By Sumayya
CHARLOTTETOWN — The hallways are busy at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), but for some students, being able to afford staying in school is getting much harder.
Students from P.E.I. faced the biggest jump in tuition fees this school year, which went up by 4.9 percent, according to the newest Consumer Price Index from Statistics Canada. That increase is more than double the national average of 2.4 percent. The Island also had the highest yearly inflation rate of any province in September, standing at 5.7 percent.
“The students don’t know if they’re going to be able to pay for education next year. They don’t know if they’re going to continue studying,” said Alissa Sonomura Cyrino, the vice-president external of the University of Prince Edward Island Student Union. “There’s a lot of pressure.”
Cyrino explains that students have faced three straight years of sharp tuition increases. This includes back-to-back hikes of up to 6.5 percent for domestic (local) students.
The student union is worried that these repeated price jumps risk discouraging students from low-income and middle-income homes from going to college. For the students who are already taking classes, the financial stress is also upsetting the balance between work, life, and school. Cyrino says she is hearing from students who are working extra hours just to pay for their classes, rent, and groceries.
“You have less time to study,” she said.
In a statement sent to CTV News on Tuesday, Tim Walker, UPEI’s vice-president of administration and finance, said the university is running in a “significantly challenged financial environment.” He explained this is caused by a drop in international student numbers, ongoing uncertainty, limited revenues, and rising costs.
He admitted that rising tuition and fees cause a challenge for students, but he said these steps would help keep the university academically and financially healthy.
Across Canada, the number of international students has dropped fast after the federal government put restrictions in place in 2024. Schools on the east coast have been hit extra hard, says Ava Czapalay, the chief executive officer of the Association of Atlantic Universities.
The association reports that international student enrollment at its schools has dropped by nearly 48 percent since those restrictions started.
“This part of the country needs people. … We don’t have a growing population naturally,” Czapalay said. “For this region to flourish and to prosper… we need newcomers to come here and to work here. And international students are, of course, a great, great way of bringing newcomers to a country and having them put down roots in the communities where they study.”
Universities rely heavily on two main sources of money: provincial grants and tuition fees, Czapalay explained. International students often pay more than twice as much as local students. The association wants Ottawa to bring in a special solution designed just for Atlantic Canada, especially since provincial grants are failing to keep up with inflation and running costs.
At UPEI, a $1.7-million increase (3.5 percent) in its provincial running grant for the school year offers “generous support,” Walker wrote. However, it covers only about half of the school’s budgeted cost inflation for 2026–27.
Despite the price hikes, Walker said UPEI’s tuition stays among the lowest in the area, pointing to comparisons from the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission.
For its part, P.E.I.’s Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning said the province is still talking with post-secondary schools and federal partners about international student numbers. They are continuing to push for plans that recognize Atlantic Canada’s population and job market needs.
The department shared that Island students received more than $53 million in combined federal and provincial student financial help during 2025–26.
Some provinces, like Nova Scotia, put a limit (cap) on tuition increases. But both Cyrino and Czapalay warn that taking away these limits can lead to sudden, sharp price hikes later as universities try to pay off their built-up losses (deficits).
That is why UPEI’s student union is pushing for predictability instead, Cyrino said. It wants the university to make sure that when students first enroll, they know exactly what they will pay in tuition for their entire time at school so they can plan their budgets.
“You won’t have any surprises,” she said.
