Students walking on the University of Alberta campus.
The Alberta government has doubled the amount of money it lends out for student loans in the last five years as more students rely on borrowing to attend post-secondary programs.The Alberta government has doubled the amount of money it allocates for student loans in the last five years as more students rely on borrowing to attend post-secondary programs.
Chris Beasley, chair of the Council of Alberta University Students, says post-secondary students' costs are becoming a crisis. Provincial loans to students in 2023-24 now tally $1.26 billion. In 2018-19, that number was $638 million. "We're seeing year-over-year increases across the board of food bank usage," he said. "We're seeing more students sleeping in cars, more students sleeping in unsafe living environments."
It's left students in untenable situations, choosing between buying food and buying textbooks, she said.
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