Is our tuition bill a realistic price for an education?
For Betina Fernandes, starting another semester at St. Thomas University (STU) means budgeting far more than tuition and residence.
Being an international student from Brazil, Fernandes has to budget far more than the average student. With tuition being doubled, alongside groceries, textbooks, winter clothes and everyday expenses, budgeting doesn't come easy.
“I expected [costs] like food [and] extra snacks … [I didn’t] expect that tuition would go up as high as they are,” she said.
STU’s tuition costs have continued to increase for the 2026–27 academic year.
Bachelor of Arts tuition increased by four per cent, representing an additional $355 for domestic students and $813 for international students.
Residence rates increased by three per cent, while meal plan rates increased by 7.8 per cent, according to James Culligan, STU Vice-President of Finance and Administration.
Allyson McIntyre, a domestic student, says textbooks are becoming “crazy.”
“It’s like $300 for two books.”
To avoid some of these costs, Fernandes said she searched online for free digital versions of required materials, but there are other costs that are inevitable, like winter clothing.
“Since I’m from a tropical country, sometimes my clothes are not the best fit for the winter,” she said.
For students living on campus, the meal plan is not simply an optional expense. It is part of the overall cost of residence. The university’s 2026–27 budget attributes the 7.8% meal plan increase to higher quality food, labour and other operating costs.
While Fernandes is managing the additional expenses of studying in Canada, McIntyre is dealing with a different financial reality.
McIntyre said her education is funded primarily through family support and student loans. But initial support available to her family has decreased compared with last year.
Last year, her student loan covered approximately $10,000 during the first semester and $7,000 during the second. This year, those amounts have fallen to approximately $7,000 and $2,000, while the tuition has increased from approximately $9,000 last year to $13,000 this year.
“I think the tuition is probably the one that went up the most,” McIntyre said.
For both students, the cost of education is not represented by tuition alone. It is the combination of multiple expenses that makes up the actual cost of a semester.
STU’s Financial Services department provided documents showing the increases are intended to maintain educational quality and financial sustainability while keeping tuition comparable with universities in the region.
The budget recommendations were developed with input from an advisory committee made up of faculty, students and administration.
STU’s budget documents also point to broader financial pressures facing the university.
Operating expenditures have increased faster than provincial operating grants in recent years, while international undergraduate students do not receive funding through provincial operating grants.
At the same time, the university continues to allocate money toward student financial support, including scholarships and international bursaries.
Financial pressure can be felt in much smaller, everyday decisions: whether to purchase a textbook, buy groceries, replace winter clothing or find another way to cover an expense that was not part of the original budget.
Fernandes said managing those costs requires being deliberate about where her money goes.
“Only really spending money on what you really need and being accountable for how much you have to spend during each month,” she said.
McIntyre offered a more personal and sarcastic approach to managing the rising cost of university.
“Be friendly with your parents,” she said. “You’re going to need them.”
The number on a tuition bill may show the price of an education, but for students, the real cost of a semester is often found in everything that comes after it.
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