My theory is quite obvious. I believe that Inflation has reached such a point where University Students barely get the opportunity to truly embrace life without money getting in the way. You might attend an institution to gain better education or work towards your future, but despite work being important, quality of life is too. 

 I believe students with more financial aid will express less struggles than those without it. I think financial aid and family convenience will play an important role in differentiating between students who struggle and those who have it easy

Scattered Background Research 

Here are the average tuition fees for international students across territories/provinces.

On average, the most expensive universities to study in Canada are in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta. This lines up with data from the Mercer Cost of Living Survey (2021). According to this survey, Toronto (Ontario), Vancouver (British Columbia), and Calgary (Alberta) are among the top 200 world cities with the highest costs of living. These cities also host some of Canada’s highest-ranking, globally-renowned universities, including; the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Alberta.

Look Out Toronto's top 10 Universities Which Are Best For International Students!

Which Programs Cost More?

Remember, universities set their own fee structures. All the data you’ve looked at in this article are averages of fees across different programs and areas. Canadian university costs can vary widely for the same programs depending on the university itself.

Here are the 3 most and least expensive universities in Canada for arts and humanities

Students at the U of C are paying on average 25 per cent more for their tuition compared with 2019. Engineering students who started this fall are paying 60 per cent more for their tuition. In addition to that, fees have increased by about 20 per cent.

"Income and other sources of financial assistance for students, such as grants and bursaries, have not increased proportionately," said Schmidt. 

She says food insecurity is also being frequently reported to student representatives.

"We have seen usage and access to the campus food bank rise in the last few years, and we're predicting the same for this year," said Schmidt.

• U of C proposing 'exceptional' tuition increases for handful of programs

Erin O'Neil, director of the University of Alberta campus food bank, says that in the first few weeks of September, it has given out as many food hampers per week as it has given out per month in years past. 

""We're a little concerned," she said. "We're seeing our numbers increase a lot. We've had 200 new clients come through just in the last couple weeks. But last year we were supporting just under 300 families."

She says the main client demographic is international students, who often pay times five times (or more) the tuition that domestic students pay. 

"We're seeing that more of the clients that are registering this year are families and international grad students who maybe don't have as much access to supports domestically like our students who have networks here, who have families here."

N/A (Research Project)

This Research project required little online research and more data analysis through surveys. By creating an online google form, I formed flyers with QR Codes and links to the survey with descriptions as to what people are getting themselves into and went around campuses across calgary to hand them out to students.

I chose a significant time period in the late afternoons and early evening, around 6-8pm. This is because the only kids on campus are students in a calm mood to study and relax with their friends. Most people sat in groups and therefore it was easy to interact with them.

I went on 2 Expeditions: My first one at the University of Calgary, in which all my responses went to waste because the QR code I generated from a weak website had begun to charge people to use it. I went home to fix it and took a second expedition back again to hand out 100 more flyers.

N/A (Research Project)

There are many points to come from this, but I thought I'd take advantage of my project to highlight a few:

1) Financial Aid and Employmen

2) Spending VS Earnings

3) Food Insecurites

Sacrifices and Conflicts

5) Needs for Change

Students feel incredibly strong about the financial struggles they face, as it gets in the way of their academic and social lives. They tend to accommodate for those struggles by relying on their family, going nights without food and throwing away opportunities to enjoy themselves.If we don’t take action, the future of society will collapse with every generation to progress. We need to lower the costs and financial pressure on students in order to ensure they can plant their focus on pursuing their dreams and benefiting economy rather than pondering over whether they can eat that night. A smart decision to start with is working towards lowering tuition and rent costs, as that seems to take up most of their spending portions. If we cannot make things less expensive, the very least we could do is offer more financial support. Out of all age groups, they need it the most. Perhaps offering more scholarship and grant opportunities for the less fortunate or provide student a monthly salary of $500 support. It’s easy to conclude that lowering costs and providing the necessary support to prevent students from feeling desperately hopeless

I chose a relevant topic for my project. I closed in on the ongoing crisis of inflation and how it plays a role in affecting our future generations.

By providing raw research as to what prices are doing to students, this information can be solidified and applied in enhancing the financial system as a whole. Perhaps with a little more refinery, Universities can review my research and take into consideration how they can make things easier for their students. They can find out the specifics as to what they're doing wrong and how they can alter their decisions to simplify the process.

It's a long shot, but I hope I can take this project to the top and push until University Students are granted the justice they deserve!

N/A (Research Project)

The Daily — Tuition fees for degree programs, 2022/2023 (statcan.gc.ca)

The Most Expensive Universities to Study in Canada | UniSearch (myunisearch.com)

Tuition and Fees | Office of the Registrar | University of Calgary (ucalgary.ca)

Inflation deflating spirits and pocket books on Alberta university campuses | CBC News

A Thanks to my Science Teacher, Ms Deb, for being flexible with my deadlines and offering me her feedback on my project.

Thank's to my friends, Azza and Aizah, for giving my survey to a few students they knew to help get me started.

Thanks to my older brother, Ali, for coding me my QR code so it never expired.

And of course, a huge thanks to my Dad, for guiding me every step of the way. If it wasn't for you discussing with me and taking me to my interviews, I might've never finished