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Tuition & Fees Consultation

The University of Calgary is committed to providing clarity around how tuition and fees are established and to providing timely opportunities for students to participate in the process.

Tuition and Fees paid by students support the daily operations of the University including learning materials and other goods and services that enhance the student experience, faculty and staff salaries and building and infrastructure maintenance. Check out the chart below that outlines the UCalgary funding model.

Tuition and fees can be broken down into domestic student tuition, international student tuition and general fees including mandatory non-instructional fees. Undergraduate and graduate tuition is assessed per course and/or per program.

How tuition and fees are set at UCalgary

The Board of Governors sets tuition and mandatory non-instructional fees (MNIFs) at UCalgary through a comprehensive review and engagement process. This annual process gathers information from numerous internal and external sources about the cost of education and services for students. Consultation with stakeholders, such as faculties, student representatives, and student service providers, is essential to the development of tuition and fee proposals. All tuition and fee proposals are discussed at the Tuition & Fee Consultation Committee (TFCC), which includes representation by student leaders, prior to presentation at the Finance & Property Committee (FPC). The FPC is responsible for recommending tuition and fee proposals to the Board of Governors for final review and approval.

Fee increases under consideration for the 24-25 academic year.

2% domestic tuition increase for undergraduate and graduate programs.
2% international tuition increase for thesis-based graduate programs.
10% international tuition increase for undergraduate and course-based graduate programs.
2% mandatory non-instructional (Student Services, Athletics & Campus Recreation) fee increase.

The rate increases are designed to meet budget and inflationary pressures at the university while ensuring we can continue to deliver quality education and exceptional services to our student community. Domestic tuition is regulated by the Alberta government and is capped at 2%. International student tuition is determined by our Board of Governors, and the mandatory non-instructional fees are limited to the costs of delivering services.

The 2024-2025 Tuition Consultation process has been completed. Please check back in Fall 2024 for information on how to participate in next year's consultation process.

UCalgary sets tuition and fees for 2024-2025 academic year

Government References

Students working in the Taylor Institute

Student Engagement

The University is committed to engaging in a comprehensive consultation process for tuition and fees. The process has been designed to ensure that consultation is meaningful, inclusive, and substantive and that student input is considered and addressed in the development of tuition and fee proposals.

The Student Engagement Process for Tuition and Fee Consultation serves as a blueprint for annual planning and provides details on the timeline, guiding principles, and components of the consultation process. Each year, the process is reviewed by the Tuition and Fees Consultation Committee and an annual schedule of activities is developed.

students sitting on the steps at Mathison Hall

Who is the Tuition & Fees Consultation Committee?

The Tuition & Fees Consultation Committee (TFCC) is the official tuition consultation body established by the Board of Governors and approved by the Ministry of Advanced Education. The committee’s purpose is to annually review tuition costs, other instructional and mandatory non-instructional fees, and parking, residence and meal plan rates. The committee ensures open communication and consultation between student leaders and senior administration on matters related to tuition and fees.

Terms of Reference

Meeting and Governance Schedule (TFCC Workplan)

Funding for the University comes from multiple sources in addition to tuition and fees.

Student tuition and fees include all income related to credit and non-credit tuition and related fees. Student tuition and fees for 2023-24 are budgeted to be $372.6 million or 22.9 percent of total revenue.

Four year tuition and fees outlook

This document (from December 2022) provides the proposed percentage increases to tuition and general fees at the University of Calgary for the 2023-24 academic year, and projected increases for the years 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27. Institutions are required to provide their student associations with anticipated increases to tuition and fees for a four-year period. The projected increases are estimates and are subject to change. The 2023-24 to 2026-27 projected rates were approved by the Board of Governors in January 2023 and are published in the 2023-24 academic calendar. A new four-year outlook will be published each year.

Four year Tuition and Fees Outlook 2023-24 to 2026-27

Tuition and General Fees

Tuition and general fees charged by UCalgary are approved annually by the Board of Governors. All current 2023-2024 tuition and fees can be found in the Academic Calendar.

Mandatory Non-Instructional Fees (MNIF)

Mandatory Non-Instructional Fees are fees that students pay for specific goods or services that enhance the student experience. They are not related to instruction in a specific program and are not optional. The three MNIFs paid by all students at the university are Campus Recreation, Athletics and Student Services. There is also an MNIF paid by Faculty of Law students.

MNIF Active Living FY22-23

MNIF Athletics FY22-23

MNIF Law Career Services FY22-23

MNIF Student and Enrolment Services (SES) FY22-23

MNIF 2022-23 Report Companion Document

Annual Report & Financial Statements

Annual Report (PDF)

Financial Statements

Consultation Feedback

The "What We Heard" document is produced annually following completion of the tuition and fees consultation process. It provides a summary of the feedback received and includes information on how that feedback has been incorporated into the final tuition and fees proposal.

Learn more