The University of Manitoba has approved its $674.6-million 2020-21 general operating budget, which includes an average 3.75 per cent hike to tuition fees, and a 3.75 increase to university-wide fees.
The university says the increases are expected to bring in an additional $2.7 million in revenue which will help offset an anticipated five per cent reduction in provincial grant money.
A one per cent reduction in provincial funding had been expected, and is the third consecutive year of such cuts. The additional four per cent, however — or approximately $14 million according to the university — is a one-time reduction as the province tries to tighten its belt amid the pandemic. “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the university was operating in a