The University of Calgary’s Board of Governors has approved a slate of tuition and fee increases for the 2025-2026 academic year, a move that the students’ union expressed concern was coming during a cost of living crisis.

According to the Board of Governors website, domestic tuition for undergraduate programs, course-based graduate programs and professional graduate programs will be increased by two per cent.

International tuition will also be increased by four per cent for undergraduate programs, course-based graduate programs and professional graduate programs, instead of six per cent as originally proposed.

Mandatory non-instructional fees (student services, athletics, campus recreation, etc.) will be increased by four per cent.

Domestic and international tuition for PhD and thesis-based master’s programs will not be increased.

The new tuition and fee rates will take effect starting May 1, 2025.

Ermie Rezaei-Afsah, president of the students’ union and a member of the Board of Governors, called the new international tuition increase a step in the right direction, but the union asked that it be tied to domestic increases.

“Two per cent for international students is still a lot of money. It’s more than the two per cent increase for domestic students,” he said.

Rezaei-Afsah also raised concerns about the increase in mandatory non-instructional fees because the university has not been clear on where that money is going.

“We know that there needs to be an increase because of merit, because of salary increases, because of inflation … We asked for better reporting on the university in regards to mandatory non-instructional fees. So far, we’ve been working on it,” he said.

The university, however, maintains that the rate increases ensure that they can “continue delivering quality education and exceptional services” to students, according to the Board of Governors website.

This comes as Calgary faces a cost of living crisis, as grocery prices increased by five per cent year over year and 28 per cent of Calgarians are stressed about housing, according to a 2024 Quality of Life Report. Eighty per cent of renters also had a rent increase in 2024, and 78 per cent of renters had to make sacrifices in other areas to make their rental payments. There is some relief, however, as there have been consecutive decreases in rental rates when compared with the same months as last year, according to Rentals.ca’s National Rent Report.

More than a quarter of Calgarians cannot afford healthy food, the 2024 Quality of Life Report adds.

Post-secondary investment needed

Rezaei-Afsah said he recognizes that there is only so much the university could do regarding tuition increases because of limited funding from the province. However, the university also has a role to play in making sure students are informed on where their money is going, especially when there aren’t enough instructors and support staff.

“We try to make it clear to the university that our role is to help them find more efficiencies in their systems. And by efficiencies, I don’t necessarily mean cutting people. I just mean quite literally, trying to maximize the resources that they have,” said Rezaei-Afsah.

“It’s all up to the province. Revenue from tuition has overtaken revenue from the operating grant since last year. That’s concerning, given that this is a public institution.”

Rezaei-Afsah said the province needs to reinvest money in the post-secondary sector by increasing operating grants across the board in Alberta by 10 per cent.

He also said the province should invest $11 million into the revitalization of the Summer Temporary Employment Program, which helped students gain work experience in their field.

“It’ll take the burden off students and help create services that can help students flourish,” the students’ union president said.

“Basically, we are asking for investments into students, into Alberta’s future, and into the economy.”

Rate increases ‘carefully considered’ by the Board of Governors: university

The University of Calgary maintains that the rate increases ensure it can maintain financial sustainability amid rising costs and limited revenue growth, especially with limited provincial funding and a domestic tuition cap below inflation.

Provost and Vice-President Academic Sandra Davidson said she appreciated the constructive dialogue with students and student groups.

“This feedback resulted in adjustments to the original tuition and fee proposals, and we believe the result balances student concerns with the budget challenges at our growing university,” she said in Friday’s statement.

University of Calgary Board of Governors Chair Mark Herman said the tuition and fees were approved after “careful consideration by the board,” especially with how inflation impacts students.

“The University of Calgary maintains rates in line or below those of other post-secondary institutions across the country,” he said in an emailed statement.