FREDERICTON, NB
In May of 2018, the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Board of Governors approved the Tuition Review Task Force’s (TRTF) recommendation to introduce a differential tuition framework and a tuition reset for new UNB students as a means of addressing the university’s budgetary deficit. The TRTF’s recommendations and their approval from the Board of Governors were met with strong opposition from UNB students, resulting in the university updating their initial recommendation by lowering proposed increases to tuition. On April 25th, 2019, the UNB Board of Governors approved the 2019-20 UNB budget which reflects the implementation of the proposed differential tuition framework and tuition increases. The approved 2019-20 Consolidated Budget can be found at the following link: https://www.unb.ca/vpfinance/_resources/pdf/2019-20%20Budget/budget201920.pdf
Following approval from UNB’s Board of Governors, these changes are extremely difficult to reverse. However, our focus as a Student Union is to be transparent and ensure new and returning students are aware of these changes and how they will be impacted by them. Current or “legacy” Canadian students attending UNB Fredericton on a full-time basis will not be subject to the differential tuition framework or tuition reset, but instead receive a 2% increase on their tuition beginning in the fall 2019 semester, with tuition for one year (two semesters) being set at $6893.00 and total costs including mandatory fees being $7852.50. Incoming or new students will be subject to tuition and fee increases differentiated based on faculty.
More information on these increases, in addition to hikes on part-time and international student fees, can be found at the following link: https://www.unb.ca/financialservices/students/undergraduate_tuition_and_fees/fredericton_unde rgrad_new.html
The UNB Student Union strongly opposes these significant increases to tuition and acknowledges the detrimental financial, academic, and personal implications for all students. These increases, along with the Government of New Brunswick’s (GNB) recent changes to provincial student financial aid, including the elimination of the Free Tuition Program & Tuition Relief for the Middle Class, will result in students being unable to return to UNB in the fall or access a UNB education in the future. Additionally, there will be no increase in funding from the university for student financial aid despite these dramatic hikes in tuition and reduction of financial support from the government. With the majority of existing UNB scholarships and awards being largely based on merit rather than need, the pressure and barriers on students, particularly those who face financial insecurity, continue to increase and prevent current and future students from being able to afford an education from UNB. The UNB Student Union will continue to advocate on behalf of UNB students to university administration and the provincial government in light of these changes and work to increase needs-based financial support for low-income students and those who are experiencing increased financial strain.
If you or someone you know will be facing difficulty beginning or returning to studies at UNB Fredericton due to tuition increases or cuts to provincial financial aid, please reach out to us and we will pass along your story to university administration and the provincial government. Any questions, concerns, or student testimonials can be directed to our Vice President Internal, Grace Mangusso, at internal@unbsu.ca or Vice President Advocacy, Mick Jefferies, at advocacy@unbsu.ca.