After you accept: the first-year university checklist from May to September

Start with the offer itself. OUAC's schedule makes June 1, 2027 the earliest date a current Ontario high school student can be required to respond or pay a deposit. Our guide to accepting an offer walks through OUAC's steps.

Deposits come next. TMU wants $500 from domestic full-time students by June 3, 2027, and $2,000 from international students. York charges domestic students a $300 registration deposit soon after course enrolment and international students $2,000 before they can enrol.

Then residence. Waterloo's deposit is $500 by June 8, 2027. Queen's asked Fall 2026 students for $805 by June 1, 2026. U of T Arts & Science told Fall 2026 students to apply by March 31 to keep the first-year guarantee. Compare the rules in our Ontario residence guide.

Once you've paid, the next choice is the building. These guides compare first-year options at each school: U of T residences, Queen's residences, Western residences compared, McMaster first-year residences and Waterloo traditional residences.

For Toronto and Ottawa, see TMU residences compared, York Keele residence buildings and uOttawa first-year residences.

Placement news arrives over the summer. U of T Arts & Science sends residence placements in June, July or August. Western emails your building in July. Queen's runs self-selection in mid-July, with Fall 2026 general selection on July 22 to 24.

OSAP needs your Social Insurance Number, your tax information and, if they apply to you, your parents' or spouse's SIN and tax information. If you're still choosing between schools, Ontario says to submit an OSAP application for each one. It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks to hear back once every document is in. Our OSAP guide explains the basics.

Apply early in summer. TMU asked its Fall 2026 class to apply and upload documents by June 30 so funds wouldn't be delayed. OSAP can't cover a June deposit. TMU says OSAP is released in September and January.

Scholarships usually arrive in two halves. TMU adds half an entrance scholarship to your account in late August and half in January. Queen's applies the first half in mid-August and the second in early December.

Your school sends final 4U/M grades to OUAC by July 8, 2027. OUAC sends any remaining grades to universities by July 15, and collects summer school grades from August 2 to 31.

Check your grades on OUAC as soon as they appear. Queen's tells students to contact their guidance counsellor and the admission office if anything is wrong, because it uses the grades on file to judge your conditions. TMU asks you to make sure your guidance office knows about every course, including summer, night and online ones. Western asks for final documents in June if your offer needs them.

If you think you'll miss a condition, say so early. TMU reviews conditions only after final grades, when it may be too late to fix them.

Your applicant login turns into a student account over the summer. McMaster switches your Mosaic status from applicant to student in early June. Queen's tells you to activate your NetID before course registration and starts emailing your Queen's address in mid-June. TMU gives full MyServiceHub access at the end of July.

From then on, official mail goes to your university email. Queen's says it will only contact you there. Our portal guides show what each system does: U of T Join U of T and ACORN, Waterloo portal and Quest, McMaster Mosaic and Avenue to Learn and TMU MyServiceHub and D2L.

Every university gives first-year students a start time. U of T Arts & Science showed Fall 2026 start times in ACORN on July 1 and opened enrolment on July 16. Western lists registering for courses in June. McMaster students enrol when their appointment arrives in Mosaic.

TMU works differently. It automatically enrols most first-year students in required courses in early August if they confirmed their offer by mid-July, then opens enrolment for electives. Its Fall 2026 period ran August 5 to September 18.

Plan before your time slot opens. Step-by-step guides: Queen's SOLUS, Western Student Center and OWL, York Passport York and REM, uOttawa uoZone, UBC Workday and McGill Minerva.

Most cards start with an online photo upload. U of T has you verify your legal status, upload a photo and activate your UTORid before you pick up a TCard, and fall students can start from May 1. Western asks for your ONECard photo and government ID in July. Queen's emails photo instructions in mid-July and hands out cards near the start of term.

TMU lets you add a digital OneCard to your phone, but you still need the physical card as ID at exams, and you bring government ID to collect it. York says to get your YU-card once you've enrolled, and you'll show it at official exams too.

Fee dates vary by weeks, so find yours early. U of T Arts & Science students had to pay or defer fees by August 11, 2026 to complete registration. Queen's Fall 2026 tuition was due September 1, with an automatic grace period to October 1 for students waiting on OSAP. TMU posted fees in early August and made them due September 25, 2026, with late fees from October 5.

Check what's automatic. TMU adds a student health and dental plan to full-time fees and lets you opt out by a deadline if you're already covered. International students at TMU must join the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP).

If you'll need accommodations, register over the summer. U of T asked Fall 2026 students to send an Accessibility Services intake package by July 13. Queen's suggests starting with its accessibility office at the end of June. TMU lets you register once your online identity is active.

Some universities also require short online modules. Western lists academic integrity and gender-based violence prevention training in July. Queen's required its It Takes All of Us program before September 7, 2026.

Orientation is the last step. U of T Arts & Science ran orientation week from August 31 to September 4, 2026. TMU ran optional Summer Jumpstart sessions from August 4 to 21, 2026.

Budget for June. Tuition and residence deposits come due before OSAP arrives in September, and TMU warns that OSAP can't pay a June deposit.

Most of the rest belongs to your child's accounts. OSAP asks for your SIN and tax information, but the student applies. University email and portals are where deadlines appear, and Queen's won't send fee reminders or invoices. Our parent guide has more.

Your summer has extra steps. York needs its $2,000 international deposit before you can enrol in courses. TMU puts your Letter of Acceptance in the ChooseTMU portal and says you may also need a Provincial Attestation Letter. McMaster and Waterloo both point new international students to the attestation letter too.

Health coverage works differently: TMU requires international students to join UHIP. See our international students hub and Caribbean pathways guide for documents.