Your First Year: Frequently Asked Questions

A: Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. If something unexpected and beyond your control prevents you from fulfilling your academic responsibilities, you can file a Petition for Term Work.

Petitions should be submitted within 7 days through the Engineering Portal, and require supporting documentation in most cases (see the Petitions page for more information).

A: To pass an individual course, you need 50% in that course. However, at U of T Engineering we also review students’ weighted session average at the end of every semester, and this average should be 60% or higher to be in Clear academic standing.

You can read the full promotion regulations in the Academic Calendar, and talk to your Academic Advisor if you have concerns. Learn more about how averages are calculated.

For more information you can also review the Academic Regulations & the T-Program Information Sheet and Flow Chart 2024-2025 (PDF).

If you have any questions, please connect with the First Year Office.

A: If you receive a session average of less than 60%, you will be placed on academic probation. There are several different scenarios for students on probation, so your status will depend upon what your average is, and your previous status at the start of the term.

The full details about probation and the promotion regulations are contained in the Academic Calendar (under “Academic Regulations,” “Promotion Regulations”), and are also explained in the the Academic Regulations & the T-Program Info Sheet and Flow Chart 2024-2025 (PDF).

If you have questions about probation or your academic standing, please make an appointment with an academic advisor.

A: The T-Program, or Transition Program, allows first-year students who have struggled in the Fall term to repeat up to three fall courses during the Winter term and defer up to three courses to the Summer term in order to obtain credit for their fall courses and proceed to the second year on schedule with their classmates.

Students with a Fall term average between 50-60% and who have failed one or more courses are eligible for the T-Program. More information is in the Academic Regulations & the T-Program Info Sheet and Flow Chart 2024-2025 (PDF).

A: If you obtain a mark of less than 50% in one of your courses, you need to retake the course when it is next offered.

Usually, this means you will take the course in the summer F (May-June) session. If you are concerned that this might be the case for you, visit the First Year Office (FI 106, 222 College St.) to meet with an Academic Advisor; often, there are resources and options that might make it possible to avoid such a situation.

A: There are a few ways to make an appointment with your advisor!

• Use our online booking system through the Engineering Student Portal. However, please note that during peak times including the month of January, online bookings are not available so that we can prioritize appointments depending on the urgency of the situation. Priority is given to in-person visits, so if you urgently need an appointment please come to the office (FI 106, located at 222 College St.).
• If you have any difficulty booking online, or you have an urgent inquiry and would like to see if a same-day appointment is available, you can also contact the First Year Office in person, by email or by phone for assistance.

A: Many first-year courses are offered during the summer F (May-June) semester, so this might be a good option for you. Students can defer up to three courses to the summer term. Please make an appointment with your Academic Advisor to talk about your options.

The deadline to drop a course without academic penalty in the winter semester is March 10, 2025.

After this deadline, there is also a limited Late Withdrawal period until April 7, 2025.

A: Summer courses carry their own per-course tuition charges on top of your fall/winter fees; summer tuition amounts will be posted to the Student Accounts website.

Summer courses are generally offered in-person only. Please speak with the First Year Office if you have questions or concerns about summer courses.

A: You can request a transfer to a different Core 8 engineering program at the end of your first year. The approval of your request is subject to the availability of places reserved for internal transfers. For the past few years, several programs have been unable to accept all students seeking transfers.

In most cases, if a transfer is approved you will not have to take additional courses. However, those students who wish to switch from a Core 8 program into Electrical or Computer Engineering must take the APS105H1: Computer Fundamentals course (C Programming) instead of the regularly-scheduled APS106H1: Fundamentals of Computer Programming (Python) in the winter semester.

The deadline to request this programming course switch was November 25. If you missed this deadline, please contact the First Year Office right away.

A: You can apply for an Internal U of T Transfer to be considered for admission to another Faculty/campus. However, deadlines for this type of transfer can be surprisingly early (for example, January 15, 2025 [extended to Feb. 3 for some programs] was the deadline for many 2025 Fall transfer requests including the Faculty of Arts & Science), and engineering grades will be taken into consideration when determining your eligibility; we recommend you meet with your academic advisor about this as soon as possible if you are considering this option.

A: Please visit U of T Student Accounts website for detailed information.

In our experience, for students within Canada, the easiest way to pay is an online bank payment. Your account number with U of T is on your invoice in the "Financial Account" section of your ACORN account. U of T does not mail invoices.

A: For information regarding on and off-campus housing, please visit the U of T Housing Services website.

A: The Centre for International Experience (CIE) provides services specifically designed for international students.

The CIE has also prepared this helpful web page about study permits.

A: The University’s Health & Wellness Centre has a medical clinic that is open by appointment to all U of T students and includes both general medical and mental health practitioners (Book an appointment by calling 416-978-8030). They also offer a range of wellness workshops and online information.

Full-time students have extended health coverage through the University of Toronto Student Union (UTSU) for prescriptions, dental care, psychological services, and other benefits. For international students, visit CIE’s web page on health coverage.

Students also have access to a range of mental health supports, including the 24/7, free, multi-lingual U of T Telus Health Student Support counselling service. More about mental health and wellness at U of T Engineering.

A: Yes, included in your incidental fees is health and dental coverage. For full-time students, visit the University of Toronto Student Union (UTSU) website for more details. Part-time students have coverage through the Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students (APUS). If you already have equivalent health insurance coverage (e.g. through a parent's employer), you can opt out of the health and dental plan in September.

International students should also visit CIE’s web page on health coverage.

A: Academic accommodations are provided when students experience disability-related barriers that prohibit demonstration of their knowledge and skills.

These accommodations are provided through Accessibility Services, which facilitates the inclusion of students with a wide range of disabilities into all aspects of university life.

If you are a student with a disability (including chronic or mental health conditions, sensory or physical disabilities, ADHD or ASD spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, concussion or brain injuries or temporary physical disabilities), and/or had academic accommodations in high school (e.g., extra test time, note-taking assistance, alternative-format textbooks), you may be eligible for similar support through this service.

We encourage you to register as early as possible with Accessibility Services to ensure you can access academic accommodations in a timely fashion if you need them.

A: Unfortunately, emails of this type are common, so it's important to be cautious! Be sure not to click on any links, do not reply to a suspicious email, and do not make payments/provide any personal information through links in a suspicious email.

The University of Toronto's Information Security team has detailed information here about email phishing and how to report it, as well as how to avoid scams targeting your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).