Student Q&A

If you have questions regarding academics, finances, and anything else at the University, the “Contacts & Resources” tab on ACORN’s “Need Help?” page directs you to the appropriate office. This page also provides links to helpful resources that may answer your questions. 

1. First, click or tap the “Need Help?” button found on the upper right corner or bottom of any page in ACORN.
   
   

   Screenshot highlighting the “Need Help” button in the ACORN header.

   

   Screenshot highlighting the “Need Help” button in the ACORN footer.

    

2. Next, make sure you are on the “Contacts & Resources” tab.
   
   

   Screenshot highlighting the “Contacts & Resources” tab on the ACORN “Need Help?” page.

3. Select the topic that relates to your question or issue. Some topic categories have more specific options underneath that you can choose from. If you’re not sure what topic your question or issue falls under, select “I’m not sure”.
   
   

   Screenshot highlighting the list of different issue topics that can be selected.

4. Depending on the topic you choose, you will be directed to different offices to contact and provided with helpful links and resources about your issue.
   
   Contacts for each topic:
   1. Academics, Personal information, Financial account, Financial advice, or I’m not sure: Your registrar is your first stop when it comes to academic and financial matters in the University, and you can email your Registrar’s Office directly in ACORN, or by finding their website from this list of registrars. Please note, if you have more than one registrar, you will need to select which registrar to contact. You can describe your issue and upload relevant screenshots or attachments. Once you’re done, you can choose whether you’d like a copy of the email and click submit to send the email.
      
      

      Screenshot highlighting “Helpful Links & Resources” and instructions to contact the Registrar’s Office.

   2. Payments, Tax receipts and information, Student awards, Financial aid, or Transcripts: You will be directed to Enrolment Services’ Service Now form where you can follow instructions to submit a ticket regarding your issue.
      
      

      Screenshot highlighting “Helpful Links & Resources” and the “Submit a Ticket” button

   3. Housing and residences: You will be directed to a list of residence offices with their emails and phone numbers.
      
      

      Screenshot highlighting “Helpful Links & Resources” and the “Contact Your Residences Office” button.

ACORN stands for Accessible Campus Online Resource Network. For students, ACORN will replace the existing ROSI Student Web Service (SWS). For those unfamiliar with the existing system, it’s where students enrol in courses, check fees and finances and do other records and registration tasks such as making updates to address and contact information.The purpose of ACORN is to provide a more convenient, personalized and guided experience for students using U of T’s online services.

ACORN’s Peak Load Mode is a simplified version of ACORN that is enabled on peak enrolment days to reduce load on the system and improve performance. An example of a peak enrolment day is when priority course enrolment controls are removed for Arts and Science courses in August. The ACORN team will announce these dates ahead of time.

Note: When peak load mode is active, please do not refresh your browser while your course enrolment actions (e.g. enrol, switch section, drop) are in progress, or take the same enrolment actions in multiple browser tabs. ACORN will currently be under peak load, so enrolment actions will take longer than usual to complete, but are in progress even if the system is slow to respond. Refreshing your browser or repeatedly requesting the same action will only slow the system down further and increase the likelihood of your request being rejected entirely.

Why are some of ACORN’s services temporarily disabled?

Due to the high volume of traffic during key enrolment days, the ACORN team has temporarily disabled some ACORN features not essential to course and program enrolment to reduce the load on the system and its supporting infrastructure.

What features and information are disabled or unavailable during peak load periods?

• Notifications
• Today’s Timetable on your Dashboard
• Your invoice
• Financial awards and aid information
• Incidental Fee selection
• Multiple degree invitations, if applicable

Note: All functionality required for course and program enrolment is available.

When will full functionality be restored?

ACORN’s “Peak Load Mode” will only be enabled on isolated high-traffic dates. Regular functionality will be restored within 24 hours.

ACORN was released to students June 22, 2015.

Yes! The ACORN User Experience Design Team works with many students at U of T from various academic backgrounds to help make ACORN and other online tools better. To become a part of the ACORN Student Advisory Team, learn more and sign up on this website if you are interested.

We often hold usability activities in our User Experience Design lab at 215 Huron street. During these 30-45 minute sessions, we invite U of T students to come in and test new designs and features that are in the works. It’s an opportunity for you to see what the ACORN team is currently working on, learn about our UX design process, and it also gives us a chance to meet you and find out how we can improve ACORN to make your student life easier. If you participate in 5 sessions, you’ll also get a credit on your Co-Curricular Record (CCR)!

We do hire work-study students from time to time, and when positions are available you can find them on the Career & Co-Curricular Learning Network (CLNx).

Chrome: 46+
Safari: 9+
Firefox: 45+
Edge: 14+
Internet Explorer: 11+

In its first release, ACORN was optimized only for a tablet and desktop setup. We have since released an optimized responsive version of ACORN for smartphones that can be accessed without downloading an app.

The Office of Vice-Provost, Students ran a contest in early 2012 called “Name the New ROSI”. The winning entry submitted by a student in the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program was announced on April 18th, 2012. The name was selected because of its simplicity and the acronym ties to U of T’s logo oak imagery. ACORN stands for “Accessible Campus Online Resource Network”. The adjudication panel for the Name the New ROSI Contest met in early April and reviewed the nearly 1000 entries for the contest. Submissions were received from undergraduate and graduate students representing a range of programs from across the University’s three campuses.

Similar to other U of T systems like Quercus or Degree Explorer, you will use your UTORid and password to log in to ACORN.

Yes, but significantly less than in ROSI previously. Scheduled downtime will be weekly on Monday mornings from 3:00 am – 6:00 am EST.

If you choose to continue using ROSI during the transition period to ACORN, you will still be required to use Student Number & PIN to login. ACORN will be using UTORid.

• PIN is much more susceptible to compromise
• UTORid has better security monitoring and responses in the event of a compromised account
• UTORid has an existing infrastructure allowing self-serve password resets for students
• UTORid credentials are easier for students to remember due to frequent use
• UTORid allows for secure single sign-on and other convenience features

ACORN was released to students June 22, 2015.

If you are still curious to learn more about ACORN and haven’t found what you are looking for here, feel free to contact the ACORN team via the “ACORN Feedback” tab on the Help & Contact page within ACORN.

Current U of T students only use ACORN. Alumni who do not have a UTORid should use the University of Toronto transcript ordering site.

Current students and alumni with a UTORid should use ACORN to order transcripts.

You can get to ACORN’s Life section via the left navigation menu. The pages in this area focus on the various resources that you can take advantage of on campus to enhance your student life, such as:

Health and Wellness

Find information and resources for various services that your campus offers regarding your health and safety.

Involvement

Learn about extra-curricular activities that you can participate in through the Co-Curricular Record (CCR), student organizations, clubs, mentorship programs and more.

Jobs & Career Planning

This screen provides information on part-time jobs, volunteer opportunities, programs, workshops and services to help you prepare for your career and earn money while you study.

Accessibility & Equity

Learn about services available for students who require assistance or information regarding accessibility and equity at the university.

International Opportunities

Learn about the Centre for International Experience, explore international study and research opportunities and keep up-to-date with travel advisories. 

Housing

Here you can find information on housing advertisements, finding roommates, and applying for on-campus residence. 

Family Care

If you require care for a child, adult or senior family member, this page will direct you to the appropriate services at the university. 

The financial planning calculator is an exploratory tool that anyone can use, from high school students to family members to prospective and current U of T students in any program or division. Use it to plan your upcoming year and get a idea of what it costs to study at U of T so there are no surprises.

Before you begin, you should have a general idea of what you will be studying during the upcoming academic year and what your income and savings will be from all sources. This can include summer job savings, expected job earnings for the upcoming academic year or any financial assistance and awards you have received or expect to receive.

1. To begin, go to the Financial Planning Calculator and click ‘Start Planning’.
   
2. Provide background information by selecting options that currently apply to you, or if you are exploring your options, simply select which options you think apply to you. You can always change them later to see how your expenses will change. Click ‘Continue’ to proceed to the Estimated Expenses section.
   
3. Estimate your various sources of income to the best of your ability. The more accurate your income estimates are, the more accurate our calculations and financial recommendations will be. If you have no income to enter for a particular field, you may leave it blank. If you want more information about what belongs in each expenses field, hover over (or tap, on a mobile device) the label you are curious about. Click ‘Continue’ to proceed to step 3.
4. Based on the background information you provide, we calculate expense estimates for your upcoming academic year. We use educated estimates and calculated averages for many of these values, but feel free to change them to represent your individual situation more accurately. To see information about how each estimate was calculated, hover over (or tap) the label you are curious about. Click ‘Continue’ to proceed to the Summary page.
   
5. On the Budget Summary page, you will see a graph displaying your income, expenses and a third bar indicating whether you are projected to be in a budget deficit or surplus.
   
6. Below the graph you will find a list of personalized resources and next steps that you can take to find ways to save money or receive more financial support, depending on your situation. If you have a budget deficit, these resources will give you a few approaches to getting back on track.
   
7. Want to see what it would cost to switch programs? Live away from home or on campus? Eat out at restaurants a little less and cook more? Use the “Jump to Step” menu to go back and change the information on the form.
   
8. If you change any of your initial inputs, click ‘Recalculate Budget’ and you will be taken to the Budget Summary page with an updated budget summary and set of resources reflecting your changes.
   

If you have any comments on how you used this calculator or suggestions on how to improve it, please let us know via the “Send Feedback” button at the bottom of the calculator.

Watch a video walkthrough of how to generate a Confirmation of Enrolment letter.

A Confirmation of Enrolment letter is an official document that can be used to verify your status as a student at U of T. If your faculty allows students to generate letters via ACORN and you are currently registered or invited to register in a current or upcoming session, you can download a Confirmation of Enrolment letter in PDF format via ACORN by visiting the Transcripts & Enrolment Confirmation page. If your faculty does not provide these letters via ACORN, please contact your registrar to get one.

This letter is useful for the following purposes, among others:

• Study permits and Visa applications
• Banking, including some RESPs
• Insurance and benefit plans

Before you download your letter, you may customize the following information that it will contain:

• Include registration information for either the current or upcoming session that you are Registered or Invited for
• Include or exclude your full-time or part-time status
• Include and indicate your intended graduation date, or exclude it*

* The Confirmation of Enrolment letter will only allow you to select an intended graduation date if you are a full-time student, and if ACORN has enough information to reasonably predict your graduation date. If you require an intended graduation date on your letter and do not see the option, or if this letter otherwise does not suit your needs, please request a custom letter from your registrar).

1. From the ACORN Dashboard, go to the “Transcript & Enrolment Confirmation” page via ACORN’s left navigation.
   
2. Click the “Customize and Download Enrolment Letter” button.
   
3. You will be brought to the Confirmation of Enrolment Letter page. Here you will be able to customize the information that appears on your letter. The information you can customize will depend on whether you are a full-time or part-time student, and whether you are Invited or Registered in only one session. If you are Invited or Registered for both the current and upcoming sessions, you will have the option to select the session for which you want the letter to confirm your enrolment.
   If you are Invited or Registered for only one session, you will not have the option to choose.
4. Next, select whether you want your full-time or part-time status to appear in the letter. Your current status for the indicated session will be used.
   
5. If you are a full-time student or if ACORN has enough information to reasonably predict your graduation date, you will have the option to include or exclude this date. If you select “Yes”, choose the month and year that you intend to graduate.
   
6. Once you are satisfied with your selections, click “Download Enrolment Letter” to download a PDF of your customized letter. You must answer every question to download your letter. If you want to change your answers to the questions on the Confirmation of Enrolment form, simply adjust your answers and download your letter again.
   

The Financial Planning Calculator is meant to provide a quick way to approximate what the upcoming academic year will cost, so many of the expenses used are educated estimates or averaged values. Costs for off-campus housing, groceries, entertainment and personal care are estimated based on costs of living while studying at University, while tuition, on-campus housing, transportation and meal plan costs are calculated by drawing from more precise data provided by the University and current public transit prices.

The Financial Planning Calculator is an online tool that will help you estimate what it will cost to attend the University of Toronto for one academic year. It will be coming to ACORN in the future, but at the moment it is a standalone publicly-available tool.

Who can use it? Anybody who wants to learn more about costs associated with attending U of T. This includes current U of T undergraduate, graduate and second-entry students, prospective students (high school and potential transfer students), parents, staff or guidance counsellors.

This is purely an exploratory planning tool for you to use; any information you enter will not be associated with you or your financial status at the University.

Read about how to use the Financial Planning Calculator, or watch this three-minute video.

If your degree and program progress in the Planning Tools section appears to be out of date, try clicking the “Refresh” icon next to the “Degree Explorer” heading. This will fetch the most up-to-date data about your academic progress. If this doesn’t solve your issue and you think there may be a larger problem, please contact your Registrar and they should be able to help.

Example:

The process of refreshing your Degree Explorer information. After clicking the “Refresh” icon, the information will take a second to load, and then will be up to date.

If you don’t see a button or a blue message on the Transcript & Enrolment Confirmation page asking you to contact your Registrar for a letter, this means you are currently not invited to register or registered in a current or upcoming session. Please check back once you are registered or invited to register, and you should be able to generate a letter as long as your faculty allows their students to generate letters via ACORN. In the meantime, please contact your registrar to get a letter.

ACORN does its best to predict when you might be graduating, plus or minus one year. It can only do this accurately if you are a full-time student. If ACORN does not have all the information it needs to make an accurate prediction for any other reason, you will unfortunately not be able to include your graduation date in the letter. Please request one from your registrar in this case.

Since the letter is automatically generated using your registration information within ACORN, there are limitations with the information we are able to include. If you need a letter that is more customized than what ACORN offers, please request one from your registrar.

A Confirmation of Enrolment letter is an official document that can be used to verify your status as a student at U of T. If you are a Faculty of Arts & Science student, you can download a Confirmation of Enrolment letter in PDF format via ACORN by visiting the Transcripts & Enrolment Confirmation page. If your faculty does not provide these letters via ACORN, please contact your registrar to get a Confirmation of Enrolment letter.

Learn how to generate a Confirmation of Enrolment letter.

Yes. If you have a record of any awards on the My Awards page, simply click “Print Awards History” and you will be prompted to save or print a PDF version of the page.

If one or more payments of an award that will be paid to you or has already been paid to you is cancelled, it will appear with a Payment Status of “Cancelled” in the Upcoming or Received section. The award’s issuing department will contact you with details about why it was cancelled and how you should proceed.

If you have received an award in full, it will appear in the Received awards area of the My Awards screen.

If you have received at least one payment for an award and currently meet the criteria to receive future payments for that award, the payment schedule will be displayed in the Upcoming awards section. Please note that future award payments may be affected if your registration status changes and you no longer meet the award’s eligibility criteria.

If you choose to continue using ROSI during the transition period to ACORN, you will still be required to use Student Number & PIN to login. ACORN will be using UTORid.

• PIN is much more susceptible to compromise
• UTORid has better security monitoring and responses in the event of a compromised account
• UTORid has an existing infrastructure allowing self-serve password resets for students
• UTORid credentials are easier for students to remember due to frequent use
• UTORid allows for secure single sign-on and other convenience features

Similar to other U of T systems like Quercus or Degree Explorer, you will use your UTORid and password to log in to ACORN.

Eventually yes, but not in the initial release. The finances module on ACORN is slated for redesign in the second phase of work which is already underway. We tackled as much as we could with the first phase of ACORN and are looking forward to rolling out additional enhancements ongoing.

Yes! An official Timetable Builder is currently available for UTSC students. In the future, we will be branching out to include additional faculties, so stay tuned for more information.

In its first release, ACORN was optimized only for a tablet and desktop setup. We have since released an optimized responsive version of ACORN for smartphones that can be accessed without downloading an app.

We have been fortunate to have over 1000 students involved in ACORN to date through interviews, surveys, usabilty tests of early stage prototypes and beta tests of our test site. If you would like to participate in future activities, please complete and submit our sign-up form. We’ll email you for opportunities to get involved as they arrive, typically once per month, give or take.