Enrolment Definitions for International Students
Full-time enrolment definitions for immigration purposes
Undergraduate students
To be considered an international full-time undergraduate student, you must be enrolled in a full-time program in three or more billing units (typically three or more courses) each term.
Graduate students
International graduate students admitted to a full-time program are considered full-time so long as they remain enrolled in each semester of their program. All graduate students must be enrolled in GD 1000 or GD 1001.
Authorized Leave
International students can take up to a maximum of 150 days off of their program and still be considered to be actively pursuing their studies if their time away is approved by their post-secondary institution. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) refers to this as an 鈥溾��. It is imperative that your leave from studies be formally authorized and documented by the university as dropping your full courseload or not enrolling in a semester can render you ineligible from qualifying for a Post Graduation Work Permit, as well as incompliant with the .
Please know that you are not allowed to work on or off campus during an authorized leave, even if your study permit says you are allowed to work in Canada. If you intend to be away from your studies for more than 150 days, please speak with an International Student Advisor as you may be required to change your status or leave Canada.
Undergraduate students
You are required to submit a short-term withdrawal in order to be considered on an authorized leave by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Graduate students
Your leave from studies must be approved by your graduate department in order to be considered an authorized leave. Please connect with your Graduate Program Administrator for more information.
International students with academic accommodations
International students who require academic accommodations due to disability-related impacts may register with Academic Accommodation Support (AAS). Once registered, students can request a letter confirming that their file includes documentation of a disability diagnosis and that a reduced course load is supported based on their documentation and disability-related impacts.
We recommend obtaining this letter when submitting any immigration-related applications. Please complete the if you require a letter.
Scheduled breaks
Undergraduate students
include the Fall Reading Week, Mid-Year Break, Winter Reading Week and the Spring/Summer semester, unless your program requires you to enrol in the Spring/Summer semester. This may be the case if you are pursuing a co-op stream or a program that requires you to undergo a practicum or work term(s). Please reference your 辫谤辞驳谤补尘鈥檚 course tab to determine if the Spring/Summer semester is a required semester for you.
Graduate students
include the Fall Reading Week, Mid-Year Break and Winter Reading Week. As graduate students are enrolled year-round, the Spring/Summer is not a scheduled break.
Other enrolment definitions at TMU
It is important to know that the university has varying enrolment definitions for different purposes. For example, the full-time enrolment definition for tax purposes is different from the full-time enrolment definition for Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), which varies from full-time enrolment definition for immigration purposes, as noted above.