What a Year of Post-Secondary Really Costs in Ontario

The number on a school's tuition page is real, and it is also only part of what a year costs. Here is how to think about the whole bill, and what is different this year.

Tuition is going up again

For seven years Ontario held tuition flat for domestic students at publicly assisted colleges and universities. Starting in Fall 2026, schools may raise it by up to 2% a year for three years. Each school sets its own increase within that cap, and they are already diverging: one analysis notes the University of Toronto held domestic Ontario-resident tuition flat for 2026–27 while Cambrian College raised its by 2%.

For context, Statistics Canada reports that average tuition and compulsory fees for domestic undergraduate students across Canada rose from $8,994 in 2025/26 to $9,292 in 2026/27, an increase of 3.3%. That is a national average. Ontario's figures, and every individual program's, will differ.

What goes into a year

The same summary described a typical Ontario college diploma as about $2,400 in tuition, plus roughly $800 in mandatory fees and $1,000 or more in books and supplies, based on 2025 figures. That shows how the total can look different from the headline tuition number, even before living costs.

What aid is designed to cover

OSAP's weekly maximum for 2026–27 is $530 a week for a single student with no dependants at a public college or university in Ontario, and $875 a week for a student who is married, common-law or a sole support parent. These are maximums, not promises. What a student actually receives depends on costs and family finances, and more of the provincial share is now a loan. Our OSAP article walks through this.

How to build a realistic budget

1. Pick three real programs, ideally from different types of school (see college or university in Ontario).
2. Find each school's own fee page. Ontario's universities publish first-year fees through OUInfo (ouinfo.ca), and colleges post fees on their program pages.
3. Ask for the total program cost, not one year. Programs run different lengths.
4. Decide the living arrangement first. Home, residence and a shared apartment lead to very different totals.
5. Add a cushion for increases. Assume tuition can rise up to 2% a year.
6. Then look at aid. Use the official OSAP Aid Estimator and ask each school about bursaries and scholarships.

A budget with real numbers is also the easiest way to compare a college diploma, a university degree and an apprenticeship fairly.

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