A recent report from Students Nova Scotia revealed a gap in tuition price between Nova Scotia and the national average.

The cost of tuition in Nova Scotia has increased 20 per cent in the last six years. The province currently has a tuition cap of three per cent.

“Whereas across the country, there's been a 3.2 per cent increase in tuition over that same time,” Georgia Saleski, executive director from Students Nova Scotia, says.

Domestic university tuition is 36.5 per cent over the national average, the report says. With the average undergraduate rates sitting at $9,328 for tuition in Nova Scotia, well above the national average of $6,834.

Students Nova Scotia want to see the government cap tuition at a one per cent increase.

“A tuition freeze would also be fantastic, but that's our advocacy for the upcoming memorandum of understanding between the universities and the province,” Saleski says.

On top of this, Students Nova Scotia wants universities to look at implementing ethical recruitment strategies for international students to ensure students know the costs, know they have access to housing and don’t end up homeless, says Saleski.

In the report, Students Nova Scotia highlights Dalhousie University’s “Guaranteed Tuition Model” which ensures that international students pay the same price for tuition throughout the duration of their program, up to five years.

“I think being able to look at students as the foundation of our institutions, and to be able to uplift them, provide them with increased access and reduced barriers to their education is really the goal,” Saleski says.

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