Back in 2016, the Government of Alberta announced that they would review the tuition and funding frameworks for the province’s post-secondary institutions. Since then, we’ve been meeting with MLAs and advocating to the government for a sustainable framework that would ensure tuition was both affordable and predictable for all University of Alberta students. On October 29, the Minister of Advanced Education tabled Bill 19, dubbed, “An Act to Improve the Affordability and Accessibility of Post Secondary Education.” The bill still needs to be passed by the legislature, but here’s what the changes will mean for you:
  • The University of Alberta’s average annual tuition fee increase will be capped at CPI (the Consumer Price Index) for domestic students. So if inflation is 2%, then tuition can only go up by 2% that year. That’s on average, which means tuition for individual faculties or programs could go up by either less or more than CPI (up to 10%), as long as the average is no higher than CPI. In short, tuition increases will be much more predictable.
  • For international students, the University would be required to provide incoming students with a tuition guarantee when they begin their studies. The University can still increase tuition for international students above CPI, but students previously admitted would be assessed the fees they were promised before starting their degree, so their tuition would no longer be able to increase unexpectedly during their time at university.
  • The minister would also have authority over mandatory non-instructional fees (MNIFs), such as fitness centre fees, U-Pass fees, and academic support fees. This would prevent schools from using MNIFs to make up for lost tuition revenue.
The new bill would take effect in 2020. In the meantime, the current tuition freeze will be extended for a fifth and final year, so students will continue to pay the same tuition rates until the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.