Ontario lifts freeze on domestic postsecondary tuition fees

Ontario will allow domestic tuition increases of up to 2% annually for three years and will shift a larger share of student aid from grants to loans, officials said.

Ontario announced it will lift its freeze on domestic tuition fees at publicly funded universities and colleges and allow limited annual increases. The government also said it will increase operating funding for postsecondary institutions and make major changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program. Officials framed the measures as a response to mounting financial pressure within the sector. Key details: - Institutions may raise domestic tuition by up to 2 per cent a year for the next three years. - The province will raise operating funding for universities, colleges and Indigenous institutes, raising spending to about $7-billion annually and committing more than $6-billion over four years. - The Ontario Student Assistance Program will be rebalanced toward loans, with grants limited to a maximum of 25% of a student's funding, and students at private career colleges will no longer be eligible for OSAP. - Officials cited lost international student revenue and prior domestic tuition cuts and freezes as contributors to financial strain at institutions. Summary: The province says these measures are intended to improve financial sustainability for universities, colleges and Indigenous institutes. How institutions and students will be affected in practice and the timeline for implementation are undetermined at this time.