University of Calgary hikes tuition and student fees

The University of Calgary is raising tuition fees again, this time by 2.15 per cent.

It’s the maximum increase possible, as the province has legislated that the university is not allowed to raise tuition higher than the rate of inflation.  

The university is also increasing the cost of student residences and parking, and a student service fee is going from $300 to $450.

But U of C Students' Union president Hardave Birk says the school is getting closer to a five per cent increase.

"Any general catch-all fee that the university is going to put in place is usually to try and increase their operating budget, to subsidize other areas of the budget. So to do that they need to go around the tuition cap because they're not allowed to increase by more than inflation, therefore they pursue these other fees," Birk said.

Student Eric Kingari says he has to drive to the university for classes, so even a parking hike will hurt his pocketbook.

"I don't get the option of how much to spend and all my money comes from a part-time job," Kingari said.

An undergraduate student taking 10 courses will pay $5,333 for tuition next year.