Cost of Studying in New Brunswick: Tuition, Ancillary Fees and Living Expenses
By Muntasir • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Money & Budgeting, Canadian Universities & Colleges
Studying in New Brunswick costs money in four separate buckets: tuition, mandatory ancillary fees, books and supplies, and living expenses. Each institution publishes its own fee schedule, so check the exact current numbers for your specific program and city before you set a budget.
💵 Tuition is billed per year for full-time students and per credit hour for part-time students.
Ancillary fees cover the student union, health and dental plan, athletics and technology, on top of tuition.
🏠 Living costs vary by city: Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton each have their own rental market.
Programs with lab or clinical components (nursing, engineering, trades) usually carry higher supply costs than a general arts degree.
Health and dental fees usually allow an opt-out if you already hold equivalent coverage, refunded within a set window.
Four cost buckets, not one number
A real cost of attendance in New Brunswick breaks into four separate parts: tuition, mandatory ancillary fees, books and program supplies, and living expenses. Institutions publish tuition and ancillary fees separately, and neither number alone tells you what a year actually costs. Add all four together, for your specific program and city, before you set a budget.
| Cost category | Billed by | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | Per year (full-time) or per credit hour (part-time) | Your institution |
| Ancillary fees | Per term, alongside tuition | Your institution and student union |
| Books and supplies | Per course or per program year | You, based on program requirements |
| Living expenses | Monthly | Your housing choice and city |
Tuition
New Brunswick's universities and colleges bill full-time domestic students a per-year tuition rate and part-time students a per-credit-hour rate. Rates differ by institution and by program level, with graduate and professional programs such as law, education, nursing and engineering usually priced above a general undergraduate arts or science degree. UNB publishes its current tuition and fee schedule by program and year of study, and every other New Brunswick institution runs an equivalent page. Check the exact figure for your intended program and year on that page directly rather than relying on a province-wide average, since averages blend very different program costs together.
Statistics Canada tracks tuition fees across every province in its tuition fees table , updated each year for the new academic year. Use it to compare New Brunswick against other provinces once you already have your own institution's specific number in hand.
Mandatory ancillary fees
On top of tuition, every New Brunswick university and college charges a set of mandatory fees you cannot opt out of individually. These typically cover:
Student union or student association dues
A health and dental plan, usually refundable if you show proof of equivalent coverage within a set opt-out window
Athletics and recreation facility access
Technology and library services
A campus building or capital fee at some institutions
These fees add a real amount on top of tuition each term. Check the ancillary fee breakdown on your institution's fee schedule alongside tuition, since the two appear on separate lines but both come due at the same time.
Books, supplies and program-specific costs
A general arts or science program costs less in supplies than a program with lab, clinical or field components. Nursing, engineering, trades and lab science programs at NBCC, CCNB and the universities carry extra costs for uniforms, safety equipment, lab kits or clinical placement travel that a humanities or business student does not pay. Budget for these separately from tuition, and ask your program's department directly what a typical first-year student spends, since published tuition figures rarely include them.
Living expenses by city
Where you study changes your living cost more than which institution you attend. Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton each run their own rental market, and choosing residence versus off-campus housing changes your monthly cost further. On-campus residence usually bundles rent with a meal plan into one fee, billed by the term, while off-campus students pay rent, utilities and groceries separately and can control the total more directly by choosing a shared apartment over a private one.
Build your monthly living budget around five categories: housing, groceries or a meal plan, transit or a vehicle, phone and internet, and personal spending. Confirm current rent ranges for your specific city and neighbourhood directly with your institution's housing or off-campus housing office, since rental markets shift year to year and a province-wide average will not match your actual apartment search.
University versus college costs
A college diploma at NBCC or CCNB usually costs less in total than a university degree, mainly because it takes fewer years to finish rather than because the per-year tuition rate is dramatically lower. A one to three year diploma also gets you into the workforce sooner, which changes the total cost equation once you account for the income you earn while a university student is still studying. Weigh total cost to completion, not just the per-year sticker price, when you compare a college diploma against a bachelor's degree in a related field.
Aid reduces your net cost
The costs on this page are before financial aid. Government student loans and grants, institutional scholarships and bursaries, and program-specific awards all reduce what you actually pay out of pocket. Apply for aid and search your institution's own scholarship listings alongside budgeting your gross costs, since the net cost after aid is often meaningfully lower than the published tuition and fee total.
Building your real budget
Pull the actual numbers from four places before you commit to a program: your institution's tuition and fee schedule for your exact program and year, that same institution's ancillary fee breakdown, your program department's estimate of books and supplies, and either the residence fee schedule or a realistic off-campus budget for your city. Add them together for a true annual cost, rather than budgeting off tuition alone.