New data from the Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs (TLAC) survey show the extent to which inflation affects full-time postsecondary students regarding their tuition fees and other costs. Data tables accompanying this release have been updated to the 2022/2023 academic year and new tables have been created in constant dollars to explore the evolution of tuition fees over time for both Canadian and international students.
Inflation is rising in most sectors and across all provinces and territories in Canada. From April 2021 to April 2022, the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed an increase of 6.8%. This inflationary pressure affects various sectors and many socioeconomic groups differently. The purchasing power of postsecondary students is more likely to be affected, since their main spending is on food, rent and tuition.
Prices for groceries continue to increase, with Canadians paying 9.7% more for food purchases between April 2021 and April 2022, representing the largest increase since September 1981. A recent release showed that shelter costs had also risen at the fastest pace since 1983. Rent prices increased in the most populous provinces: Ontario (+5.3%), Quebec (+4.3%) and British Columbia (6.4%). These provinces also represent the highest enrolments in postsecondary education. The latest snapshot of the CPI 12-month change also shows that tuition fees increased in all provinces, ranging from an increase of 0.3% in Ontario to 5.7% in Alberta. According to the TLAC for 2021/2022, the increase in Alberta was because of a province-wide restructuring of tuition fees.
