Ontario lifting post-secondary tuition freeze, boosting funding
Written by The Canadian Press on February 12, 2026
TORONTO — Ontario is giving colleges and universities billions in new funding, while lifting a seven-year tuition fee freeze and cutting back on the amount of student assistance grants.
The moves are in response to a post-secondary financial crisis, following years of low levels of government funding, stagnant domestic tuition levels since 2019 and sharply reduced numbers of international students and the high tuition fees institutions can charge them.
Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn has been reviewing the post-secondary funding formula and announced changes today that will amount to $6.4 billion in additional money over four years.
The additional funding includes money for 70,000 more seats for in-demand programs, increased funding for programs that are more expensive for the schools to offer, and more per-student funding.
Quinn says colleges and universities will also be able to raise tuition fees by up to two per cent per year for the next three years.
The government is also decreasing the proportion of grants offered through the Ontario Student Assistance Program, relying much more heavily on loans, which Quinn says will ensure the sustainability of the program as its budget has been quickly rising.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2026.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press