New data shows that the Ontario government operating funding to universities in 2012-13 did not keep up with enrolment increases. For the first time in a while, the level of funding also failed to keep up with inflation.
The latest Financial Report of Ontario Universities from the Council of Finance Officers – Universities of Ontario shows that provincial operating funding was $3.63 billion, up slightly from $3.60 billion the year before. Translated into per-student funding, provincial support fell to $8,190, down 1.3 per cent from the previous year; per-student funding is now two per cent lower than it was when the government began to impose austerity measure in 2010-11.
After inflation, the total amount of provincial funding in 2010 dollars fell by 0.4 per cent over two years. Inflation-adjusted per student funding has been in decline since 2006-07, but the pace of decline has been picking up. In the latest year alone, it dropped by 2.9 per cent; since its peak in 2006-07, it has dropped 11.0 per cent.
Sources
Council of Finance Officers – Universities of Ontario, Financial Report of Ontario Universities
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, MTCU USER Enrolment Data
Statistics Canada, Table 384-0039 Implicit price indexes, gross domestic product, provincial and territorial, annual (2007=100)