By Adel Ahmed
If you thought tuition was already expensive enough, expect to pay more this upcoming fall. NAIT announced on March 2 that tuition rates will increase for domestic students for the 2022/23 academic year.
120 programs will see an increase, including 28 apprenticeship programs. Only seven programs will not see an increase for domestic students. NAIT also announced that they will introduce a new mandatory non-instructional fee of $6 per term for the one AT NAIT Card service and U-pass support.
The tuition increase can vary for each program. However it can range from 3% to 10% with the average being 7%. Despite the increase, NAIT says their tuition rates are relatively reasonable for students.
“Domestic tuition covers only 18.2% of the NAIT’s total program costs,” said Interim Vice President of Academic, Steve Hudson.
“The balance of the cost to deliver the programs is supported by government funding and other revenue sources. NAIT tuition and fees remain comparatively low within the Alberta post-secondary landscape.”
As for the mandatory non-instructional fee, it’s something that NAIT believes is an important aspect for the students to have.
“MNIFs are a key revenue source for student services, supports and technology that enhance the NAIT student experience and support student learning, but are not directly connected to program delivery,” said Hudson.
“Without these fees, it is not sustainable for NAIT to continue to fund these optional student services or invest in new or enhanced services or technologies.”
Hudson also said that NAIT will work on a way to better explain to students how the MNIF works later this year. To find out if your tuition will increase in the upcoming academic year, the 2022/23 tuition rates are posted on NAIT’s website.
