Students at SAIT will be paying more in tuition and fees for the upcoming year, however, it’s within the provincially allowed annual increase 

The Calgary polytechnic recently sent out a letter to prospective returning students, informing them of changes to the tuition structure for the 2025/2026 school year.

According to provincial post-secondary rules, tuition cannot increase more than two per cent institution-wide, and SAIT stays within those boundaries, according to an online post detailing the changes.

Domestic students will pay on average $167.00 more (2.5 per cent per year of study), and international students will pay $363.00 (1.8 per cent per year of study), according to the information posted to the website. SAIT did say that programs with a higher delivery cost and/or strong demand saw the largest increases.

“Revenue generated by tuition and fees ensures programs, equipment and instruction remain relevant, and SAIT students continue to be job-ready at graduation,” said SAIT media relations in a statement.  

“SAIT is committed to delivering quality education and a great student experience.”  

The school has also upped student fees in most areas, except the campus athletics and recreation fees. Those increases range from two per cent to more than 10 per cent (SAITSA student dental plan).

Students feeling the tuition pinch

For some SAIT students, the increase in student fees doesn’t seem reasonable for them to pay extra costs. 

“I still feel like, why am I paying $300 more for something that they already have,” said Cam Toan, a SAIT student studying cybersecurity. Toan is a first-year international student from Vietnam and already has to pay extensive fees to attend the polytechnic.  

“If they just increase it one per cent and there’s no change, I think students will feel a little bit negative about paying more and not receiving much for what they pay.”

For some programs, the increase is even higher. With high demand and delivery cost programs such as apprenticeships and medical programs, there has been an increase of six dollars per week when enrolled in these specific programs. 

“From what I believe is they should have just a flat price for the whole program,” said Toan.  

Although there are additional costs for students, Toan thinks there can be a positive outcome for SAIT and its students if plans for the upcoming school year are followed through with. 

“So, if that’s actually what they’re going to do, then I fully support that,” said Toan.  

“If they have a wise use of the fee, then it’s OK.”