Students Push for Reinvestment in Post-Secondary as Institutions Announce Deficits, Layoffs and Cuts

This week, student representatives from across BC travelled to Victoria to meet with government decision-makers to push for meaningful change in the province’s post-secondary system. They highlighted pressing concerns facing students, including the urgent need to increase investment in public colleges and universities. These meetings come at a critical time, when institutions across the province are announcing deficits, layoffs and cuts to essential programmes and student services.

The Federation–joined by representatives from the Alliance of BC Students, the BCIT Student Association, the Simon Fraser Student Society, and the University of Victoria Students’ Society–held a Spring Advocacy Week from March 31st to April 2nd, amplifying calls from twenty students’ associations that represent more than 325,000 students across the province.

Over the course of the week, student representatives met with Premier David Eby, the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, the Critic for Post-Secondary Education and 28 MLAs from all parties. Representatives reiterated a long-standing call: robust, predictable, public funding is the only way to ensure education is affordable for students and institutions can provide the skills training necessary to end the critical worker shortages we’re seeing in BC. Without it, the cost of receiving a post-secondary credential will continue to be downloaded on to students and their families.

A System Under Strain

The impacts of COVID-19 and recent changes to international study visa policies implemented by Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada (IRCC) have exposed the financial instability of relying on international student tuition fees. The deficits, layoffs and cuts seen on our campuses send a clear message: without reinvestment from the government, decades of underfunding will hurt students, BC communities, our economy and our ability train workers that are desperately needed in healthcare, skilled trades and early learning.

“The burden on students and institutions has never been heavier; students are paying more for less as institutions wrestle with growing deficits,” said Jessie Niikoi, Chairperson of the BC Federation of Students. “When classes and programs are cut, it takes longer and costs more for students to finish our studies. When services we rely on are gutted our access to mental health support, affordable food, study spaces and learning supports disappear. We need today’s government to step up and reinvest in our public post-secondary education system and address the funding cuts of the past, before it is too late.”

Public funding to BC’s public post-secondary institutions has dropped to 41.1% of general operating revenue, while tuition fees now make up more than 50%. This divestment marks a dramatic shift from past decades and reflects an outdated funding formula that no longer provides sufficient financial resources for institutions to meet their teaching and training mandates.

As the number of international students paying premiums at public institutions declines, projection show six institutions are projected to run deficits this year, with that number rising to 17 in 2025-26. These cuts are already having a profound effect on students’ success and local economies – especially in rural communities where post-secondary institutions are major employers.

“We are here to remind our elected officials that investing in education is an investment in BC’s future workforce. We cannot achieve that without proper provincial funding for our post-secondary institutions” said Niikoi. “When education is so integral to labour force participation and the economy, ensuring adequate institutional funding will strengthen the future of British Columbia.”

The Federation’s recommendations were well received by both the government and the opposition, and students look forward to working alongside all MLAs to make public post-secondary education in British Columbia accessible, affordable, and of the highest quality.

Students Brought Forward Three Key Policy Recommendations to MLAs:

Strengthening the Tuition Limit Policy:

The Tuition Fee Limit Policy must be reinforced to protect the current domestic tuition fee cap and prevent institutions from introducing new ancillary fees as a workaround to tuition caps. Decades of insufficient government funding have driven institutions to rely on fee increases, including introducing new ancillary fees to circumvent the Tuition Limit Policy.

With financial pressures mounting, a stronger Tuition Limit Policy is essential to protect affordability and access for British Columbians who are looking to skill, reskill and enter the workforce and discourage short-sighted continued reliance on increasing tuition fees.

Completing the Funding Review and Implementing a New Funding Model:

The provincial government must complete the Post-Secondary Funding Formula Review and implement a new funding model that provides long-term financial stability for institutions, accounts for inflation and does not rely on student fees as the primary source of revenue.

Since 2001, tuition fees in BC have more than doubled while the government’s share of institutional funding has steadily declined. If more than half of institutional funding now comes from students, how can we continue to call these ‘public institutions’?

Restore Provincial Funding:

The government must restore provincial funding to BC’s institutions to not less than 75% of institutional budgets.

The only way to fix the negative effects of chronic underfunding and decades long divestment is to provide stable, annual provincial funding for institutions to rebuild what has been lost–and what is being cut in real time. Restoring funding to BC’s public institutions will ensure our post-secondary education system is resilient, adaptable and world renowned.

To learn more, you can read the policy proposals published in our lobby document Building Resiliency: Stabilizing BC’s Post-Secondary System