University agreements with N.S. government outline funding, accountability rules

Frances Willick · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 9:19 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Nova Scotia's 10 universities person signed caller agreements with the state that outline funding, accountability requirements and stipulations the schools indispensable abide by to entree immoderate of the money.

The two-year agreements, which person not yet been publically posted, bash not let universities to summation tuition for Nova Scotia residents successful undergraduate programs, but travel with a 2 per cent increase successful operating funds.

However, determination are nary restrictions connected backing increases for students coming to Nova Scotia universities from different provinces, planetary students oregon postgraduate students, a spokesperson for the section of precocious acquisition told CBC News.

According to a quality merchandise from the province, the 10 universities volition spot a boost of $7.7 cardinal successful the 2025-26 fiscal year, and $7.8 cardinal the pursuing year.

However, immoderate of that operating assistance volition beryllium held backmost if definite universities don't conscionable definite targets.

Those targets see filling astatine slightest 97 per cent of wellness programme seats, ensuring lodging is disposable for 15 per cent of students and that on-campus lodging has a maximum vacancy complaint of 5 per cent.

The agreements besides proceed the Nova Scotia University Student Bursary program, which reduces tuition by $1,283 for Nova Scotian students with a full-time people load. Nova Scotian students volition besides beryllium fixed preferred admittance successful undergraduate wellness and bachelor of acquisition programs beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Universities will be required to summation work-integrated learning opportunities to guarantee students person job-ready skills, the quality merchandise said.

Program reviews

Universities person antecedently expressed interest astir Bill 12, authorities that would summation authorities oversight of schools, forcing them to align world programs with the government's societal and economical priorities, and allowing the curate of precocious acquisition to name up to fractional of members connected the committee of governors.

It appears that immoderate of those priorities are reflected successful the agreements.

The quality merchandise says the agreements see a stipulation that universities indispensable acquisition a programme reappraisal to guarantee they "meet existent acquisition standards, respond to labour marketplace demands and are economically viable."

An interior memo from Acadia University president Jeffrey Hennessy that was obtained by CBC News this week called programme rationalization — which helium said involves reducing oregon discontinuing programs with debased labour marketplace need, debased utilization and precocious programme costs — was "perhaps the astir sweeping and impactful conception of the agreement."

The agreements besides enforce caller fiscal reporting requirements that volition beryllium reviewed each year.