Tuition Fee Deferral

Eligibility requirements for the Tuition Fee Deferral are as follows: 

• You must be a domestic student with an approved source of funding that will arrive after your payment deadline, including: 

• • Loan/grant funding through either StudentAidBC or another province/territory.
  • An external source of funding, such as WorkBC, RESP, RRSP Lifelong Learning Plan, award, scholarship, or sponsorship.
  • Adult Upgrading Grant

• Your approved funding amount must be equal to or greater than your amount owing to BCIT. 
• You must provide required documentation (outlined on the Fee Deferral Request Form [PDF]). 
• You must have paid your commitment fee (newly accepted full-time students only). 

If you decide not to attend your program/classes for any reason, you are responsible for withdrawing. If you withdraw from your program/classes and/or do not receive your expected funding, you remain responsible for paying fees and/or any penalties as outlined in BCIT Refunds & Withdrawal Policies. Approval of a Tuition Fee Deferral does not guarantee that you will receive funding. 

The following are not eligible for a Tuition Fee Deferral: 

• Flying School Fees
• International Students*
• Commitment Fees
• Apprenticeship Students
• Payment Plans to pay with another income source (such as work income) over a period of time
• Outstanding fees from a previous term

*In most cases international students are not eligible for tuition fee deferrals. If you are an international student experiencing an emergency that is preventing you from meeting your payment deadline, please call us to book an appointment. 

There are two ways to submit a Tuition Fee Deferral request. The right way to submit your request will depend on your program type and source of funding.  

If you are in a full-time program and have applied for full-time StudentAid BC funding:  

1. Request a Tuition Fee Deferral online through your Financial Self Service account: 
   • Select “Web Application” and click on “Apply” for the correct term.
2. Your application will be reviewed within 5 business days. You can check your application status via Financial Self Service. 

• • The “Web Application” Section will show the application status. 
  • If your application is approved, the “Commitments” tab will show your approved fee deferral amount and fee deferral expiry date (which is your new payment due date). 

If you are a Flexible Learning student or if your funding source is not StudentAid BC:  

1. Submit a Fee Deferral Request Form to finaid@bcit.ca 
   • Make sure to submit the relevant documentation (explained on the form) in the same email as your Tuition Fee Deferral form. 
2. Your request will be reviewed within 5 business days. You can check the status of your request via Financial Self Service. 
   • The “Web Application” section will show the application status. 
   • If your application is approved, the “Commitments” tab will show your approved fee deferral amount and fee deferral expiry date (which is your new payment due date). 

If your Tuition Fee Deferral request was not approved, please note the denial reason. If you are able to correct the issue, you can request a fee deferral again by submitting a Fee Deferral Request Form [PDF] to finaid@bcit.ca along with any required documentation (outlined on the form). 

In most cases, your Tuition Fee Deferral will be long enough to allow you to receive your funding and pay your fees before it expires. If your Tuition Fee Deferral is expiring soon and you won’t have your funds in time, you will need to request an extension to avoid potential penalties such as course de-registration and/or account holds.

1. Submit a Fee Deferral Request Form [PDF] to finaid@bcit.ca
   • Make sure to submit the required documentation (outlined on the form) in the same email as your Tuition Fee Deferral form.
2. Your request will be reviewed within 5 business days. You can check the status of your request via Financial Self Service. 
   • The “Web Application” section will show the application status. 
   • If your application is approved, the “Commitments” tab will show your approved fee deferral amount and fee deferral expiry date (which is your new payment due date).

If you have an approved Tuition Fee Deferral, make sure to pay your fees to BCIT before the deferral expires. Students with an active Tuition Fee Deferral may have an account balance that shows $0 owing. If your balance shows as $0, look for the amount of the Fee Deferral entry on your “Account balance and summary” through myBCIT– that is the amount you need to pay. 

Depending on the length of your study period, your approved funding might be split into two separate payments (also called disbursements). If so, you may extend your fee deferral while you wait for your second disbursement. When you receive your first disbursement, pay at least 50% of your BCIT tuition/fees. After your payment is received by BCIT and posted to your account, you may request an extension of your Fee Deferral by submitting a Tuition Fee Deferral Form [PDF] to finaid@bcit.ca. This will allow you to pay the second half of your fees with your second disbursement (as long as the second disbursement is enough to cover your remaining balance). 

If you aren’t sure about your disbursement schedule, please refer to your Notification of Assessment letter that you received when your funding was approved.