Projected Costs of a Four-Year Program
The average national one-year cost of university in 2020/21 was $22,730 for students in residence and $11,330 for those living at home. Here is what the total cost of a four-year program (national average) could be in the future*:
The first year of tuition for students enrolling in a Canadian university in 2038 could cost them as much as $31,471 – that’s more than $129,000 for a four-year program. And as you can see below, tuition is only going to increase.
| Year of Birth |
Year of Admission to Studies |
4-Year Program with Residence |
4-Year Program without Residence |
| 2004 |
2022 |
$96,004 |
$48,074 |
| 2005 |
2023 |
$97,871 |
$48,981 |
| 2006 |
2024 |
$99,767 |
$49,897 |
| 2007 |
2025 |
$101,684 |
$50,814 |
| 2008 |
2026 |
$103,621 |
$51,731 |
| 2009 |
2027 |
$105,588 |
$52,668 |
| 2010 |
2028 |
$107,595 |
$53,615 |
| 2011 |
2029 |
$109,631 |
$54,581 |
| 2012 |
2030 |
$111,698 |
$55,548 |
| 2013 |
2031 |
$113,795 |
$56,515 |
| 2014 |
2032 |
$115,922 |
$57,502 |
| 2015 |
2033 |
$118,079 |
$58,489 |
| 2016 |
2034 |
$120,265 |
$59,485 |
| 2017 |
2035 |
$122,492 |
$60,502 |
| 2018 |
2036 |
$124,759 |
$61,529 |
| 2019 |
2037 |
$127,056 |
$62,556 |
| 2020 |
2038 |
$129,393 |
$63,603 |
| 2021 |
2039 |
$131,769 |
$64,659 |
| 2022 |
2040 |
$134,166 |
$65,716 |
*Projections based on Tuition Cost, 2020-2021 Preliminary (Statistics Canada). Weighted averages include public and private institutions. Compulsory fees cover items such as athletics, health services, and student association fees.
** "Without Residence" costs are calculated for students who live at home while pursuing their studies, not having to pay for either food or shelter costs.