In ACORN’s Profile & Settings area, there is a Personal Information card with information that U of T has on file for you. This includes your:

• Preferred, record and legal names
• Legal status and country of citizenship
• Gender
• UTORid
• Student Number

Changing your personal information

• Names: The University Registrar’s Office website has information about what your preferred, record and legal names are, and how to add or change them.
• Legal status and country of citizenship: You verify these with the TCard office as part of the process of starting your studies at U of T and getting your TCard and UTORid.
• Gender: You can change this by submitting a form provided by the University Registrar’s Office to your divisional registrar.
• UTORid: This cannot be changed. You can verify your UTORid as part of the process for verifying your legal status and country of citizenship with the TCard office. After submitting photo documentation to them, you will receive an email with an activation key that you can use to activate your UTORid.
• Student Number: This cannot be changed.

This is what your Profile page may look like when you have not added or activated several of pieces of your personal information.

This is what your Profile page may look like when you have added and activated all necessary pieces of your profile information.

ACORN allows you to enter two types of contacts on the Emergency Contacts page: an emergency contact, and a next of kin contact. These contacts should be different people. We recommend adding both so that there are multiple people that U of T is able to contact in an emergency. However, entering a next of kin contact is optional.

An emergency contact should be a close friend or family member who lives locally. They will be contacted in case you are involved in an emergency.

A next of kin should be a living relative of yours who you trust. They will be contacted if you are involved in a tragic incident. If you do not have one, your emergency contact would be contacted instead.

To add or edit your emergency contacts, go to ACORN’s Profile and Settings page.

Adding and Editing Emergency Contacts

The process of adding an Emergency Contact and a Next of Kin contact is exactly the same. The screenshots in this how-to article highlight the Emergency Contact form. The Next of Kin Contact form works the same way.

1. On the Emergency Contacts tab on the Profile & Settings page, select the Add Emergency Contact button to add your emergency contact. If you already have a contact, you will be able to edit their information instead.
   
2. There are four steps to adding your emergency contact. For the first step, add their first name, their surname and select an option from the list that represents what their relationship is to you. Next, select Continue.
   
3. In the second step, add at least one phone number that a staff member at U of T could use to reach your contact in case of an emergency. You do not need to add all three numbers. When entering phone numbers, please follow the provided format which uses hyphens between each set of digits.If you add your contact’s work number, including an extension is optional. Once you’ve added at least one number, select Continue.
   
4. In the third step, add your emergency contact’s address. ACORN asks for the country, mailing address, city, province and postal code. Note that there is no Address Line 2 field available in this form, unlike in the Address form for your own address. Canada is the selected country by default. If you select U.S.A, you will be able to enter a State and a ZIP Code. If you select any country other than Canada and U.S.A, you will be able to enter a Province, State or Region, and adding a Postal or ZIP Code will be optional. When you’re ready, select Continue to move on.
   
5. In the fourth and final step, review the information you provided about your emergency contact and ensure that it is correct. To change anything, you can go back to the previous steps through the step list at the top, or by selecting “Previous”. If the information looks correct, save it.
   
6. After saving, you will be taken back to your profile and a success message will display. You can edit your emergency contact’s information at any time by selecting the Edit Emergency Contact button.
   
   
7. On the Edit Emergency Contact page, the information you previously entered will be available to edit.
   

Emergency Contact Errors

ACORN may tell you about errors that need to be resolved before saving your contact. If you encounter an error, a list of what went wrong will appear at the top of the form. These are examples of errors that you might encounter: 

• Required fields were left empty. If a field has an asterisk (*) next to it, it is mandatory. If it has the words (optional) next to it, it is optional. On the Phone Numbers step, it is mandatory to add at least one number, but adding all three is not mandatory.
• Information entered was too long. In this case, ACORN will tell you the maximum number of characters to enter.
• Phone numbers or postal codes are in an incorrect format. For each field that has particular formatting requirements, an example of the correct format is presented above it to guide you. 
• Unsupported text characters are added. Certain characters cannot be added to ACORN, such as accented characters. The error message will tell you which ones are allowed.
  

If you plan on working, accessing government programs and benefits or filing a Canadian tax return, you will need to add your Social Insurance Number (SIN) or Individual Tax Number (ITN) to ACORN.

U of T asks for this number because your SIN or ITN needs to appear on the tax forms that the university provides to you. If you are not eligible or required to file a Canadian tax return, then you also do not need to enter your SIN or ITN. Visit the Student Accounts website to learn more about the SIN, ITN, and who needs to add one to ACORN.

1. If you have determined that you need to add your SIN or ITN to ACORN, first go to the Profile and Settings page.
   
2. On the Profile tab within the Profile & Settings page, go to the Social Insurance Number (SIN) card. If you have already added a SIN or ITN to ACORN, the last three digits will be displayed. If you have not, you will see “None”. The full number will not be displayed in ACORN after you save it in order to protect your privacy. To add a SIN or ITN for the first time, select the Add SIN or ITN button.
   
3. On the next page, you can enter your SIN or ITN. Even if you entered one previously, you will need to re-enter it. Your SIN or ITN should be nine digits long. You do not need to add spaces or hyphens.
   
4. After saving, you will be taken back to your profile and a success message will display. You can edit your SIN or ITN at any time by selecting the Edit SIN or ITN button.
   
   

SIN or ITN Errors

ACORN may tell you about errors that need to be resolved before saving your SIN or ITN. If you encounter an error, the issue will appear at the top of the form. These are examples of errors that you might encounter: 

• The SIN or ITN field was left empty. If you try to save without adding a SIN or ITN, ACORN will not let you.
• The SIN or ITN entered is not valid. There may be a typo, so please check that you entered the number correctly.
• If you encounter any other errors, please reach out to your registrar for assistance.

ACORN asks for your official U of T email address so that official correspondence from the university will reach you. You will receive a U of T email address after activating your UTORid and UTMail+ account. Visit the TCard Office website for more information about this process. Once you have your email, you can monitor your UTMail+ inbox.

Once you get your official email address, it should automatically appear in your ACORN profile. In most cases, you should not need to manually update your email address within ACORN. However, you may want to update your email to reflect your alumni email address once you graduate, or to reflect a departmental email if you have one.

1. To check or update the email address currently saved to ACORN, first go to the Profile and Settings page.
   
2. You can view your email address on the Profile tab of the Profile & Settings page. Please ensure that it matches your official email that is used within your UTMail+ inbox. If it is incorrect, select the Edit Email Address button.
   
3. On the Edit page, you can correct your email address. Please ensure that the email ends in mail.utoronto.ca, utoronto.ca or toronto.edu. You cannot currently add non-U of T email addresses to ACORN.
4. After saving, you will be taken back to your profile and a success message will display. You can edit your email address at any time by selecting the Edit Email Address button.
   

Email Address Errors

ACORN may tell you about errors that need to be resolved before saving your email. If you encounter an error, the issue will appear at the top of the form. These are examples of errors that you might encounter: 

• The email address field is left empty. Having your official email address saved to ACORN is mandatory.
• You entered an email address that does not end in utoronto.ca or toronto.edu. There may be a typo, or you may have entered a non-U of T email address.
• The email address entered is too long.
• Unsupported text characters are added. Certain characters cannot be added to ACORN. The error message will tell you which ones are allowed. For email addresses, only letters from a to z, periods and one @ symbol is allowed.

In this example, there is a typo. The email address is missing the “.ca” at the end.

The Profile Checklist is a list of to-do items on your ACORN Dashboard that tracks the status of personal information that U of T has on file for you. Keeping your profile up to date ensures that U of T can contact you with important information and reach you in an emergency. There are critical items that you must complete and important items that are optional, such as adding direct deposit info so that you get refunds on time. 

An example of a profile checklist with most items incomplete

Once you fully complete your checklist, the items will go away. If you move or your personal information changes, please update it in ACORN so that the university can reach you.

Your Critical To-dos

Your critical to-dos are to fill out your mailing and permanent address, primary phone number, emergency contact and complete the Student Equity Census. These can be done in ACORN’s Profile & Settings area. U of T needs this personal information to reach you with official communications or in case of an emergency. 

The census is crucial as it ensures that U of T can prioritize its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Visit the Student Equity Census Dashboard to learn more and see the data collected.

ACORN will display a deadline by which you need to complete your critical to-dos. This deadline is written in your Profile Checklist and in a message near the top of every ACORN page. If you haven’t completed your critical to-dos before the deadline, certain areas within ACORN such as your courses, timetable and academic history will become unavailable. Please complete your critical to-dos as soon as you can to avoid this.

You will always be able to reach the Need Help, Health & Wellness, Accessibility & Equity, Absence Declaration and Accommodated Testing Services areas.

If the deadline passes and you still have incomplete critical to-dos, several places in ACORN will be unavailable until you complete your critical to-dos in the checklist.

Your Important To-dos

These important to-dos involve verifying your legal status, activating your UTORid, picking up your TCard, adding direct deposit information. You may also want to add your SIN or ITN if you plan on working, doing Canadian taxes or accessing government benefits. 

These to-dos are not mandatory, and will not make any areas of ACORN unavailable if you do not complete them. However, several of them are part of the process that every student goes through to get their TCard, UTORid and UTMail+ email account. Adding your direct deposit information will also ensure that you get refunds faster from U of T.

Troubleshooting

• If you completed an important to-do but it is not showing as complete, please try visiting ACORN the next day, and then log out and in again.
• If you need help with your checklist or profile information, please reach out to your divisional registrar.

The U of T Student Equity Census is a demographic data collection initiative that will be used to develop, assess, and maintain programs and initiatives that respond to the needs of our students. You can learn more about the U of T Student Equity Census and view the FAQs here.  

1. You can access the U of T Student Equity Census page by going to “Profile & Settings” from the main navigation menu and selecting the Student Equity Census tab.
   
   

   The U of T Student Equity Census page when you have already submitted a response.

2. On the U of T Student Equity Census page, you can read an introduction about the census and select the “Get Started” button.
   
   

   The “U of T Student Equity Census” page in the “Profile & Settings” area containing instructions on how to complete the Census.

    

3. You will be directed to the first page of the census form. At the top of every page, you can read instructions on how to answer the questions and complete the form. 
   1. All questions are mandatory unless stated otherwise, so you will need to complete all the questions within each step before selecting the “Save & Continue” button to progress. This will save the answers that you’ve provided so far in case you navigate away from the Census.
      

      Instructions when completing and submitting a response for the first time.

      

      The “Save & Continue” button appears on every page of the form when submitting a response for the first time.

   2. As you progress through the form, you can select “Previous” or use the navigation towards the top of the form to go to the previous page.
      
      

      How to navigate the Census form when completing the Census for the first time.

   3. Depending on your answers to certain questions, additional mandatory questions may appear.
      
      

      An example of the “Please Specify Further” text field that appears when the option “An identity not listed (please specify below)” is selected.

   4. If you don’t want to answer a question, select “Prefer not to answer”. If you select this option, you will not be able to select other options for the question.
      

      An example of a “Prefer not to answer” option selected for a question, with the rest of the options disabled.

   5. To erase all of your answers and restart the form, select “Reset Form”. Your answers will be removed, and you will be directed to the first page of the form where you can start over. This action will not override any saved progress until you select either “Save & Continue” or “Save & Exit”.
      
      

      The “Reset Form” button that appears on every section in the Census when submitting a response for the first time.

       

      

   6. To navigate away from the census, select “Save & Exit Form”. This will redirect you to the U of T Student Equity Census home page where ACORN will inform you that you currently have a response in progress. Please ensure that you return and complete the form as soon as possible.
      
      

      The “Save & Exit Form” button that appears on every section in the Census when submitting a response for the first time.

       

      

4. When you’ve reached the final page of the form (8. Data Collection Feedback & Submit), you can choose to provide the U of T Student Equity Census team with any feedback regarding your experience with the census. This field is optional.
   
   

   The “7. Data Collection Feedback & Submit” step highlighting the large text box where students may provide feedback and comments before submitting a response.

5. Once you’ve answered all the required questions in the census and read the important information on the page, select “Submit Response” to save and submit your response.
   
   

   The important information and the “Submit Response” button under “7. Data Collection Feedback & Submit”.

6. If your response was submitted successfully, a success message will appear towards the top of the page. You will be directed to the U of T Student Equity Census page where you can view your response anytime and edit it as long as you are registered for the current academic session.

Once you’ve completed and submitted a response, you can return to the U of T Student Equity Census page in ACORN to view it anytime. You may edit your response as long as you are registered for the current academic session. 

1. On the U of T Student Equity Census page in ACORN, you can see the date when you last submitted or updated your response. To view and/or edit it, select the “View & Edit Submission” button (for non-registered students, select the “View Submission” button).
   

   The U of T Student Equity Census page when you have already submitted a response.

2. You will be directed to the first page of the census form. At the top of every page, you can read instructions on how to edit and answer the questions. You can edit any of your previous answers to the questions. If you remove an answer (e.g., removing all selected options or removing a typed response), you will not be able to progress to the next pages in the form until you have selected or typed a new response.
   
   

   Instructions when viewing & editing a response.

   1. You can use the navigation at the top of the form to navigate to any page, or select “Back” or “Next” to go to the previous or next page.
      
      

      How to navigate the Census form when viewing & editing a response.

   2. To erase all of your answers and restart the form, select “Reset Form”. Your answers will be removed, and you will be directed to the first page of the form where you can start over. This will not override your previous submission until you answer all the questions and select “Update Submission”.
       
   3. To navigate away from viewing or editing your response, select “Exit Form”. This will re-direct you to the U of T Student Equity Census home page. If you have made any changes to your response, your response will not be updated to reflect those changes unless you select “Update Submission”.
       
3. Once you’ve finished making changes, select “Update Submission” to save and submit your response. The “Update Submission” button appears on every page of the form and will submit any changes you have made on every page.
   
4. If your response has updated successfully, you will be directed to the U of T Student Equity Census home page and see a success message.
   

You can edit an existing absence declaration until 11:59 PM on the date that it was created. Absence declarations cannot be cancelled. Next to the absence, select the Edit button. 

1. On the Absence Declaration screen, select the Edit button next to the absence that you want to edit.
   
2. Next, go through the absence information and change the details that you need to change. You can edit the Absence End Date, but not the Absence Start Date. 
3. If your division recommends it, you can send a copy of your absence declaration to a maximum of 12 email addresses for your instructor, TA, Course Coordinator, etc. You will need to re-enter these email addresses if you want copies of your updated absence to be sent. A copy of your absence declaration will automatically be sent to your official U of T email address. 
4. Select the Save Changes button once you have filled out all mandatory fields and see no errors. Afterwards, please check your division’s specific procedures for absences or academic consideration. There may be additional steps required by your division beyond submitting an absence declaration on ACORN. 
5. If your absence declaration was updated successfully, you will receive a success message at the top of your screen. 
6. In some cases, you may receive an error message that tells you that ACORN was not able to do what you requested and to try again. Occasionally, technical issues like this will occur. Please try again after an hour or two, and the problem should be resolved. If for any other reason you need help with declaring your absence, please reach out to your divisional registrar.
    

If you are or will be temporarily absent from your studies and need to request academic consideration for a missed academic obligation (e.g., a test, quiz or paper), you can formally declare your absence using the Absence Declaration tool in ACORN. This creates an official record of your absence that can be used to support your request, so that you do not need to present additional supporting documentation.

To declare an absence, you must be registered and currently enrolled in courses. Your division must also allow absences to be declared through ACORN. Read more about the Absence Declaration process and find your division’s specific procedures for absences or academic consideration.

1. To get to Absence Declaration from the ACORN Dashboard, select Absence Declaration in the Academics section of the main ACORN navigation.
2. On the Absence Declaration screen, select the Declare a New Absence button. If this button does not appear, ACORN will tell you why on this page. Your division may not allow absences to be declared through ACORN, you may have already declared an absence during the current session, or you may not be registered in courses for the current session. 
3. On the Declare a New Absence page, first you will be asked to provide a start and end date for your absence. Follow the instructions on this page for when and for how long your absence period can be. 
   
4. Next, select the course(s) that are affected by your absence. For example, select a course if you missed its quiz, text or exam. You can also declare absences if you have an arrangement with your instructors regarding missing course-related work or assignments.
   
5. You may optionally add any additional notes regarding your absence. Please do not include any personal or medical information in this field.
   
6. If your division recommends it, you can send a copy of your absence declaration to a maximum of 12 email addresses for your instructor, TA, Course Coordinator, etc. A copy of your absence declaration will automatically be sent to your official U of T email address.
   
7. Read the Declarations and check the checkbox to confirm that you have read and agree with the statements. 
   
8. elect the Submit Absence Declaration button once you have filled out all mandatory fields and see no errors. Afterwards, please check your division’s specific procedures for absences or academic consideration. There may be additional steps required by your division beyond submitting an absence declaration on ACORN.
   
9. If your absence declaration was created successfully, you will receive a success message at the top of your screen. You can now view your absence declaration. If you need to edit it, you may do so until 11:59 PM on the day that it was created. Absence declarations cannot be cancelled. Read more about editing absences here.
   
   
10. In some cases, you may receive an error message that tells you that ACORN was not able to do what you requested and to try again. Occasionally, technical issues like this will occur. Please try again after an hour or two, and the problem should be resolved. If for any other reason you need help with declaring your absence, please reach out to your divisional registrar.

If you have a positive account balance for the current session on your ACORN Invoice, you may be eligible to request a refund. To get this refund as quickly and as easily as possible, we recommend adding direct deposit information for your Canadian bank account to ACORN’s Direct Deposit area. Once you do, U of T can deposit the refund directly to your bank account. 

You can get your bank account information by going to your bank’s website, app, or branch and retrieving direct deposit information from them. ACORN will need the institution or bank number, the transit or branch number, and the account number. 

Please keep in mind that your direct deposit information in ACORN is used when U of T needs to deposit money into your bank account, not when you need to deposit money into your own student account to pay tuition & fees.

1. To add your direct deposit information, go to ACORN’s Profile & Settings page.
2. On the Profile tab of the Profile & Settings page, select the Add Direct Deposit button to add your information. If you do not see the option to add Direct Deposit information, you will be able to edit or delete it instead.
   
3. On the Add Direct Deposit page, ACORN will ask for:
   • An institution number, which is typically three digits long.
   • A transit or branch number, which is typically five digits long.
   • An account number, which can be up between 6 and 12 digits long.
   • An optional expiry date that you can specify if you want U of T to stop using your direct deposit information to automatically deposit funds directly into your bank account. You can leave this blank if you are unsure, or enter a date that is after you expect to be finished with your studies at U of T.
4. Once you are done entering your information, select “Save”. You will be taken back to your profile and a success message will appear. The bank and branch name will be listed beside the numbers that you entered, so please double check to make sure they are correct. Your account number will be partially hidden to protect your privacy.
    
   To edit your direct deposit information, select the “Edit Direct Deposit” button.
5. On the Edit Direct Deposit page, the information that you previously entered will be here except for the account number. To protect your privacy, you will need to enter your account number again if you wish to change what ACORN has on file. When you’re done, you can select “Save”.
6. To delete your direct deposit information, select the “Delete Direct Deposit” button. A confirmation dialogue will appear so that you can verify your choice.

Direct Deposit Errors

ACORN may tell you about errors that need to be resolved before saving your direct deposit information. If you encounter an error, a list of what went wrong will appear at the top of the form. These are examples of errors that may appear:  

• The institution, transit, or account number fields were left empty. If a field has an asterisk (*) next to it, it is mandatory. If it has the word (Optional) next to it, it is optional. Only the question that asks for a date is optional. 

• The numbers entered were too long. In this case, ACORN will tell you the maximum number of characters to enter. Institution numbers are typically 3 characters long, transit numbers are 5 numbers long, and account numbers are between 6 and 12 characters long. 

• The numbers entered were invalid. If this happens, please check your banking information for typos. 

• The expiry date for your banking information is today or in the past, when it should be in the future. If you would like to delete the information that ACORN has on file, you can do so on the Direct Deposit page by selecting the “Delete Direct Deposit” button.  

• Unsupported text characters are added. Certain characters cannot be added to ACORN, such as accented characters. The error message will tell you which ones are allowed.
  

  In this example, the mandatory Account Number field was left blank, and the date entered is in the past.