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Post-secondary students who fled the war in Ukraine are hoping a program that allows them to pay domestic tuition rates rather than international tuition rates will be renewed by the provincial and federal governments before it expires.
Ukrainian university students visited the Saskatchewan Legislative Building on Tuesday to share concerns they would not be able to afford their studies if the Ukrainian student tuition agreement is not extended before March 2026. Ukrainians who came to the country under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program have been eligible to receive funding from the program.
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Ivan Teteria moved to Saskatchewan from Kiev three years ago due to the war with Russia, and just began his first year of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan.
Teteria said he grew concerned when he received an email from the university informing him that the 2026 winter term would be the last one covered by the tuition agreement.
“I was absolutely devastated,” he said. “I was hoping to build future in Canada… My parents are worrying of how I can build my future here in Canada (and) contribute to this great country.”
Oleh Bufam, a linguistics student at the University of Saskatchewan, said the email about the end of the program sparked quite a bit of concern among international students.
“I felt like the Ukrainian community is being betrayed,” he said.
NDP MLA Keith Jorgenson said he wants to see the program extended before it gets cut off.
“We’re not asking for special treatment for Ukrainians who have arrived,” he said. “We’re asking that they be treated exactly the same as refugees. Refugees pay domestic tuition.”
Teteria said he can’t afford the international fees, and if the agreement expires, he’ll be forced to drop out.
“If this program genuinely gets cut, the price is going to be absolutely ridiculous – $40,000, $50,000 a year,” he said. “People who flee the war typically don’t have just $40,000 lying around. It’s just not how it works.”
Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said the provincial government has not started contract negotiations with the federal government yet because the tuition program does not expire for five months. He said the program has been beneficial, and the Government of Saskatchewan wants to give Ukrainians every chance to succeed in the province. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said the tuition program is jointly funded by the province and federal government.
“We haven’t begun the consultations with the federal government yet, but we’ll be certainly looking at it,” he said.
About 26 students have taken advantage of the program, according to Cheveldayoff, at a cost of around $300,000.
Cheveldayoff said the program has been beneficial, adding that the provincial government wants to give people from Ukraine every opportunity to succeed in the province.
“Based on the record of this government and how they’ve treated every individual, I think you can say that we’ll give every opportunity to to extend those benefits, if possible,” he said.
