I feel like college students are often overlooked in city planning. Growing populations, increased infrastructure needs and rising costs in Edmonton impact everyone — including students. When it comes to what makes a city student-friendly, the QS World University Rankings rates cities by which high-quality institutions are situated there, the size and diversity of the city’s student community, the quality of living for students, employment prospects and finally, affordability.
At surface-level, students see that some activities and events offer student discounts, sometimes we get breaks on rent and sometimes we are lucky enough to find a job that is flexible enough to attend our classes. But is “sometimes” really enough for student life?
Transit is affordable for students with the U-Pass
Consider transit — a large factor in the quality of living and affordability for students. In Edmonton, one transit trip one way costs a minimum of $3 as per the Edmonton Transit website. That might not sound like a lot, but given that most college students like to venture out and explore the city, it could get pretty costly. Fortunately, Edmonton is home to a few high-quality institutions like NAIT, MacEwan and the University of Alberta. These schools offer their students the U-Pass, so we don’t have to worry as much about the daily costs of transit. The LRT makes it easier to get around, but if a student wants a night out, the best alternative is a taxi or an Uber, which is not very wallet friendly.
LRT safety is a concern for students in Edmonton
While exploring how student friendly Edmonton might be, we can’t ignore the safety factor on transit — it’s why some students will opt for an Uber late at night instead of using their U-Pass. It is not uncommon to read or hear about crimes occurring on the LRT or in transit stations, and for a student commuting alone with expensive electronics, this doesn’t exactly make me feel at ease. NAIT has an incredible app called the NAIT Alert app. With it, we can send our location using Mobile BlueLight if we feel threatened, we get emergency alerts for on-campus emergencies and we can even request a “safe walk” where we can be escorted to our destination before commuting home. But where do our students commute from?
Longer commutes, but lower rent
Edmonton is one of the cheaper places to rent in Canada. According to datasets from Statistics Canada and the Government of Alberta, the average rental space for a one-bedroom apartment in Edmonton costs about $1200 per month in 2025. Student loans can be pretty helpful for living costs, so this city might not be a bad option for those who can manage their money. It is also not uncommon for students to rent larger houses and rent rooms with each other, and Edmonton’s lower rent costs makes this an especially good option. Rent can get a little higher closer to the city’s campuses, but the houses in Edmonton’s suburbs are often larger and can accommodate shared living spaces for students. That is, if they’re willing to sacrifice their commute as these spaces are far from the city’s core areas, which are shared with quality post-secondary campuses. At this point, Edmonton’s transit isn’t as convenient for students as its lower-than-average living costs.
Recreation comes with a cost
Employment opportunities and affordability are big factors in how student-friendly Edmonton is. Let’s keep in mind also that almost all activities that connect students across campuses come with a cost. A lot of students, regardless of age, either work part-time or don’t work at all. In my experience, the cost of many events requires saving, planning and organizing rides — not something students like myself want to add to already full schedules. Student loans might cover some living costs, but let’s not forget that we want to be able to leave the house. Maybe we have some friends that like to go out on the weekends, and we can get a big case of FOMO. So, how do we cover these costs on a student loan alone?
Tight competition, few student-friendly employers
The job market in Edmonton is not particularly friendly. There are some opportunities for part-time work. However, we hear more and more stories of students not getting hired due to too many applicants, not enough experience and even false or scam job posts. When we are lucky enough to get hired somewhere, we often contend with massive course loads, time constraints and uncooperative employers who refuse to allow students the flexibility required to get an education and move beyond a part-time job.
Some optimism, but it could be better for students in Edmonton
So, with all of this, is Edmonton really that student-friendly? Maybe we’re headed in the right direction with a collection of high-quality institutes not far from each other, general affordability, transit construction and improvements and discounts on events and activities here and there, but there are definitely still some lessons for our city councillors to learn.
Feature image via NAIT Content Collective
