UPEI undergrad tuition climbing five per cent

Students at the University of Prince Edward Island and the Atlantic Veterinary College will pay five per cent more in tuition starting next school year.

The increase of $34 per course for undergraduate students comes as the UPEI Board of Governors passed a $183-million operating budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which represents a nearly 12 per cent jump in revenues and expenses.

Per the university’s website fee calculator, current full-time undergrads in five courses pay $6,828 per year — or $682.80 per three-credit course. As of September, they’ll be shelling out $7,168 — an additional $340 annually.

Even with the increases, the board says UPEI will maintain the lowest domestic undergraduate tuition fees in the region, according to the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission.

Meanwhile, faculty and staff salary and benefits account for 73 per cent of expenses, as UPEI invests in more employees serving the university community at large.

Following the creation of the equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and human rights department in December,

along with additional aid in student affairs, the budget calls for more human resources and security hiring.

UPEI also plans to onboard more tenure-track professors in the department of Indigenous knowledge, education, research and applied studies (IKERAS)

All other faculties are benefiting from individual budget increases between 4.3 and 11.5 per cent.

“All of this growth comes at substantial financial cost,” said Greg Keefe, interim president and vice-chancellor. “We are grateful for the support given to us by the provincial government, but we also need to continue to grow internal resources.”