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Your official fee assessment will be available on Bear Tracks in July. If you need assistance connecting with financial supports or resources, please see the finances, funding and support webpage or contact the Student Service Centre.
Q: What tuition increases can I expect?
We’ve proposed a domestic tuition increase of 2 percent in 2025/26. Starting in Fall 2024, domestic tuition increases are restricted by provincial legislation to a maximum increase equivalent to 2 percent across the institution.
For international students, we’ve proposed a 10 percent increase in Fall 2026 for new undergraduate and course-based graduate students except for undergraduate programs in Engineering (4.6 percent increase) and Master of Business Administration and Executive Master of Business Administration (5 percent increase). There will be no increase for thesis-based Master’s and Doctoral programs. The 2025/26 cohort tuition for international undergraduate and graduate students was approved in March 2024.
The Advisory Working Group on Thesis-Based Tuition will provide data-informed recommendations to guide proposals for 2027/28 based on the impact of minimum guaranteed funding and research practices at other institutions.
The 2025/26 tuition proposal was shared with students as part of a months-long consultation process in Fall 2024 and Winter 2025. View the proposal.
Q: Why do tuition increases happen?
It comes down to wanting to ensure we can maintain the quality students deserve and that they expect.
To be able to continue delivering quality programs, and as we understand what kind of government support we have, we look at what needs remain in our overall budget and what proportion would need to be covered by tuition as an available source of funding for activities related to instruction and program delivery. There are no increases in the government operating support grant, and we’re still managing the cuts that came to us from previous government decisions. At the same time, we must ensure we can maintain quality for our students.
Q: Will there be additional resources allocated to financial support for students in response to the increases?
Unlike previous years, the university is not proposing that these increases will include a 15 percent incremental offset to fund student financial supports. The domestic tuition offset was initiated for Fall 2020 as a component of the first of three 7 percent domestic tuition increases permitted by the Government of Alberta following five years of tuition freezes. At the time, the Provost signaled that the offset would be considered annually and could be revisited if that landscape of significant tuition increases changed. The university has continued to propose that incremental offset annually since that time, but in light of the 2 percent tuition cap, which creates a $3M revenue gap for the university, growing this offset is no longer sustainable.
As part of its proposals, the university will maintain the domestic tuition offset funding for student financial support at its current 2024/25 level of $8.5M per year. The proposed international tuition offset of 8.55 percent will continue, generating an additional ~$795,000 for student financial supports.
Q: How often do tuition increases occur? Is this something that happens regularly, or is it something that happens in response to external factors?
Tuition consultations happen yearly as part of annual budget planning and are implemented only once per year. We are guided by what’s allowable under the Government of Alberta’s Tuition Framework.
Tuition is determined for domestic students in March before the upcoming academic year, following consultations and governance processes. For incoming international students, increases are decided a year in advance, so we’re able to provide them with a tuition guarantee for the duration of their program.
It’s important to note that international tuition is not regulated the same way as domestic tuition is. It must at least cover the total cost of delivering the program and cannot be augmented by any government funding.
Q: Is this something all post-secondaries do?
Yes. Every year, all post-secondary institutions will review and make decisions in the winter or spring before they’re implemented.
Q: How does the U of A decide what percent increase needs to happen?
Prior to instituting the 2 percent cap, provincial legislation capped domestic tuition at the consumer price index (CPI), which is estimated to be 3.2 percent for the upcoming year. This year, the difference between a 2 percent increase and a CPI at 3.2 percent creates a $3M revenue gap for the university.
For cohort-based tuition for incoming international tuition, it’s a little different — we research a likely inflationary model and assess market conditions to guide the development of a proposal and ensure the rate established is competitive and feasible for the standard length of the program, typically four years. We are working to at least cover the costs of delivery for international students and remain competitive in attracting international students to study with us.
Q: Were there consultations with students? What did it look like?
Tuition proposals were informed and enriched by a robust consultation process. The Tuition Budget Advisory Committee (TBAC) is the university’s official mechanism for consultation with students on tuition. With the agreement of student leaders on TBAC, this year’s consultation process included discussions at the Council on Student Affairs, the Students’ Union (SU) Council, the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) Council and the International Students’ Association Council. The consultation process also included three town halls organized by the SU and the GSA and was open to all students.
Q: Where does my tuition go?
Tuition covers all expenses related to instruction at the university, including:
- Instructor salaries
- Creation and maintenance of classrooms
- Creation and maintenance of study spaces
- Disposable supplies for teaching, activities and labs (materials owned or leased by students are covered by other fees)
- Utilities
- Research that supports instruction and discovery
- Libraries
Your tuition goes to fund anything associated with the delivery of your program. This includes financial support for students as well. $23.2M (5.5 percent) of tuition revenue goes directly to student financial supports (2024-25).
Q: Can we expect increases to Mandatory Non-Instructional Fees?
Mandatory Non-instructional Fees (MNIF) are fees that all students must pay for specific goods or services agreed to with the student body that enhance the student experience and student success. The university has three MNIFS: the Athletics and Recreation fee, the Student Health and Wellness fee and the Student Academic Support fee. MNIFs are overseen by a Joint University Student Oversight Committee, governed by an agreement between the university and student associations that describes how fee increases are managed.
MNIFs increase annually by a board of governors approved cost-driver formula, known as the Academic Price Index (API). The API for Fall 2025 is 3.04 percent.
Q: Who can I go to for help understanding my fees or paying for my education?
For information on financial assistance, money advice and related support for U of A students, visit the finances, funding and support webpage. The Student Service Centre can help connect you to resources for tuition and financial support. Advisors will also be able to help you understand your fee assessments.
Most importantly, we know tuition is not an insignificant expense, so we’re always looking at how to support students with additional financial support and other initiatives, including:
- The Zero Textbook Cost Program aims to increase textbook affordability by having 35% of courses and class sections use the Zero Textbook Cost initiative by 2026.
- The Shape the Future fundraising campaign aims to raise $100 million in funding over three years to support scholarships and bursaries, experiential learning and student spaces.
- Improvements in bursary applications that reduce barriers for both domestic undergraduate and graduate students and improve the student application experience.
- The university continues to increase funding for hybrid supports, intended to proactively offset costs for students in need or students in equity-denied groups. Award programs such as the Discover University of Alberta Award and Turtle Spirit Pathway Award for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students, both designed to provide funding to undergraduate students with demonstrated financial challenges and barriers, are also in place to increase accessibility.
- A new position to support Indigenous students with financial literacy was created within the Registrar’s Office.
- Beginning September 2025, the U of A will guarantee that all doctoral students receive a minimum of $100K CAD over four years and not less than $25K CAD in their first year to uplift and improve the U of A doctoral program and doctoral student experience and enable students to give primary attention to their doctoral studies.
- The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research continues to host a series of comprehensive scholarship information workshops to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to apply for merit-based awards.
For more information on the proposed increases and an expanded list of Frequently Asked Questions, visit the Tuition Increase web page.