Frequently Asked Questions

From Summer 2020 – 2021, all students were able to opt-out of the program under the criteria “study exclusively as an online student” because Carleton only offered online courses. The Fall 2021 course schedule includes a combination of in-person and online course delivery types.

The available opt-out criteria have not changed, however you may no longer meet the online only criterion based on your registration.

What is ‘exclusively online’ in Fall 2021?

Carleton is offering seven different course types in Fall 2021. In order to opt-out using the “online student” criterion, you must be EXCLUSIVELY registered in online synchronous, asynchronous, or blended courses. Registration in even one hyflex or in-person course section makes you INELIGIBLE to use this opt-out criteria. If you aren’t sure, please check your section type in Carleton Central.

So what are my options?

Based on your registration, you may not be able to opt-out of the U-Pass program. That said, there are multiple other criteria offered for students to opt-out under. Please review the opt-out page to see if you fit into any other criterion. For example, you may be living outside the service area in the fall term – this is one of the available criteria for opting-out!

Carleton is responsible for administering the program under the contract we have entered with OC Transpo based on the successful referendums in 2012 and 2016, organized by the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA). No special exemptions are available.

If you meet one of the eligibility criteria to opt-out of the U-Pass, you can submit a request through Carleton Central. Please see the following link for details on the opt-out process.

Your U-Pass is valid for any OC Transpo and STO public transportation services. All U-Pass cards can be tapped on the card reader upon boarding the bus or any O-Train station.

If you’re in need of assistance of how to get around Ottawa using OC Transpo or STO, check out the following trip planners available to you,

• OC Transpo Bus Planner (http://plan.octranspo.com/plan)
• STO Bus Planner (https://www.planibus.sto.ca/hastinfo/)
• Students can also check out the OC Transpo website, and download some of their suggested transit apps (http://www.octranspo.com/en/plan-your-trip/travel-tools/app-gallery/)

The Universal Transit Pass (U-PASS) is a discounted fare offered through Carleton University’s partnership with OC Transpo. The U-Pass program is the result of successful referendums in 2012 and 2016, organized by the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) and Graduate Students’ Association (GSA). Subsequently, contract negotiations were completed between the University and OC Transpo, resulting in a legally binding agreement which provides a discounted transit fare to all eligible students.

Eligible students are entitled to unlimited travel on OC Transpo and the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) in Gatineau. Only Para Transpo service to rural zones requires a supplemental fare.

U-Pass periods are September 1 through April 30 (fall / winter), and May 1 – August 31 (summer), inclusive.

Important Dates

Eligibility Requirements

For information about the price of the U-Pass, visit our fee information page.

For information about program eligibility, visit our eligibility page.

For distribution and renewal dates, visit our important dates page.

For information about becoming ineligible for the program, visit our eligibility page.

Fall term only

There is only one U-Pass card for September to April. If you withdraw from courses, graduate, or do not take courses in the Winter term, you must return your U-Pass to the Campus Card Office by January 14th to receive a full refund for the Winter term portion of the U-Pass. After this date, the refund will be pro-rated.

For more information, visit our eligibility page.

Winter term only

Please visit our important dates page for information on when winter eligible students can renew, replace, or pick up their first U-Pass.

In order to pick up your U-Pass, you must bring either your Campus Card or a piece of government-issued photo ID to the Campus Card Office (407 UC). Friends, family, or other third parties may not pick up the pass on your behalf.

New students should follow the process to apply online for their student ID and U-Pass.

Residence students who applied online by the deadline will receive their card in their move-in package.

Please visit Get Your U-Pass Card.

The U-Pass fee will be automatically added to your Student Account when you become eligible.  The fee can be paid at the same time that you pay tuition. See Student Accounts Receivable for more information.

Due to the elimination of the public tax credit as of July 1, 2017, the 2017 U-Pass tax receipt only includes eligible winter 2017 U-Pass amounts and half of any summer 2017 U-Pass amounts. Amounts paid for the second half of summer 2017 or the fall 2017 and onwards are not eligible for the public transit tax credit.

For information on becoming ineligible see our eligibility page.

Please visit our cost information to understand how the date of return will affect your refund.

You will receive an email confirmation that we’ve received your card, and a refund will be applied to your Student Account within 2 business days.

If you paid all your fees and have no outstanding balance, you will receive a cheque at your current mailing address as listed in Carleton Central. Please ensure it is up to date. If you are a graduate student who receives funding, your fee adjustment will go directly back into your funding amount. Should you have any questions or concerns about how you will be reimbursed your U-Pass fee, please contact Student Accounts directly at student_accounts@carleton.ca or 613-520-3626.

Remember that just returning your card will not trigger a refund until you are ineligible or your opt-out.

A lost card is considered to be in the students’ possession for the purposes of fee assessment. For information on replacing your U-Pass, visit Get Your U-Pass Card. If you have become ineligible and cannot find your card, please email campuscard@carleton.ca from your Carleton email account.

• You can return it to any lost and found location on campus;
• You can bring the U-Pass to the OC Transpo Operator or any OC Transpo Customer Service Station; or
• You can drop it off at any Canada Post mailbox and the U-Pass will be returned to OC Transpo. Postage guaranteed by: OC Transpo, 1500 St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z8.

Based on the CUSA and GSA referendums, the U-Pass is a mandatory program. All eligible students must participate. Some exceptions do apply.

Unfortunately, choosing to drive a personal vehicle is not one of the available options to opt-out of the program. We suggest you consider using OC Transpo’s Park and Ride service to save on gas and parking costs when travelling to campus.

Yes. There are specific criteria in our contract that allows a student to opt-out of the U-Pass. Please visit our opt-out page for more information.

A refund will be applied to your Student Account within 2 business days provided you do not have a currently valid U-Pass card.

If you picked up a new U-Pass, or renewed it for the current pass period, you must return your card to the Campus Card Office (407 University Centre) to receive the refund. To receive a full (100%) refund, students who hold a currently valid card must return it within 14 calendar days of the start of the pass period, regardless of whether that date falls within our hours of operation. Please visit our cost information page to understand how the date of return will affect your refund.

If you paid all your fees and have no outstanding balance, you will receive a cheque at your current mailing address as listed in Carleton Central. Please ensure it is up to date. If you are a graduate student who receives funding, your fee adjustment will go directly back into your funding amount. Should you have any questions or concerns about how you will be reimbursed your U-Pass fee, please contact Student Accounts directly at student_accounts@carleton.ca or 613-520-3626.

Students typically do not take a full course load (1.0 credits per semester) during the summer due to full-time work or other commitments. In addition, summer sessions are half the length of fall and winter terms, so summer courses are condensed to fit in the same content over a shorter period. Due to the nature of this schedule, students taking 1.0 credits in these sessions often have a similar workload to full time students in the fall or winter semesters. For these reasons, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) requested this requirement be included in the summer U-Pass referendum.

If you have concerns regarding eligibility requirements of the Summer U-Pass, please connect directly with your respective student association.

If you complete 1.0 credits in the early summer session, you are not able to receive a refund for or opt-out of the remainder of the pass period.  This requirement has been built into the Summer U-Pass program to ensure the program remains financially viable.

Officially, Exchange Students have until January 14, to return their U-Pass to get a 100% refund for the Winter U-Pass. However, since most exchange students are leaving to go back to their home country, the University recommends that students return their U-Pass by December 12. This ensures that exchange students can get a refund cheque prior to the university’s holiday closure. If you would like to get your refund cheque earlier, you may bring your U-Pass in earlier.

You must return your U-Pass in order to receive a full refund. If you fail to hand in your U-Pass and you return home, and still want a refund, you will have to mail in your U-Pass, and you may incur costs to have your refund transferred to your home country. Arrangements in such transfers must be done through Student Accounts, which is why we recommend handing in your U-Pass in mid-December.

Once you return your U-Pass, you student account will be credited. If you have a credit balance on your student account, you can request a refund through Carleton Central. If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact student_accounts@carleton.ca or by calling 613-520-3626.

If you are an outgoing exchange student and you do not want to use your U-Pass before you leave, please do not pick up or renew your U-Pass.

Outgoing exchange students who use their U-Pass in the fall term, but will be leaving in the winter, must return their card to the Campus Card Office (407 University Centre). You do not need to return the card for outgoing exchanges in the fall or summer terms provided you do not pick up or renew your U-Pass. See U-Pass Eligibility for more details.

Outgoing exchanges processed through the ISSO  are automatically opted out and as such, do not need to complete an opt-out application form. If your exchange is not coordinated with the ISSO, you are required to opt-out of the U-Pass.