Post-secondary report offers new funding framework

By Lethbridge Herald on October 14, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Alberta’s expert panel on post-secondary institution funding has delivered its final report to the minister of education.

The report includes 11 recommendations to modernize and strengthen the post-secondary system within the province.

Some notable experts on the panel include chairman Jack Mintz, who also serves as the president’s fellow and founding director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary; Ray Block, chair of the Workers’ Compensation Board; and Joan Hertz, chair of the board of directors for ATB Financial.

All members of the panel have served either as a president or on the board of directors of a university and were appointed last November by Rajan Sawhney, former minister of Advanced education.

According to the report for the 2023/2024 school year, 39 per cent of institutions’ revenue was provided by the province, 32 per cent was produced by student tuition and fees, and 30 per cent came from self-generated revenue.

The report also states enrollment in post-secondary institutions is expected to increase by 21 per cent in the next decade and the current approach to funding is “not conducive to achieving excellence.”

The first recommendation is to create a new funding framework into three components.

• An enrollment driven component, which places each program in a cluster based on cost, market demand and government priorities to determine payment provided to the institution for each student.

• A performance component, which recognizes and rewards outcomes achieved by institutions in teaching, student experience, research and community impact.

• A base funding component will address costs of staffing, facility and services for students

The report also recommends the government introduce targeted and time-limited funding initiatives and continue to prioritize apprenticeships as part of the funding framework.

When it comes to tuition, the panel recommends the two per cent cap on annual tuition fees be scrapped and replaced with a new approach.

This approach would mean first year students would be guaranteed their tuition wouldn’t increase more than 2 per cent during the duration of their program, however institutions would have the autonomy to set the tuition rate for new, first year students up a maximum amount set by Advanced Education.

David Eggen, shadow minister for Advanced Education, is concerned this will lead to higher costs for students.

“Alberta’s new Democrats are especially concerned about the recommendation to lift tuition caps, which will lead to higher costs and make post-secondary education even less accessible for students,” Eggen said in a statement.

The report does encourage the government to provide more assistance to students in the form of non-repayable assistance, rather than increasing the amount students are required to take on loans.

They also encourage the government to work alongside other provinces to influence federal regulations to ensure qualified international students will continue to be welcomed at post-secondary institutions throughout the province.

The panel recommends reducing red tape and administrative burden on institutions by reducing the frequency of reporting requirements and to streamline the process for approving new programs.

Now that the report has been finalized, it is up to the provincial government to take the next steps.

Myles McDougall, minister of Advanced Education, expressed his gratitude for the work the panel has put in over the past nine months and addressing the issue of the sustainability of the post-secondary system.

“Their recommendations will assist us as we discuss ways to ensure the sustainability of Alberta’s post-secondary system.”

The panel encourages the ministry of Advanced Education to collaborate with post-secondary institutions as the work is undertaken.

Presidents of King’s University, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and University of Alberta have expressed their support for the recommendations as well as their eagerness to work with the government to implement the findings.

While the panel recognizes it will be considerable work for the province to implement the report, they believe the recommendations found in the report will position Alberta’s post-secondary system to compete with the best in the world.