GPLLM Next Steps

To help newly-admitted and incoming GPLLM students navigate the next steps in the upcoming academic journey at the University of Toronto, our team has prepared the Guide for Incoming GPLLM Students as a one-stop checklist resource to refer to:

2025 Guide for Incoming GPLLM Students

 

The individual steps outlined below can provide additional helpful information. Although these are set out in such a way as to imply they are to be undertaken consecutively, several of them can be done simultaneously, and we encourage you to do so.  Please read all of these steps before moving ahead. 

  1. Accept your Offer of Admission via Email & Pay the Tuition Deposit
  2. Ensure you Have Submitted All Official Transcripts to the GPLLM Program in Hard Copy, if you have not done so already
  3. Acquire a Study Permit & Other Required Immigration Documents, if applicable
  4. Housing Options, if applicable
  5. Enable your JOINid & Log in to ACORN
  6. Get your TCard, Activate your UTORid & Obtain your UTMail+
  7. Complete a Survey and Select your Courses  
  8. Register in the GPLLM Program
  9. Review International Student Fee Exemptions
  10. Understand your Health Insurance Coverage
  11. Review the SGS Grad Hub and Graduate Health and Wellness Resources

NOTE - Please keep checking the GPLLM New Admits main page for updates.

To connect with a member of our program team, please email: gpllm@utoronto.ca

1. Accept your Offer of Admission via Email & Pay the Tuition Deposit

Accept your Offer of Admission via Email

WHAT

Provide the GPLLM Program with a signed copy of all admissions documentation.

HOW

If you have not already done so, please sign, date and upload the completed form to the SGS application system as the ‘Admission Confirmation Form’, in accordance with the date set out in your Faculty of Law offer letter.  Alternatively, you can submit your signed offer letter and Confirmation/Deposit form to admissions.gpllm@utoronto.ca.

Pay the Tuition Deposit

WHAT / WHEN

In order to secure your place in the program to which you were accepted, you must pay a non-refundable tuition deposit of $500 CAD by the deadline provided in your offer letter.  The tuition deposit will be applied to your Fall tuition installment, and is non-refundable in the event that you choose not to commence the program.  A Confirmation/Deposit form is enclosed with your admission package.

HOW

Make an online MasterCard or Visa credit card payment by logging into your ACORN account at www.acorn.utoronto.ca using the JOINid credentials that were emailed to you when you completed your application. 

Important note about online payment: When you pay online, you will pay a convenience fee, which is a fee billed by the Moneris credit card service provider. This fee is non-refundable, even if you decide not to study at the University of Toronto. The convenience fee, charged at a rate of 1.75% of the fee payment, is billed directly by Moneris and is not remitted to the University of Toronto. 

To verify that Student Accounts has received and processed your deposit, you will need to enable your JOINid and log in to ACORN, in accordance with step 5.  

If you are unable to pay via your ACORN account, you can make the tuition deposit payment as a wire transfer through Western Union (steps under “WU Global Pay for Students”). If you pay via a Western Union transfer you must email your signed Confirmation Form to Student Accounts, who will record on your U of T account when the deposit has been received.

 

2. Ensure you have submitted all official transcripts 

WHAT

All students must submit official copies of all post secondary transcripts to the GPLLM program for their academic record. Transcripts must be sent to the GPLLM directly from each academic institution the student has attended in a sealed envelope, the seal of which must be stamped or signed by the Registrar's Office.

E-mailed official transcripts are also acceptable, provided they are e-mailed directly from the Registrar's Office of the academic institution.  

Transcripts submitted by students either electronically or in a non-institutional envelope, are not considered official transcripts and cannot be accepted.

WHENAll official transcripts must be submitted no later than August 31, 2024Please diarize this date.
HOW

Official transcripts should be mailed to the attention of:

GPLLM Program
78 Queen's Park
Jackman Law Building
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 2C5

Official transcripts can be e-mailed directly from the Registrar's Office of the academic institution only to:

admissions.gpllm@utoronto.ca

3. Acquire a Study Permit & Other Required Immigration Documents

WHAT

 

A study permit is an immigration document that allows you to live in Canada temporarily while you complete your program of study.  If you are neither a Canadian citizen nor a permanent resident and you want to study in Canada in a program that is six months or more in length, you must obtain a valid study permit

WHEN

The study permit application process can be time consuming.  International students are strongly encouraged to submit their application as soon as possible to ensure that they are able to be in Canada by the last week of August.  Under no circumstances should you commence your relocation until you have received your study permit approval letter and, if necessary, a Temporary Resident Visa (Entry Visa).

HOW

Please review the U of T’s Centre for International Experience and the Government of Canada websites below for valuable information on immigrating to Canada:

Immigration

Study Permits

Get a Study Permit

Pre-Arrival Guide

 You may also contact the U of T’s Centre for International Experience at: 416-978-2564

4. Housing Options

WHEN

Start actively searching as soon as possible!  The rental market in Toronto is quite competitive (particularly close to campus) and selection will become more limited closer to September. 

WHAT

There are a myriad of resources and services upon which you can rely in order to find a place to live.  Some of these resources are provided by the University and others are independent.  

U of T Housing maintains listings for on-campus residencesoff-campus, temporary and summer housing options.

HOW

Residence housing:

If you are new to U of T:  In order to apply for university residence housing, you must first enable your JOINid (see “Enable your JOINid” below).

Returning U of T students:  Use your UTORid to apply for residence housing.

Graduate House is the only residence at U of T reserved exclusively for masters- and doctoral-level students.  In order to apply, you must submit the required online application with a $100 deposit.  Applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis.  Additional information about Graduate House can be found here.

Students with families who are seeking family-friendly housing should consider the U of T Student Family Housing high rise units, located a 15 minute walk east of the law school. There are a limited number of units and the University is not able to guarantee a place in the buildings.  Please apply early (with the intention to move in as close to early July as possible). 

Off-campus housing:

Off-campus housing listings are maintained by U of T Housing, but can also be found through a number of online services including PadMapper.

5. Enable your JOINid & Log in to ACORN

Enable your JOINid

WHAT

 

Your JOINid is your user ID as a U of T applicant and will allow you to, among other things, apply for on-campus housing and use the U of T housing database for off-campus housing.  Enabling your JOINid will allow you to access these services until you are able to obtain your TCard and UTORid.

HOW

If you are new to U of T:  You would have received an e-mail with your JOINid upon creating your application profile with the subject line "Important:  your UofT JOINid". Go to the JOINid website and click on “Enable Your JOINid”.  You will need to enter your student number, which is listed on your School of Graduate Studies offer letter.  Follow the instructions provided in order to set up your JOINid password. 

If you have misplaced the e-mail sent to you by the School of Graduate Studies in which you were provided with your JOINid, or experience difficulty enabling your JOINid, please email admissions.sgs@utoronto.ca with “JOINid” in the subject line.

Returning U of T students:  If you already have a UTORid, you may continue to use it.

Log in to ACORN

WHAT

 

 

ACORN is the student portal in which you can update your personal contact information, view your grades, monitor your fees, use the Financial Planning Calculator, access the Career Learning Network and On-Campus Housing, order transcripts and more.

Please note you will not be able to add or drop courses directly through ACORN – course selection is managed by the GPLLM office. 

New students must first enable their JOINid first before trying to login to ACORN.

HOW

Log in to ACORN.  Read the “How To” ACORN guide.

Within ACORN, you can:

Verify that your tuition deposit has been received by Student Accounts:

From the Finances menu, select Financial Account, then Payment History.

Verify or update your personal contact information:

From the Profile & Settings menu, select the relevant options.

Tip:  Be sure to keep your email and mailing addresses (both “permanent” and “mailing”) up-to-date throughout the duration of your program.  Correspondence from the University will only be sent to the contact information on your ACORN account.

Add one or more Emergency Contacts to your personal information:

From the Profile & Settings menu, select Emergency Contact.

6. Get your TCard, Activate your UTORid & Obtain your UTMail+

Get your UTORid and TCard

WHAT

Your UTORid and password give you access to a number of U of T’s online services, such
as email, the campus wireless network and more.  

Your TCard is your official U of T identification (student card) and is required in order to sit exams, access athletic & student services, and obtain transit & retail discounts. All new students and those who have not been a student at the University of Toronto in the last two years must get a TCard.

WHEN

Students who have accepted their U of T offer of admission will be able to obtain their UTORid (and U of T Email) starting May 1, 2024. You must acquire it before September 1, 2024 at the very latest.

HOW

Newly admitted students: Please visit the Get Your UTORid & TCard page for detailed information on how to get your first TCard/UTORid.

  • Submit a photo and documentation online, login here.
  • Check your email for approval of your submission (please note that approval will be sent to the email listed on your ACORN account).
  • After receiving your photo approval email, you will receive an email with instructions on how to activate your UTORid, using your Secret Activation Key (SAK). Use your SAK to activate your UTORid:
    • Go to uoft.me/activate-utorid
    • Enter your JOINid + SAK.
    • Set up your UTmail+ account
    • Set up your UTORid password and account management options.
  • Once you are on campus you can book an appointment on CLNx to pick up your TCard. Please note that you will need to bring your required documentation to your appointment

Returning students:

  • If you’ve been absent from the University for two or more years, you’ll need to have a new photo taken and provide legal status documentation.
  • If you need a replacement TCard, visit Replace your TCard.

Obtain your UTMail+

WHAT

UTMail+ is the University of Toronto's email service.  All correspondence from the University will be sent to students’ UTMail+ email addresses alone, and thus your UTMail+ account must be activated before September 1, 2024.

WHEN

Activate immediately activating your UTORid.

HOW

New students’ UTmail+ accounts are created during the UTORid activation process.  You will receive a new email address typically in the form of firstname.lastname@mail.utoronto.ca

Once activated, you may log in to your account by going to the following website: http://mail.utoronto.ca

Let us know when both are active!
Once you have activated your UTORid and UTMail+ accounts, please let us know you have done so by sending an email from your UTMail+ account to gpllm@utoronto.ca

7. Complete a Survey and Select Your Courses 

WHAT

The GPLLM program office will email you an Action Items document, where you will find a series of “actions” that we require you to complete by early August.

There are two tasks which we require you to complete via this document: 

1. Complete the Incoming Student Survey, (to be provided in Summer 2024).

2. Submit Course Selections (this will take place in August).

Please note that the GPLLM program office will review and approve your course selection and then enroll you in your chosen courses via ACORN. Students are not able to enroll in courses via ACORN as it is done through the GPLLM office. 

8. Register in the GPLLM Program

WHAT

All students must register in their program by paying their "Minimum Payment to Register" and clearing all admissions-conditions. 

Please review all of the details on our Registration web page.

9. Review International Student Fee Exemptions

WHAT

 

Certain categories of international students may apply to have their international-rate tuition exempted and instead pay domestic-rate tuition.  Detailed descriptions of fee exemptions are available on Student Accounts’ International Fee Exemptions website. 

Please note that eligible international students who receive this exemption will still have to pay the mandatory UHIP fee (see “Health Insurance” below).

10. Understand your Health Insurance Coverage

Domestic students

WHAT

Students who are permanent residents of Ontario will have provincial health insurance coverage through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Students from other provinces are usually covered under their own provincial plans. However, be aware that regulations vary from province to province. If you're an out-of-province student, be sure you're aware of the coverage you will have while in Ontario. 

Visit U of T’s Health & Wellness Centre’s website for further information.

International students

WHAT

The University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is a mandatory health plan that provides international students with basic health care coverage while studying in Ontario. International students are automatically enrolled in UHIP and the cost is included on their ACORN invoices.  Please note that you must show your UHIP card and present a claim form every time you use health care services.  Register online, print your UHIP card, and always have it with you.  UHIP coverage may also be extended to provide coverage for your eligible dependent family member(s).

Visit the Centre for International Experience’s website for further information. 

U of T Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) Health and Dental Plan

WHAT

Domestic students are automatically enrolled and may choose to opt out of this plan or include their dependents. Opt-out/opt-in occurs beginning of the term you are first registered in.  The deadline for making changes to your coverage, or opting in or out of the insurance is October 3rd with no exceptions.  Contact the U of T Graduate Students’ Union for further information.

11. SGS Grad Hub and Graduate Health and Wellness Resources

WHAT

We encourage you to review the SGS Grad Hub, which are both produced by The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and the Office of Student Life annually.  Both resources contain information about registration, SGS awards, University-wide resources and much more.

Please also see the Faculty of Law's Graduate Health & Wellness page for important resources.