BC Budget 2026 Fails Students and will Deepen the Post-Secondary Crisis

Budget 2026 is out, and once again, students are left wondering how much worse things need to get before the provincial government acts. Amid escalating financial crises across BC campuses, the 2026 Budget continues to withhold urgently needed investment in post-secondary education. Despite years of advocacy, students’ calls for increased funding for BC’s public post-secondary institutions remain unanswered, intensifying the strain on a sector already stretched beyond its limits.

Holding the Line Isn’t Enough

While Budget 2026 maintains current funding levels for post-secondary education, it does not come close to addressing decades of underfunding. At the same time, the province has set aside a $5 billion contingency fund that is not earmarked to stabilise institutions or respond to the financial fallout caused by the federal government’s reduction in international student permits. The government may be focused on reducing the deficit, but ignoring the crisis in post-secondary education will only make BC’s challenges more expensive and harder to fix in the years ahead.

“Education is a vital public service. By not increasing operating grants to institutions, the government is consciously allowing the continued erosion of BC’s post-secondary system,” said Debi Herrera Lira, Chairperson of the BC Federation of Students. “Students are already feeling the consequences. Fewer courses and programs mean longer times to graduate, higher costs, and fewer opportunities. The government is not only jeopardising students’ futures but also putting the province’s workforce readiness at serious risk.”

A System in Free Fall

BC’s public post-secondary institutions are facing severe financial deficits. Students—especially those in remote and rural communities—have been enduring waves of service cuts, program eliminations, and even full campus closures, leaving several communities without reliable access to higher education. Without government intervention, institutions have turned to widespread cuts and layoffs over the last 18 months. This year’s budget does little to change that reality.

The numbers paint a stark picture:

  • 19 of BC’s 25 public institutions are projected to operate at a loss over the next 3 years.

  • For the first time, the sector is facing a system-wide deficit.

  • 177 programs have been cut, paused or suspended.

  • More than 1,000 staff and faculty have been laid off.

“Students can’t learn, graduate, or plan their futures when programs and services are constantly being cut. The BC government has to step in to stabilise post-secondary education," said Herrera Lira. “The provincial government pushed institutions to rely on international student tuition to fill the gap left by declining public investment—despite clear warnings about the fragility of this model. Now that international enrolment is dropping, institutional deficits have exposed just how short‑sighted this reliance on student fees really was.”

Over the past two decades, the province’s share of funding for post-secondary education has declined by 41%. In 2000, public funding made up 68% of institutions’ operating revenue. Today, it’s just 40%, while tuition fees now account for more than half of institutional revenue. That shift has pushed the cost of education onto students and families—making post-secondary less accessible, less affordable, and further out of reach for many.

No Plan to Address BC's Struggling Post-Secondary Sector

Budget 2026 does include investments in skilled trades training and specialised program streams. While the creation of 5,000 new trades seats will play a significant role in building a stronger labour force, they do not address the broader crisis facing colleges and universities across the province.

This budget lacks a clear plan to stabilise institutions, protect affordability, and rebuild a public post-secondary system that works for students—not one that relies on constant cuts and rising fees to survive.

"Continued inaction and lack of investment is harming BC’s economy, young people and those returning to school to reskill,” said Herrera Lira. “We are committed to working with Minister Sunner, and all MLAs, to ensure students and their families are not left behind as recommendations for BC’s post-secondary system are developed through the sector-wide sustainability review.”

What Students Are Calling For

The BC Federation of Students continues to push for solutions that actually address the problem:

We’re calling on the provincial government to:

  • Protect affordability by strengthening and expanding Tuition Limit Policy and closing fee loop holes that quietly push costs onto students.

  • Stabilise our campuses with long-term, inflation-adjusted public funding so institutions aren’t forced to rely on student fees just to keep the lights on.

  • Reinvest in public education by restoring provincial funding to at least 75% of institutional budgets.

As the province moves forward with its post-secondary sustainability review, students are watching closely to ensure they won't be asked to pay higher fees or settle for a system that offers less access, fewer opportunities, and longer paths to graduation.

Learn More and Take Action

Students have been sounding the alarm — now we’re organising through the Cuts Suck. Fix Education. campaign. The message is simple: cuts don’t solve underfunding, public investment does.

  • 2,500+ post cards sent to the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
  • 600+ emails sent to the Premier, the Minister and MLAs
  • Countless lobby meetings with MLAs
Add your voice to thousands of others. Get involved today.

 

BC Federation of Students

About

The BC Federation of Students represents over 170,000 students from 14 institutions across BC. Together these students advocate for affordable + accessible post-secondary education.