The University of Toronto’s University Affairs Board (UAB) held a meeting on February 28 where it approved increases in incidental fees for Health & Counselling, Student Services, Kinesiology and Physical Education, and Hart House services for the 2024–2025 academic year. 

At the St. George Campus, as a result of these changes, fees for this coming year will increase by a total of $31.54 for full-time students — those enrolled in 1.5 credits or more per semester — and $6.30 for part-time students. For UTM and UTSC students, fees will increase by a total of $1.55 for full-time students and $0.31 for part-time students.

In the meeting, the university also expressed a commitment to reducing its reliance on student fees as a primary revenue source as part of its budget for this coming year. 

Health and counselling, student services fees

The board has approved an increase of the Health & Counselling fee and the Student Services fee for both full-time and part-time students at the St. George Campus for the 2024–2025 academic year. 

Full-time students will experience a combined increase of $10.83, with the Health & Counselling fee rising from $91.14 to $96.16 — a 5.5 per cent increase — and the Student Services fee increasing from $109.16 to $114.97 — a 5.3 per cent increase. Part-time students will see a combined increase of $2.16, with the Health & Counselling fee going from $18.23 to $19.23 and the Student Services fee from $21.83 to $22.99.

This fee adjustment is based on the Government of Canada’s annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase of 2.2 per cent — reflecting the change in the cost of an average assortment of goods and services — alongside the University of Toronto Inflation (UTI) index. The UTI index is a specialized metric for indexing university service fees, considering various factors such as changes in salary and benefit costs, revenue from other sources, non-salary expenditures, and shifts in enrollment figures. The University used both UTI-based increases and increases in the CPI to calculate upcoming fee changes. 

Health &  Counselling and Student Services fall within the Division of Student Life department. While presenting the 2024–2025 operating plans for the division, David Newman — the executive director of student experience — emphasized Student Life’s “continued efforts to reduce reliance on student fees.” In the 2023–2024 academic year, student fees constituted 58 per cent of Student Life’s revenue. 

The division plans to reduce this figure to 56 per cent for the 2024–2025 academic year, indicating a move toward diversifying revenue sources and decreasing dependence on student contributions. In terms of other funding sources for Student Life, university support increased from 30 per cent to 35 per cent, grants have decreased from nine per cent to seven per cent, while self-funded revenue has remained stable at two percent of the division’s total revenue sources. 

Fee adjustments for Sports & Rec

The UAB also approved the 2024–2025 operating plans and budget for the Sports & Rec programs at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and approved increases to the sessional fee for both full-time and part-time students across campuses. During the meeting, Beth Ali, executive director of co-curricular athletics & physical activity programs emphasized the “commitment to inclusion and accessibility” that the faculty has for students.

The university will raise fees for full-time students on the St. George campus from $212.03 to $222.88, while part-time students’ fees will go from $42.41 to $44.58, marking a 5.12 per cent increase. Similarly, at UTM and UTSC, full-time students’ fees will increase from $24.60 to $25.85, and part-time students’ fees from $4.92 to $5.17, reflecting a 5.08 per cent increase. 

These adjustments aim to support the faculty’s ongoing efforts to enhance Student Life through diverse and accessible sporting and recreational activities, including introducing facilities like the “long-awaited” elevator in the Clara Benson Building to improve accessibility and initiatives to foster participation among “underrepresented communities at U of T,” according to Ali.

Rising student fees at Hart House

The University of Toronto’s Hart House Warden, David Kim, outlined Hart House’s operating budget for the 2024–2025 fiscal year, addressing the impacts of “cost inflation” due to “salaries and capital projects” on projected revenue growth. 

Student fees at the St. George campus will increase by 8.25 per cent for the upcoming academic year, with full-time fees rising from $119.53 to $129.39 and part-time fees from $23.91 to $25.88. UTSC and UTM campuses will also see an 8.2 per cent increase in student fees, with full-time fees moving from $3.67 to $3.97 and part-time fees from $0.74 to $0.80. 

This fee adjustment is part of Hart House’s strategy to maintain and enhance Student Services as it enters the first phase of its Infrastructural Renewal Project, which aims to replace the building’s aging plumbing, heating, and electrical capabilities.