Visit this webpage for a detailed, step-by-step guide to using ACORN for course enrolment, program enrolment, checking finances, updating address and contact information, printing or ordering transcripts, and more.
Graduate students can access ACORN to:
- View, request, add, drop, or waitlist for courses
- View personal timetable
- View/Change address, telephone numbers, email, safety abroad address, and emergency contact information
- View academic history, including final grades
- Order transcripts
- View your financial account information (invoices, account details, payments)
- Register without payment (defer payment of tuition): available to recipients of a funding commitment from the graduate unit and to students with approved Ontario, Canada and some US government student loan
- Update direct deposit details
- Print “Educational Credit” tax forms (T2202A)
- Order convocation tickets
- And more
Student Responsibility
While academic advisors, faculty, and staff are available to assist and advise, it is ultimately the student's responsibility to keep personal and academic information up to date at all times and to follow all University, SGS, departmental and program regulations, requirements and deadlines. ACORN makes it easier for you to check and correct this information. If questions arise about requirements, policies and procedures, you are responsible for seeking answers to these questions from staff and advisors.
University of Toronto Email
The Physics Department and other university offices may send important information to you by email. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email address, mailing/permanent address, and telephone numbers are up to date at all times.
U of T’s Policy on Official Correspondence with Students requires students to maintain a University-issued email account, record it in ACORN, and regularly check for messages. The University will send official correspondence to your utoronto email account.
UTORid and JOINid
Students use their UTORid or JOINid and password to log onto ACORN. Every applicant to the University of Toronto is assigned a JOINid. It was provided to you through an email from SGS (admissions.sgs@utoronto.ca).
When you begin your studies at U of T, your JOINid will become your UTORid, which will allow you to access a number of services such as email, library resources, and Quercus, the University’s student portal and learning management system. Many courses use Quercus to provide online materials, discussion groups, quizzes, and more
Enabling your JOINid
You must enable your JOINid and create a password if you wish to access ACORN. This can be done online – you do not have to be here in person. Your JOINid will not work until you enable and create a password for it.
If you have trouble locating the email sent to you with your JOINid, please contact admissions.sgs@utoronto.ca.
If you lose your JOINid password, you can use the enabling site to change your password. Please note that updates to passwords can take 48 hours to roll over in the system. If you are unable to reset your password using the enabling site, please call 416-978-HELP, or email help.desk@utoronto.ca to reset your password. Please specify that you have already enabled your JOINid.
Activating your UTORid
Convert your JOINid to a UTORid as soon as possible to get access to more online services like email (UTmail+), course content on Quercus, webinars, library resources, Microsoft365 applications, Wi-Fi on campus, and more. Learn about How to Get Your TCard and UTORid and use the documentation tool to determine the identity and legal status documentation you will need to get your UTORid and/or TCard.
Declaration
The use of ACORN to enrol in courses means that you agree to abide by all of the academic and non-academic rules and regulations of the University, the School of Graduate Studies, and the graduate unit in which you are registered. It also means that you agree to assume the obligation to pay academic and incidental fees according to the policies and requirements of the University of Toronto. You will normally use ACORN to add or cancel courses. If, for extraordinary reasons, you are unable to use the system, contact your graduate unit as soon as possible.
Students are expected to be responsible when using the system and should not attempt to flood it with requests, or to automate the process of course enrolment. Such activity may clog the system so that other students may be denied access or experience degraded performance. Any student(s) attempting such activity may be denied access to ACORN until after the relevant registration period.
Checking course status
You are responsible for knowing the status of your course requests at all times. This information can be obtained through ACORN. Possible statuses are listed here:
REQ: Course requested. Must be resolved/approved by the last date to add a course.
INT: Course requested pending instructor approval in addition to co-ordinator's/advisor's approval.
APP: Request approved. Student is enrolled in course.
REF: Request denied. Student is not enrolled and may not make another request for this course via the web during this session.
CAN: Course cancelled (student withdrew from course before deadline)
WAIT: No room in the meeting section. Student has been placed on a waiting list based on category and will be enrolled automatically if space becomes available.
DWAIT: Student has cancelled place on the waiting list or been removed.
Students may begin requesting courses on August 1st. Students in the direct-entry Ph.D. program will have the Research Course PHY60x1Y pre-loaded to their record for them. Students in the M.Sc. program will have the Report Course PHY3400Y and the Research Course PHY60x1Y pre-loaded to their record. Students in the Option II M.Sc. program will have the Report Course, the Research Course, and the Seminar Course PHY700xY pre-loaded to their record.
Please Note: At least 50% of the courses completed for graduate degree credit must be Physics courses, and no more than 30% of course completed for graduate degree credit may be cross-listed graduate-undergraduate courses. Course selection must be approved by the student’s supervisor. Students must request their courses by September 8th. Courses will be approved or refused before the last date to add courses. Students should check the web for their request status before September 20th.
Cancelling or withdrawing from courses
You may cancel or withdraw from individual courses by specified deadlines. Prior to dropping a course, however, you are advised to consult with your advisor or departmental office.
The course drop deadlines follow:
- November 6, 2023 final date to drop Fall session full or half courses;
- February 20, 2024 final date to drop full-year and Winter session courses;
- June 3, 2024 final date to drop May-to-June F section courses; and
- July 29, 2024 final date to drop July-to-August S section courses.
If you miss the deadline to drop a course:
- Complete the Add/Drop Course(s) form and submit it to your graduate unit, along with a letter of rationale with supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate).
- The graduate unit will consider the request and, if supported, will forward the request to SGS for review.
- If approved by SGS, the transcript notation of WDR (Withdrawn without Academic Penalty) will be assigned by SGS to the course. The WDR notation carries no credit for the course and is not considered for averaging purposes.
Some graduate units offer modular courses with enrolment and drop deadlines that do not conform to the standard deadlines . Modular courses with non-standard start and end dates require the graduate unit to establish suitable drop deadlines. Please check with the graduate unit offering modular courses for the drop deadlines.
Dropping courses may have implications for your progress in the program. For details, check with your departmental graduate administrator.
Please note that withdrawing from all your courses does not constitute a withdrawal from your program. To withdraw from your program fully, you must complete a Program Withdrawal Form. Dropping courses prior to deadlines or withdrawing from a program does not guarantee a refund. Information on fee refunds and deadlines is outlined at www.fees.utoronto.ca.
Final results
Final grades in courses can be viewed in ACORN by selecting Academic History.
Grades can be viewed as of the following dates. If a grade is not available as of these dates, contact your instructor or the graduate unit offering the course.
January 17, 2024: Grades in Fall session courses available for viewing on ACORN;
May 15, 2024: Grades in full-year and Winter session courses available for viewing on ACORN;
July 17, 2024: Grades in May-to-June F section course available for viewing on ACORN.
Important dates and deadlines:
Important dates and registration deadlines are available on the on the SGS Calendar and can also be found here.