MEMORANDUM
To: The Dalhousie University community
From: Frank Harvey, Provost and Vice-President Academic; Chair, Budget Advisory Committee
Gitta Kulczycki, Vice-President Finance and Administration
Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Re: Approval of university operating budget and tuition and fees for 2022-23
This afternoon, the Dalhousie Board of Governors voted to approve the 2022-23 Dalhousie Operating Budget, along with tuition and fees for the upcoming academic year. The full operating budget can be viewed at dal.ca/budget.
This year, the budget process was adjusted to allow for tuition/fees and the full operating budget to be approved prior to the start of the new fiscal year in April. By moving the budget timeline earlier, we hope to provide more clarity and create planning efficiencies for our university community. This change is also a precursor to development of a new budget model for Dalhousie, which will be a key priority in the year ahead.
Budget plan highlights
The 2022-23 Operating Budget Plan reflects the Dalhousie community’s budget and spending priorities and outlines how operating revenues will be allocated to advance the university’s mission. Its expenses cover compensation for faculty and staff, scholarship support, maintenance to campus buildings, libraries funding, investment in strategic priorities, and all the other day-to-day costs of running the university.
- The 2022-23 operating budget is balanced with revenues and expenditures totaling $516.7M.
- Overall Faculty and unit budgets will increase by 4.4%, a total of $16.2M which includes Faculties and units addressing a 1.5% gap between revenues and expenses.
- Base funding for student assistance will increase by $1M. There will also be an additional $2.6M in student support from endowment funds.
- Facilities renewal funding will increase by $4M, along with $500K to improve classroom technology
- $9M is dedicated to Third Century Promise initiatives and other essential university priorities
- $2M is allocated to address COVID-19 revenue impacts and additional costs.
Tuition and fees
The Board voted to approve a 3% increase to general tuition for 2022-23. This increase will be applied to the upcoming spring/summer, fall and winter academic terms.
Tuition increases are necessary to balance the operating budget, given the degree to which the costs of running the university increase at a faster rate than provincial operating funding. Appreciating the impact of these tuition increases, Dalhousie continues to prioritize student support and financial aid as a critical part of overall expenditures. Across all university funds (including research, endowment, and operating/ancillary funds), Dalhousie currently spends nearly $82M each year on student assistance, including scholarships, bursaries, student employment, research and external funds.
Full-time international tuition will also increase in 2022-23 by an additional $1,473 above the 3% general increase, as per the multi-year plan for international fees approved by the Board in 2019. This is the final year of these additional increases. A university task force is currently reviewing international tuition at Dalhousie and is aiming to provide recommendations to the Board that would be implemented for new students entering in Fall 2023.
For more information on the university operating budget, visit dal.ca/budget
Sincerely,
Frank Harvey
Provost and Vice-President Academic
Chair, Budget Advisory Committee
Gitta Kulczycki
Vice-President Finance and Administration
Dalhousie University is located in Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi`kmaq. We are all treaty people.
We recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, legacies and contributions have enriched that part of Mi'kma'ki known as Nova Scotia for over 400 years.