For the sixth consecutive year, Nova Scotia has the highest university undergraduate tuition fees in Canada, according to a recent report.
Statistics Canada reported in September that Nova Scotia’s undergraduate tuition fees reached $9,762 for the 2024-2025 school year, 33 per cent above the national average of $7,360.
The two major sources of revenue for public universities are tuition fees and the provincial operating grant. According to Peter Halpin, the executive director of the Association of Atlantic Universities, the provincial operating grant declined from 45 per cent in 2012 to 32 per cent in 2024.
“The only way to offset declining operating grant revenue is to increase student tuition, and as a result, we’re in the situation where Nova Scotia finds itself having the highest undergraduate tuition in the country,” Halpin said.
The provincial operating grant is determined by the Department of Advanced Education. The department declined the Dalhousie Gazette’s request for an interview, but did provide a statement.
According to the statement: “We understand students are seeking affordable and high-quality education. We are always looking for solutions that will help students and graduates at every stage of their post-secondary career to make education more accessible to everyone.”
G Saleski, executive director of the advocacy group Students Nova Scotia, said the operating grant’s annual increases have been below the rate of inflation for the last few years.
“We need to see contributions from the government to post-secondary institutions go up across the board so that students are less burdened financially,” Saleski said.
Dalhousie University declined the Dalhousie Gazette’s request for an interview, but did provide a statement.
According to the statement, “Tuition fees are essential to funding university programs, services and operations. Without tuition increases, there would be deeper cuts to programs, services and critical university priorities.”
In 2008, the government introduced the Nova Scotia University Student Bursary to try and reduce the cost of tuition for students from Nova Scotia. Under the bursary, Nova Scotian students automatically receive $1,283 off the full price of tuition annually.
“The bursary was introduced as a way of getting the Nova Scotia undergraduate tuition down to the national average. Having said that, it hasn’t changed since it was introduced,” Halpin said.
Students Nova Scotia is working to make tuition fees more affordable for students by advocating for the government to lower the cap on tuition increases. In February 2024, the cap was lowered from three per cent to two per cent, with Students Nova Scotia now campaigning to lower the cap to one per cent.
Saleski worried students from out of province who move to Nova Scotia for school can’t afford to stay after they graduate.
“We have the highest per cent of students graduating with large amounts of debt,” Saleski said. “That means our students who are borrowing student financial assistance dollars are borrowing a lot of money to make up for the cost of their education, and then they’re having to go out of province to make enough money.”
Saleski blamed Nova Scotia’s post-graduate retention problem on the province’s high cost of living.
“It’s a loss. Not just for students, not just for universities, but for the province as well.”
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