Tuition Increases

2026-27 Tuition Proposal

Tuition increases ensure the U of A’s programs remain world-class, providing students with high-quality learning and research opportunities. Students come to the U of A expecting a high-quality education and experience, and this requires sustainable funding.

Decisions around tuition increases are not taken lightly. As a university we do all we can to keep tuition as low as possible while ensuring we can fund our programs and services.

If approved, part of the proposed tuition increases will be reinvested back into student financial support — whether it’s at the start of your program or during the year, the university can provide you with financial support for your post-secondary needs.

Undergraduate Tuition

Undergraduate Tuition Model

Graduate Tuition

Graduate Instructional Fees

Tuition Governance

In Alberta, post-secondary education is a shared cost between students, post-secondary institutions, and government. The Government of Alberta regulates most student tuition and fees at 20 institutions across the province via its tuition regulations and the Alberta tuition framework.

Tuition consultations happen annually as part of the U of A’s budget planning, and follow a rigorous process. Any proposed tuition increase must receive approval from the University of Alberta Board of Governors.

Tuition Budget Advisory Committee (TBAC)

The University of Alberta’s official mechanism for consultation with the student councils, as required in the regulation and framework, is the Tuition Budget Advisory Council (TBAC). This committee includes senior administration and the presidents of the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) and Students’ Union (SU).

2026-27 Proposed Tuition Costs

Proposed increases to tuition costs

The University of Alberta is proposing the following increases to tuition costs in 2026-27:

2% increase for domestic undergraduate students for Fall 2026.
2% increase for domestic graduate students for Fall 2026.
5.5% increase for new international undergraduate and course-based graduate students in Fall 2027, with the exception of:
- Harmonization of the Bachelor of Science in Computing Science to the tuition level for the undergraduate programs in Engineering (proportional increase of 26%) to enhance program competitiveness and align with practices at other institutions.
- Harmonization of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (increase of 20%) to tuition levels at peer institutions to enhance program competitiveness and recognize program quality and ranking nationally.
Thesis-based graduate tuition levels will be reduced by 5.5% in Fall 2027 in alignment with recommendations from the advisory working group on international thesis-based tuition being led by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. (Note that international thesis-based graduate tuition was frozen for the Fall 2026 intake.)

The 2026-27 cohort tuition for international undergraduate and graduate students was approved in March 2025.

The university will maintain the domestic tuition offset funding for student financial support at its current level of $8.5M per year. This 2% increase is proposed to apply to all domestic tuition, including the exceptional tuition increase (ETI) portion of those programs with approved ETIs. Increases to ETI tuition amounts will continue to be applied towards improvements in program quality, as per the approved ETI proposals.

The proposed international tuition offset of 8.55% will continue.

Following the Board of Governors meeting on March 27, approved tuition increases will be communicated to students.

Impacts of Government of Alberta tuition cap

As part of Budget 2023, the Government of Alberta announced plans to limit domestic tuition increases to 2% annually, starting in 2024-25 and continuing for future academic years.
The legislated tuition cap creates a funding gap. The difference between a 2% domestic tuition increase and an increase at the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 3.2% created a $3M revenue gap in 2025 for the University.
The U of A now has the lowest per-student funding of any major university in western Canada.

Tuition-setting processes

The U of A follows a rigorous tuition-setting process that includes extensive consultation with students. Student engagement and participation are essential to this process.
Tuition-setting processes are a shared responsibility between students, post-secondary institutions and government -- and ultimately approved each year during the winter session of the U of A governance process.
- In Alberta, post-secondary education is a shared cost between students, post-secondary institutions and government. Through the Alberta Tuition Framework, the Government of Alberta regulates most student tuition and fees at 20 institutions across the province.
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 (CoSA), the Students’ Union (SU) Council and the Graduate Student Association (GSA) Council. The consultation process also included two town halls organized by the SU and the GSA and were open to all students.

Comparing U of A’s tuition costs to other post-secondary institutions

The U of A is one of the top five institutions in Canada, and our programs offer not only a globally recognized degree, but also a wide variety of additional experiences, including co-op and work experience opportunities, research opportunities, as well as a chance to work with, and be mentored by, world-renowned instructors.
In comparison to other U15 universities, the U of A is below the average for tuition costs.¹
University of Alberta tuition has not kept pace with inflationary pressures and cost increases in program delivery, partly due to a domestic tuition freeze between 2014-2019, and the current sub-inflationary 2% cap.
The proposed tuition increases will allow the U of A to improve the quality of its programs and services while remaining at a tuition rate aligned with other Canadian schools.

International and domestic tuition rates and increases

Tuition for domestic and international students are different.
The Government of Alberta subsidizes tuition for Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada, whereas international students pay the full cost of their tuition.
The U of A's program-based tuition model (introduced in 2020) was designed to provide international students with a guaranteed tuition amount for the duration of their program.

Program-based tuition model for international students

In 2019, the University of Alberta moved to a program-based tuition model for incoming international students. Under this model, tuition is assessed based on an annual and total program tuition guarantee. This guarantee means the total cost of program tuition is calculated based on the requirement to complete the program and remains in place for the standard length of the program as defined by the government plus one additional year.
While tuition consultations happen annually throughout the fall and winter for the following academic year, the rate for cohort-based tuition for new international students is set one year in advance so we can provide the guarantee at the time of admission.
The 2026-27 cohort tuition was approved in March 2025.

Advocating for increased funding from government

Students need to make themselves heard, not just to the university administration but to our largest funder, the Government of Alberta. The Students’ Union and the Graduate Students’ Association are already engaged in those discussions.
Students can also help us understand how we can support them in terms of their experience and affordability. Student feedback has influenced decisions such as tuition offsets, expanded financial aid communication, removal of some fees and prioritization of student experience investments.

¹ Domestic undergraduate tuition at the U of A is below the U15 average (i.e. average excluding U of A). Domestic graduate tuition is lower than the U15 average. Approximately 34% below the U15 average (i.e. excluding U of A) at the Masters level (with only 2 institutions showing lower tuition) and 9% below the U15 average (i.e. Excluding U of A) at the PhD level (with 5 institutions showing lower tuition, three of which are in Quebec).

What does my tuition cover?

Tuition cost drivers

Consumer Price Index (CPI) and inflation
A desire to maintain quality of instruction and our academic mission
Increases in our cost drivers
1. Salaries and benefits - merit compensation and benefit increases (57% of costs)
2. Materials and supplies - impacted by CPI increases (18% of costs)
3. Utilities - impacted by CPI increase and rate of utilities (3% of costs)
4. Maintenance (4% of costs)
Gaps in our revenue

In order to submit a balanced budget as required by the government, it is necessary to find a source of revenue to cover expected increases in expenditures.

Expenses covered by tuition

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

Tuition goes to fund anything associated with the delivery of programs. This includes financial support for students as well. $23.2M (5.5%) of tuition revenue goes directly to student financial supports (2024-25).

Other revenue streams for the university

The university is constantly looking at ways to bring in revenue to help enhance the academic and student experience. This includes research grants, professional certification and building relationships with industry partners and individual donors. In using the proposed additional tuition funds to increase the quality of our programming and services, we believe we will make the university and our programs a more attractive draw to potential donors.
Gifts to faculties and colleges are restricted and allocated for specific purposes. They are not included in the university’s operating budget; as such, they can’t replace government grants and tuition as a source of funding.
Through the Shape the Future fundraising campaign, the university is aiming to raise $100 million in funding over three years to support scholarships and bursaries, experiential learning and student spaces.

Ensuring tuition hikes improve the quality of instruction

It’s important to note that tuition increases don't cover inflationary cost increases.
The university is committed to an improved student experience and we're looking within our current available resources to improve teaching and learning, including integrating AI into the classroom and continued implementation of Igniting Purpose: The Student Experience Action Plan which will allow us to focus on allocating resources towards areas of importance to students.

Offsetting tuition increases with cuts to administration

Salaries and benefits are the largest cost driver because the university is a people-based organization. Cost increases include negotiated wage increases through collective bargaining, which occur even when staffing levels do not change. These increases are not discretionary and must be accounted for in the budget.
Administrative cuts are already happening and have been happening for several years. We've already removed over $160 million worth of administrative costs, yet we're still not covering the cost of our program delivery with a 2% increase for domestic students.
Through this university-wide restructuring, we have taken many services and reimagined them entirely to ensure they cost less and are more sustainable. It was necessary not just because of the budget cuts, but because we want to put as much funding into the academic mission as possible.
We will continue to look at every cost savings possible, making sure students receive the quality education they deserve at the same time as making sure we deliver a balanced budget.