Students applaud provincial tuition freeze, urge more university funding

The organization representing post-secondary students in the province is applauding the Nova Scotia government’s new two-year funding agreement for universities.

Last week, the province announced the agreements with Nova Scotia’s universities will freeze undergraduate tuition and increase operating grants.

Students Nova Scotia says it is pleased to see several recommendations implemented in the new agreements, including enhanced affordability measures for undergraduate students and expanded work-integrated learning opportunities.

The group says the tuition freeze is among the most impactful measures, adding it comes at a time when domestic undergraduate tuition in the province is 33 per cent above the national average.

However, Students Nova Scotia says it remains concerned about the limited two per cent increases to university operating grants, which it says will strain post-secondary institutions already facing budget deficits.

It believes the province needs to proportionally increase operational funding to universities to ensure the sector can continue providing quality post-secondary education.

Tuition highest in the country

Nova Scotian students are facing the highest tuition fees in the country.

According to Statistics Canada, tuition fees for Canadian undergraduate studies is $9,762 for the 2024/25 year. This amount is more than any other province in Canada, next to Saskatchewan fees at $9,609.

The average across the country is $7,360, which the province has surpassed.

The data from StatCan also shows hundreds of dollars in fees increasing over the last several years, resulting in more than $1,000 on average since 2020/21.