The SU finds reasons to be cautiously optimistic as a major review of Albertan post-secondary funding concludes
CALGARY, ALBERTA — The Students’ Union, University of Calgary (SU) welcomes the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness, believing it has the potential to bring welcome change to the post-secondary landscape in the province.
The government-authorized Panel reviewed how our campuses are currently funded. Its report comes six years after the province initiated a series of budget cuts to our post-secondaries, which burdened students with yearly tuition hikes and falling educational standards. This is something that the SU has sounded the alarm over for quite some time, so the Panel’s findings were of extreme importance.
The SU is appreciative to see meaningful responses to the fiscal difficulties our institutions face. The Panel’s recommendations include greater provincial funding to post-secondaries and more non-repayable aid for students.
“At a time when students are struggling most in justifying the cost of post-secondary education, this is a welcome reprieve,” said SU President Naomie Bakana. “It wouldn’t be unfair to say that we were worried this would be another blow to Alberta’s post-secondary network, but for current students as well as prospective students, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.”
The SU also thanks the Expert Panel for its inclusion of student perspectives. Earlier this year, the SU and Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) were the only independent students’ associations to provide both in-person and written representations to the Panel, allowing us to spotlight concerns from the University of Calgary’s students.
The report appears to directly address many of the SU’s remarks, something that reinforces how vital it was for the Panel to not only assess the challenges ahead, but truly be open to hearing alternative opinions.
“This could have easily been something that was completed and wrapped up behind closed doors, and been another curveball that students just had thrown at them,” said Julia Law, the SU’s Vice-President External.
“We have always advocated for meaningful consultation, and the difference between having those making these decisions talk with us rather than just at us. This process was a tough and comprehensive one, but it’s the kind of thing that needs to happen to ensure Alberta maintains lofty standards.”
This is not to say the SU fully endorses all the recommendations. The report proposes replacing the 2% cap on annual domestic tuition increases with a guarantee for students that tuition will rise by no more than 2% yearly for their program’s duration, while the starting rate for new students can go up unrestricted. This has the potential to give relief to current students, and increase the burden on the next generation of students at U of C and other institutions.
Additionally, the report’s focus on equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives may distract from the most immediate threat to student success, as described by the report itself: Alberta’s post-secondaries “receive the third lowest funding per student headcount from the provincial government” among Canada’s provinces.
In any case, this report arrives at a time when higher education spending has been declining nationally for over a decade. Reading that our post-secondaries are “more important than ever” to the success of Alberta and Albertans is a step in the right direction.
The Panel’s recommendations now lie with the Honourable Myles McDougall, Minister of Advanced Education. The SU urges their adoption in full and offers any additional support we can provide as next steps are decided.
Media inquiries may be directed to:
- Nathan Ross– Manager of Communications and Government Relations, University of Calgary Students’ Union | 403-835-1836 or Nathan.ross@ucalgary.ca
- Undergraduates hoping to understand which of the Panel’s recommendations are the most important for them can find the SU’s student’s guide here.








CALGARY – Yesterday’s provincial budget amounts to an indirect cut on a post-secondary education system already on life support. Budget 2024 continues a familiar theme with this provincial government: post-secondary education gets defunded and Alberta’s students are asked to foot the bill.