New strategic investments for 2022/23 outlined in UVic's Planning and Budget Framework

On March 29, 2022, UVic’s Board of Governors approved the university’s three-year Planning and Budget Framework, which outlines strategic investments and the budget framework for 2022/23.

Despite the challenges associated with the pandemic, the university remains in good financial shape, and we continue to forecast a balanced budget for the coming three years. This is thanks to overall strong enrolments at UVic, government’s commitment to funding compensation mandates, as well as a flexible budget model that allocates a portion of the budget to non-recurring commitments.

Investment highlights

Our financial plan provides for over $10 million in strategic investments with non-recurring funds this year and $2.3 million in new base budget allocations after ensuring compensation, regulatory and other costs increases are funded. Investment themes in this year’s framework include supporting the university’s academic mission as we transition out of the pandemic; supporting student recruitment and success; furthering equity, diversity and inclusion; advancing research; and engaging the community.

Teaching, learning and student supports

We are maintaining many of the central investments made during the pandemic to support innovative teaching and learning, including learning experience and accessible course designers. Also, we have outfitted two classrooms for full hybrid delivery, as well as 135 classrooms with basic lecture capture technology since the start of the pandemic.

We are hiring new faculty and instructors to meet student demand and providing incremental TA funding. In particular, we are responding to provincially supported growth in engineering and computer science, which will include capital infrastructure costs. We are also responding to an increased demand for staffing to support hands-on learning in specific faculties.

As in previous years, we continue to invest into competitive scholarships, bursaries and graduate fellowships—including Indigenous fellowships—to increase access and reduce barriers to education. UVic awarded a record number of entrance and in-course scholarships in 2021/22, and we anticipate a large number of entrance scholarships again this fall, given the quality of applicants to date. We are also investing in health and wellness services, as the pandemic underscored how important it is to have timely access to these resources.

Equity, diversity and inclusion action

To advance equity, diversity and inclusion across the university, there are allocations in this year’s budget framework for the Equity and Human Rights office, to assist in developing and implementing the Equity Action Plan. There are also funds to support anti-racism and decolonization efforts, such as grants for curriculum development and redevelopment as well as student life programming.

There are investments to further the work of the Associate Vice-President Indigenous and the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement, as well as programming and financial supports specifically for Indigenous students.

New this year, we are funding a co-op coordinator position that specializes in assisting students with disabilities. Ensuring equitable access to education is a priority area for UVic, building on what we learned during the pandemic.

Research and community-university engagement

Aligned with Aspiration 2030, we are increasing research and grant writing supports for faculty members; funding an equity, diversity and inclusion research officer; and providing start-up funding for early career researchers. For students, we are launching a new undergraduate research award that will offer paid internships to first-year students.

Other investments include support for climate change and sustainability action, as we move towards a comprehensive and integrated approach to sustainability across the university. Funding has been set aside for the coming years to advance academic, research and operational priorities emanating from a new Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, currently in development.

In support of our external and internal engagement goals, we are prioritizing a new communications and marketing leadership position, who will prioritize a campus-wide communications strategy and brand renewal exercise. We are also enhancing community outreach through advocacy, speaker series and events in partnership with government and organizations. Offering events both in-person and online will not only increase access but also expand UVic’s reach. To support our international goals, we are hiring a new associate vice-president global engagement and support staff in the International Centre.

Revenue sources and fee increases

Our general operating expenditures this year total $463 million. As a people-focused institution, 78 per cent goes towards salaries and benefits.

A balanced budget means our operating revenue also totals $463 million. About 50 per cent of our operating revenue comes from provincial grants, based on domestic student enrolments. The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training sets domestic enrolment targets for post-secondary institutions every year and allocates funding to institutions based on those targets. The Ministry does not provide funding for international student enrolments.

Other sources of revenue include student tuition and fees—at 38 per cent of total revenue—as well as department revenues, grants and contracts, and investment revenues. Tuition from international students is about 41 per cent of total tuition revenue reflecting the fact that undergraduate international students pay the full cost of education. UVic’s approach to international tuition is to set fees based on the cost and quality of our programs and then invest in support for students in need. This includes scholarships, needs-based and emergency bursaries, and the work-study program. We continuously revise our financial aid and award programs to ensure we meet needs and demand every year.

For 2022/23, domestic tuition fees will increase 2 per cent, in line with the provincial tuition limit policy. International tuition fees will increase 3.75 per cent, as per inflation, which at UVic has been about 3.5-4 per cent per year over the last five years.

Revenue-generating services

Over the last two years, we have provided central supports to revenue-generating units that have been impacted by the pandemic, such as continuing studies, food services, athletics and recreation, and housing. These investments were required to ensure these operations would be financially stable going forward. We expect these areas to return to profitability in this budget year as campuses return to more normal operations. Fee increases in ancillary areas are consistent with inflation with rates between 2 and 5 per cent.

More information

UVic strives to take a principled and transparent approach to developing and sharing our budget. For more information on the process, investment priorities, and financial details, download the Planning and Budget Framework 2023–2025 (PDF).

Annual audited financial statements are also available.

In lieu of a Campus Update this year, the PowerPoint slides presented to the Board of Governors in March are available to download as a PDF. Please direct any questions to campusupdate@uvic.ca.