Media Releases

(HALIFAX, N.S.) — Dalhousie University’s Board of Governors voted Tuesday to approve changes to student tuition and fees for 2016-17 as recommended in late March by the university’s Budget Advisory Committee (BAC).

The changes include a 3 per cent general tuition increase across all programs as well as additional tuition adjustments to undergraduate courses in Engineering, Pharmacy and the Faculty of Agriculture (Truro).

"We considered all options when preparing our final budget plan and, with the input from students, faculty, staff and groups across the university, have produced a plan that includes tuition increases and faculty/unit budget decreases to balance Dalhousie’s operating budget for 2016/17,” says Carolyn Watters, provost and vice-president academic and chair of the BAC. 

The approved tuition adjustments were revised from initial recommendations shared with the Dal community in early February. The changes came through the university’s open and transparent budget process, which included significant consultations across all four Dal campuses in February/March and additional feedback from students and other stakeholders. 

The revised additional tuition adjustments are:

• Engineering: 3.3 per cent per year for three years (down from 5 per cent in the initial recommendations)
• Pharmacy: 4 per cent per year for three years (down from 5 per cent)
• Agriculture: 5.8 per cent per year for three years (down from 6.3 per cent)

Additionally, the Faculty of Agriculture will be providing a new bursary for students currently enrolled in Agriculture for the next three years. The bursary will reduce the impact of the additional tuition adjustment for those students to 3.4 per cent, more in line with the adjustments in Engineering and Pharmacy.

Half of the increased tuition revenue from the adjustments in in Engineering and Pharmacy will be earmarked for priority investments in those Faculties over the phase-in period so students see direct benefits. All increased tuition revenue in Agriculture goes directly into the Faculty of Agriculture/Agricultural Campus budget, which is funded separately from the rest of Dalhousie’s operating budget.

The Board also approved 3 per cent inflationary increases to the Facilities Renewal Fee, Student Services fee, and residence rates and meal plan fees.

Dalhousie’s Board of Governors votes on tuition/fees each April, prior to approving the overall operating budget at its June meeting. The BAC Operating Budget Plan for 2016-17 includes both tuition increases and a 2.5 per cent reduction to Faculty/unit expenses as measures to balance the university operating budget. 

Like many universities across Canada, Dalhousie faces both constrained revenues (90 per cent of which, in Dal’s case, come from the provincial operating grant and tuition revenue) and rising set costs in areas such as faculty/staff compensation and utilities. Dalhousie is committed to supporting excellent programs, student experiences and research as it works to balance its budget given a difficult funding environment.

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