A proposed new tuition framework for Alberta’s post-secondary students, obtained by the University of Calgary’s student newspaper earlier this week, has university students worried about a potentially hefty fee hike that could make a university education even less affordable.
According to documents uncovered by The Gauntlet, the funding model for post-secondary students could change next year.
The proposed tuition changes follow the 2025 “Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness,” which released a report on funding frameworks for post-secondary institutions.
The potential changes to post-secondary tuition fees include a possible enrolment-driven component, a performance-driven component and a base funding component, echoing recommendations from a provincially appointed expert panel set up to assess Alberta’s post-secondary education funding model.
Commonly known as the Mintz Panel Report, the report studied existing funding models from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Calgary Journal has not seen documents uncovered by The Gauntlet.
In Australia, the Morrison Government enacted a similar funding model that saw significant increases to arts and creative courses.
A 2026 study in the Australian Journal of Education found a decrease in students enrolled in arts courses, as reported by the Guardian.
The policy, which groups students based on their selected degree, has faced pushback in Australia.
The Advanced Education documents uncovered by The Gauntlet recommend grouping post-secondary programs in “clusters,” with the province and students paying more or less based on what cluster the program is placed in.
Students voice their frustrations
MRU student Gurnishan Gakhar thinks the proposed changes will punish students for their major choice.
“I don’t think it’s a great idea. I think that everybody should be treated equally, no matter their degree,” says Gakhar.
Mariana Mejia Salazar, Vice President External of the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University, also expressed concerns about the potential tuition fee changes detailed in Alberta Advanced Education’s presentation to student leaders across the province in late August.
“Affordability has been the number one priority that we’ve seen with students in the last couple of years,” says Mejia Salazar. “The cost of living continues to rise, and tuition is expensive as well.”
“We just want to make sure that Alberta education is still attainable for students and affordability is top of mind. We want to make sure that it’s transparent, affordable, and equitable for all students in Alberta,” she adds.
First-year student Marina Bobadilla Figueroa is also disappointed with the potential changes to the tuition framework.
“In spite of how valuable it can be economically, we need all the jobs. We need engineers as much as we need artists, as much as we need graphic designers, as much as we need doctors,” says Bobadilla Figueroa.
“To pretend otherwise is a farce,” she added.
The governing UCP acknowledged it is reviewing how Alberta pays for its post-secondary institutions.
“My mandate letter directs me to review the findings and recommendations of Alberta’s Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness. Information will be provided when decisions are made,” said Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall, in a statement to the Calgary Journal.
