Where in Canada are university degree fees the highest?
With more than one million students enrolled in Canadian universities each year, how much are the current cohort paying for their education?
New data from Statistics Canada shows that average nationwide tuition fees for full-time undergraduate courses in the 2022/23 academic year have increased 2.6% year-over-year to $6,834. For graduate courses, students will be paying 1.7% more than last year at $7,437.
For many Canadians, these costs will be met with students loans, which can prove a significant burden for some who later face serious financial issues.
Tuition fees are not standard across Canada due to them being set largely by provincial jurisdictions, so those students enrolled in courses in Nova Scotia, Ontario and BC will pay the most.
For those studying in Nova Scotia, the $10,591 average fee that graduates will pay is 42% above the national average, those in Ontario will pay an average $9,385 (26% above national average) and those in BC will pay an average $9,994 (34%).
Undergraduate students will also pay the most in Nova Scotia ($9,328) with five other provinces also ranking above the national average: Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta, and PEI.
Fees also vary by course with the highest fees for graduates studying an executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) - a national average of $53,227 for this academic year - while undergraduates studying dentistry will pay an average $23,963.
Compulsory fees
Along with tuition fees, there are compulsory fees which cover items such as student health services, student associations and athletics fees.
The highest of these fees are for students in Alberta ($1,286 for undergraduates and $1,170 for graduates.) The national average is $1,039. The lowest fees are paid by those in Yukon at $390.
Students will also be affected with the rest of us by the rising cost of living and Aimee Wagner, vice president of member services at Your Neighbourhood Credit Union in Kitchener, recently told Wealth Professional how advisors can help students and their parents with these extra costs.
However, Statistics Canada notes that “the purchasing power of postsecondary students is more likely to be affected, since their main spending is on food, rent and tuition.”
