Funding boost for Ontario postsecondary schools aims to provide stability.

Ontario will provide an additional $6.4-billion in operating funds over four years and has ended a seven-year tuition freeze, allowing up to 2% annual increases for the next three years, the minister said.

Ontario announced a multibillion-dollar increase in operating funding for publicly supported universities and colleges, intended to give the sector a clearer path forward. The province said it will add $6.4-billion over the next four years. The move follows revenue declines tied to federal changes to international student policy and a long-standing freeze on domestic tuition. The minister described the package as a way to provide stability for current and future students. Key details: - The province will provide an additional $6.4-billion in operating funds over four years. - The seven-year freeze on domestic tuition has ended; institutions may raise fees by up to 2% a year for the next three years. - Ontario associations estimate more than $3-billion in lost revenue after federal limits on international study permits in 2024. - The new OSAP framework limits non-repayable grants to a maximum of 25% of support, with the remainder as loans; the previous framework allowed up to 85% in grant form. - University and college associations and unions welcomed the funding while noting the sector faces long-term underfunding and recent enrollment pressures. Summary: The government says the funding package is intended to provide stability for colleges and universities and to signal support to employers and trade partners. The end of the tuition freeze and the revised student-aid framework accompany the operating funds; how these combined measures will affect access and institutional finances over time is undetermined at this time.