a payee on your bill payment profile (This name will vary from bank to bank. Do not use the University of Alberta Faculty Club).
  3. Enter your account information. The account number is your seven-digit U of A Student ID number and the first four letters of your last name. For example: If your name is John Jones and your Student ID number is 1234567, then your account number would be 1234567JONE. If your last name is less than four letters, use your first name to complete the four letters. For example: If your student ID number is 1234567 and your name is John Xu, then your account number would be 1234567XUJO.
  4. It may take up to 10 business days for your payment to be processed.
    • Within three to five days, your payment should appear in Bear Tracks.
    • Within six to ten days, your payment should appear in Launchpad.

Payments can be made through any online banking account, as long as the payee (step two) and account number (step three) are correct. If you have any questions about online banking, contact your financial institution.

Pay Through Convera or PayMyTuition

For more information and other ways to pay your international tuition deposit, see Tuition Payment Options.


Applicants Requiring a Tuition Deposit

Fall 2024 Deadlines
Applicant Type Accept Offer? Pay Tuition Deposit?
New to U of A High school students (currently attending or recently graduated)* Yes Yes
New to U of A Post-secondary transfer students Yes Yes
Current U of A Student Current U of A students admitted to a new program Yes No
Current U of A Student Former U of A students returning to the same program or admitted to a new program Yes No
Current U of A Student Current U of A students continuing in the same program No No
Application Program Doctor of Medicine Yes Yes
Application Program Juris Doctor (Law) Yes Yes
Application Program Doctor of Dental Surgery Yes Yes
Application Program Doctor of Pharmacy Yes Yes
Application Program Dental Hygiene Yes Yes
Application Program Medical Laboratory Science Yes Yes
Application Program Radiation Therapy Yes Yes

Tuition Deposit Exemptions

The following types of students are exempt from having to accept their admission offer and from paying the tuition deposit:

  • Students entering the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies*
  • Incoming exchange students
  • Visiting Student Certificate Programs (VSCP) students
  • International Visiting Student Program (IVSP) students
  • Transition Year Program (TYP) students
  • Third-party-funded students, including:
    • Indigenous students funded by their Band office**
    • Students sponsored by cultural bureaus

*This faculty requires you to pay a confirmation deposit directly to the faculty.
**Indigenous applicants: If you are sponsored by a Band or other third party, please contact the Student Service Centre to coordinate payment of your tuition deposit.


International Students: Apply for Your Study Permit

If you do not already have a study permit for Canada, you should apply for one as soon as possible. Learn more about Study Permits.


Register in Courses

Once you have accepted your admission offer and paid the tuition deposit (if applicable), you will be eligible to register in courses after your enrolment appointment date which can be found in Bear Tracks under Manage Classes > My Enrollment Date.

In the meantime, you can browse courses and build a sample schedule based on current course offerings. Course registration will open in April.

Need support registering for courses? Faculty specific courses registration guidance is available on the Registration 101 page.


Deferring your Admission

If you are unable to begin your studies, you may be eligible to request a one-time deferral of your offer of admission. Deferrals are not guaranteed and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Not all faculties/programs will accept a deferral of admission request.

In order to be considered for a deferral of admission, you must

  • have a final admission offer
  • accept your offer of admission
  • pay the non-refundable tuition deposit

To request a Deferral of Admission, contact the Student Service Centre beginning mid-May. The deadline to request a deferral is mid-August. If your faculty/program will accept deferral requests, a form will be added to your Launchpad account. This form must be completed and submitted by September 1. 

If approved, the deferral of admission will also include a deferral of your residence offer (if applicable), though any scholarship offers will be cancelled.

For further information or to request the Deferral form, please contact the Student Service Centre.