St. Thomas University hikes tuition by $363

St. Thomas University is raising tuition by $363 a year for domestic students despite a request from the provincial government to freeze rates.

Dawn Russell, the president of the Fredericton-based liberal arts university, announced the tuition hike in a statement released on Wednesday.

Russell said the tuition increase for domestic students fits in with the tuition fee agreement struck with the New Brunswick government.

The five-year deal was designed to bring St. Thomas University'stuitioncloser to the average provincialtuition.

"With this budget we are able to achieve a number of things hold the line on spending and offer our students atuitionwhich is one of the most accessible in the province," Russell said in a statement.

St. Thomas University says an arts student's tuitionwill be $5,914, which it says is among the lowest in the Maritimes and below the provincial average in New Brunswick.

The university defended the need for a tuition increase, saying its grant from the provincial government is less, relative, to other New Brunswick universities.

"We understand the circumstances that necessitated an operating grant freeze by the government, but our tuition is low and so we will continue to honour the limit set by our agreement with the province," Russell said in a statement.

Finance Minister Roger Melanson's budget contained a commitment to keep tuition fees in place for New Brunswick students.

"We will also be imposing a tuition freeze on public universities in New Brunswick," Melanson said on March 31.

This isn't the first time the Fredericton university rebuffed a provincial government order regarding tuition levels.

In 2013, the former Alward government imposed a $150 cap on tuition increases, but St. Thomas hiked tuition by $434.

Later that year, St. Thomas University scaled back the tuition increase to $250, which was still above the provincial government's desired cap.

Additionally, St. Thomas University students will be digging deeper to pay for university in the fall, but it won't just be for tuition.

The university's budget also includes a $50 increase in student fees for technology and facilities, raising each to $100.

Further, there is a health plan fee of $630 for international students.

The university budget contains a $1-million deficit, however the university is using endowments to cover the shortfall.