University of Ottawa Costs & Financial Aid
Ottawa, Ontario
Tuition planning, scholarships, and international budgets. This focused guide keeps the detailed tables, official sources, and practical next steps in one manageable reading path.
The short answer
- An Ontario undergraduate pays $7,579.43 for two terms in 2026–2027. An international undergraduate pays $65,165.81.
- The University of Ottawa Admission Scholarship is automatic for eligible full-time direct-entry students. It pays $3,000 for a 95%–100% average.
- International students in English programs can get $7,500 per term, up to $60,000. They need at least 80% in an approved English program.
- International students in approved French programs get an automatic tuition exemption. It is $12,500–$18,000 per eligible term, set by faculty.
- OSAP, the Ontario Student Assistance Program (Ontario's student grants and loans), takes one application per academic year. Apply early, as processing can take six to eight weeks.
Reviewed August 14, 2026 · Official university sources · How we review guides
2026–2027 tuition, scholarships, bursaries, OSAP, and work study
University of Ottawa scholarships and financial aid
A strong uOttawa funding plan keeps tuition and automatic entrance scholarships separate. It does the same for application-based bursaries and OSAP (Ontario's student grants and loans). International tuition reductions and student employment stay separate too. The route that applies depends on your residency. It also depends on program language and faculty. It depends on your admission average and the financial need you have shown.
Domestic admission award
$1,000–$3,000
This is automatic for eligible direct-entry students. They need an 85%–100% admission average. This is under the current 2026–2027 rules.
English international awards
Up to $70,000
This is a renewable $60,000 automatic award. There is also a competitive, one-time $10,000 award. It is for selected eligible students.
French international exemption
$12,500–$18,000/term
This is an automatic faculty-based tuition reduction. It is for eligible international students. They must study in French or French Immersion.
uOttawa tuition and fee examples for 2026–2027
uOttawa publishes these examples. They show how tuition and common ancillary charges combine. The examples are for one full-time first-year undergraduate. They are planning references, not prices for every program. Faculty association, incidental, and administrative costs can still be additional. Housing, food, books, and personal costs can be additional too.
| Example student | Fall tuition | Fall total | Winter total | Two-term total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario undergraduate | $3,104.96 | $3,792.32 | $3,787.11 | $7,579.43 |
| International undergraduate | $31,582.15 | $32,585.51 | $32,580.30 | $65,165.81 |
The international example includes $316 of UHIP in each term. Use the official estimator workflow and the student's statement of account for the authoritative total.
How Ontario tuition changed for 2026–27
2026–27 · Published for this period
Tuition for Ontario students increased 2% for 2026–2027, with two published exceptions for students entering or continuing: a 6.63% increase for undergraduate dual fast-track degrees in Engineering and Science, and a 7.5% increase for all Telfer School of Management programs. Students who do not progress normally between tuition brackets can face a sharper increase.
Applies to: Ontario high school, Other Canadian, Transfer, Mature
uOttawa Financial Aid and Awards: Tuition for Canadian students from Ontario · Verified August 14, 2026
International tuition caps and the 2026–27 freeze
2026–27 · Published for this period
International undergraduate tuition for 2026–2027 is unchanged from 2025–2026 for students entering first year or returning. For students admitted for Fall 2022 or later, uOttawa commits that future annual tuition increases will not exceed 7%; international fees themselves are unregulated by the Ontario framework.
Applies to: International
uOttawa Financial Aid and Awards: Tuition for international students · Verified August 14, 2026
Four applications and assessments to keep separate
Automatic admission awards
No separate award application is needed for the University of Ottawa Admission Scholarship. No separate award application is needed for qualifying language-based awards either.
Online Scholarships and Bursaries
After you get uoAccess credentials, use the portal. It shows donor, faculty, need-based, and specialized opportunities matched to you.
Government student aid
Apply separately to OSAP. Or apply separately to the student's home-province program. Or apply to the student's home-country program. uOttawa does not replace that application.
Work-Study Navigator
Complete the financial questionnaire and separate work-study application for eligible on-campus employment.
Fall 2027 deadline status
Do not reuse uOttawa's 2025–2026 award deadlines
Reviewed July 29, 2026, uOttawa had not published a complete Fall 2027 undergraduate scholarship and bursary calendar. The main admission scholarship is automatic, but application-based awards use their own portal dates. Apply early, get a uoAccess ID, and verify each live listing. Do not treat a prior-cycle date as a 2027 deadline.
University of Ottawa Admission Scholarship
The current admission scholarship is automatic. It is for eligible full-time students. They must enter a direct-entry faculty or the Civil Law Section. You do not need a separate scholarship application. Mature applicants are not eligible for this award. University transfers are not eligible for this award.
| Admission average | First-year value |
|---|---|
| 95%–100% | $3,000 |
| 90%–94.9% | $2,000 |
| 85%–89.9% | $1,000 |
uOttawa financial-aid checklist
- 1.Use the official fee table for the student's exact program, residency status, and course load; the examples below are not universal prices.
- 2.Add residence or rent, food, books, incidental fees, health coverage, travel, winter clothing, and an emergency reserve.
- 3.Apply for admission early enough to receive the uoAccess credentials needed for Online Scholarships and Bursaries.
- 4.Separate automatic awards from application-based scholarships, need-based bursaries, government aid, work study, and external funding.
- 5.Recheck every award's live eligibility, deadline, and combination rules before accepting an offer.
International scholarships: English, French, and French Immersion
International applicants should choose a funding route that matches the actual language and faculty of their program. The English awards exclude French Immersion. The Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship requires approved French or French Immersion study. You cannot compare values without checking the number of eligible terms and renewal conditions.
| Scholarship | Current value | Current eligibility summary |
|---|---|---|
| International English Admission Scholarship | $7,500 per term; up to $60,000 | Automatic for eligible new international students with at least 80% in an approved English-language undergraduate program; renewable for up to 12 instalments while the current conditions are met. |
| International English Academic Excellence Scholarship | $10,000 | 100 non-renewable awards for eligible new international students with at least 90%; selected students can combine it with the International English Admission Scholarship. |
| Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship | $12,500–$18,000 per eligible term | Automatic for eligible international-fee students in an approved French program or French Immersion Stream who meet the full-time and French-course-load rules; the amount depends on the faculty. |
Domestic-fee students studying in French can also review the automatic $4,000 French Studies Bursary. It is paid as $1,000 per year under the current course-load and renewal rules. It is different from the international tuition-fee exemption.
French Studies Bursary for domestic-fee students
Current award · Published for this period
The $4,000 French Studies Bursary ($1,000 per year) is automatic for full-time students in a direct-entry faculty or Civil Law taking at least three courses (9 units) taught in French each term — or two courses (6 units) in French or French-as-a-second-language for French Immersion students. Renewal for the following three years requires the same course load and a minimum 5.50 CGPA at the end of each academic year.
Applies to: Ontario high school, Other Canadian
uOttawa Financial Aid and Awards: Admission scholarships 2026–2027 overview · Verified August 14, 2026
Francophone and French Immersion tuition exemption
Winter 2024 admissions and later · Published for this period
International-fee students who start in Winter 2024 or later in an approved French program — or an English program with the French Immersion Stream, meeting immersion admission requirements — receive the automatic Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship: $12,500 per eligible term in most faculties, $16,000 at Telfer, and $18,000 in Engineering and the Science Biotechnology and Physics–Electrical Engineering combined degrees. It requires full-time study with at least three courses (9 units) taught in French per term and can run up to 12 payments at the original amount.
This is uOttawa's bilingual-pathway advantage: the exemption offsets most of the difference between international and domestic tuition while conditions are met.
Applies to: International
uOttawa Financial Aid and Awards: Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship · Verified August 14, 2026
Bursaries and the Online Scholarships and Bursaries portal
You can use the portal once you have applied and received a uoAccess ID and password. It has admission opportunities for new applicants. It also has awards for enrolled students, faculty and donor funding, and need-based bursaries. Each listing controls its own citizenship, residency, program, documents, and deadline.
uOttawa's general admission-award eligibility normally expects a first full-time undergraduate enrolment plus Canadian citizenship, permanent residence, protected-person, or refugee status unless the listing says otherwise. International applicants should use the opportunities explicitly open to international-fee students rather than assuming every bursary applies.
OSAP at uOttawa
Eligible Ontario residents submit one OSAP application per academic year. uOttawa recommends applying early. Processing can take six to eight weeks. Full-time funding is normally applied to the student account first. Any remainder after university fees is deposited to the student.
Co-op students apply separately for every term for which they want OSAP. This includes work terms. Undergraduate scholarships and bursaries are paid on study terms, not work terms. So the cash-flow plan should follow the student's actual sequence.
Read the 2026–2027 OSAP guideWork-Study Program
The current application windows are August 1–October 13, 2026 for fall. They are December 1, 2026–February 11, 2027 for winter. They are March 18–June 14, 2027 for spring-summer. Students complete a financial questionnaire in Work-Study Navigator. They must meet academic, course-load, and tuition conditions.
Work study is a job, not a guaranteed grant. Treat expected earnings with care until eligibility is approved and an actual position is secured.
Official University of Ottawa sources
Values and dates can change. Verify the exact program, award, and student-status rules in the live source before making a financial commitment.
- 2026–2027 annual university-fee examples
- Ontario undergraduate tuition guidance
- International undergraduate tuition guidance
- Scholarships and awards overview
- International English scholarships
- Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship
- OSAP guidance for Ontario residents
- Work-Study Program
- Financial Aid and Awards contact information
Continue planning uOttawa
Cost Planning
| Tuition | Tuition depends on program, student status, and year. Verify domestic and international tuition on the official fee schedule. |
|---|---|
| Scholarships | Check automatic entrance awards, competitive major awards, faculty scholarships, and international-student awards. |
| Living Costs | Budget for residence or rent, food, books, transit, health insurance, winter clothing, and emergency funds. |
| Proof of Funds | International students should confirm current study-permit financial requirements and school-specific cost estimates. |
Official Sources and Next Steps
Stellar keeps this guide structured for comparison, but official university pages remain the source of truth for program requirements, tuition, residence, scholarships, deadlines, and policy changes.
Prepared by Stellar Advisers Editorial Team · Reviewed August 14, 2026 · Editorial, corrections, and source methodology