Adding thousands of new post-secondary seats

Alberta continues to be the economic engine of Canada. Alberta’s economy has momentum and the government is focused on even more job creation and diversification. This investment will help ensure students can access the skills and training they need, close to home, to build successful careers and secure Alberta’s future.

The Budget 2023 funding represents Alberta’s single largest investment for a targeted enrolment expansion initiative. This historic investment builds off last year’s success, which saw Alberta’s government create nearly 10,000 new post-secondary seats across the province. This represented the largest targeted seat expansion in Alberta’s history.

“Last year, we announced an investment of $171 million to create 10,000 new spaces at our universities and colleges. Today, we are investing another $111 million to create another 3,000 spaces. This is the largest targeted expansion of seats in Alberta history and will ensure young Albertans can get into the programs they want, right here at home.”

This $193-million investment will fund new seats in high-demand programs such as health care, technology and business, with:

• $87 million to continue programs announced in 2022 so students can complete their four-year programs.
• $10 million over three years to create more than 1,100 new seats for business, technology and other programs at 23 post-secondary institutions across the province.
• $6 million over four years to create 120 new seats in Mount Royal University’s bachelor of aviation management program.
• $3.6 million over three years in tech talent funding to create 300 new seats at five post-secondary institutions.  
• $86 million to expand health care training programs with:
  • $20 million over three years to create 120 new physician seats at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.
  • $44 million over three years to create 1,400 new seats in health-related programs (registered nurses, health care aides, licensed practical nurses, nursing coordinators and supervisors, paramedical occupations and other technicians).
  • $22 million over three years to create 2,100 additional seats in nurse bridging programs for internationally educated nurses.

“We are committed to growing our health care workforce and ensuring we have the spaces available for Alberta’s students to continue their education. The increase in post-secondary health care training program spaces will help address staffing needs and build a stronger health care system for Albertans.”

Programs receiving funding in 2023 are chosen based on workforce needs, learner demand and institutional capacity, among other criteria. Priority sectors being funded include health care, technology and business. Of the new seats receiving funding, more than 3,400 are in health care training programs.

“This investment by the province will help build UCalgary’s capacity to meet the growing demand for high-quality medical education, particularly in areas like family medicine, which will help to address the physician shortage and provide better long-term health care for Albertans.”

Budget 2023 secures Alberta’s future by transforming the health care system to meet people’s needs, supporting Albertans with the high cost of living, keeping our communities safe and driving the economy with more jobs, quality education and continued diversification.

New programs receiving Budget 2023 targeted enrolment expansion funding

	Program	Dollars	Seats
Calgary		$22,821,963	850
Alberta University of the Arts	Object Design and Fabrication	394,704	66
Ambrose University	Bachelor of Arts (Behavioural Science) Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)	537,599	45
Bow Valley College	Practical Nurse (Online)	736,696	48
Bow Valley College	3D Animation	488,952	25
Bow Valley College	Advanced Visual Effects	466,670	25
Bow Valley College	Advanced Game Development	452,360	25
Mount Royal University	Bachelor of Science in Data Science	$4,035,499	250
SAIT	Primary Care Paramedic	$1,325,568	54
SAIT	Advanced Care Paramedic	$1,606,134	36
SAIT	Business Intelligence: Data Analysis and Reporting	$370,900	90
St. Mary's University	Master of Education in Catholic Leadership	$230,235	50
University of Calgary	Master of Physician Assistant	$6,845,274	40
University of Calgary	Bachelor of Nursing	$5,331,372	96
Central		$10,537,956	388
Burman University	Bachelor of Business Administration	1,209,280	60
Olds College	Animal Health Technology	$562,326	60
Red Deer Polytechnic	Administrative Professional	$96,031	72
Red Deer Polytechnic	Pharmacy Technician	$551,096	48
Red Deer Polytechnic	Medical Device Technologist	$681,073	60
University of Alberta (Augustana Campus)	Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology	$2,539,652	30
University of Alberta (Augustana Campus)	Master of Science in Occupational Therapy	$2,473,076	30
University of Alberta (Augustana Campus)	Master of Science in Physical Therapy	$2,425,422	28
Edmonton		$13,759,475	517
Concordia University of Edmonton	Bachelor of Management	$1,242,299	60
Concordia University of Edmonton	Master of Information System Security Management	$194,762	15
Concordia University of Edmonton	Master of Information System Assurance Management	$194,762	15
MacEwan University	Psychiatric Nursing Diploma	$2,172,041	72
MacEwan University	Bachelor of Science in Nursing	$3,048,435	144
NAIT	Advanced Care Paramedic Primary Care Paramedic	$2,308,859	48
NorQuest College	Medical Device Reprocessing Technician	$1,060,197	93
The King's University	Bachelor of Commerce, Information Systems Concentration	$269,240	30
University of Alberta	Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science	$2,660,400	22
University of Alberta	Master of Science in Public Health	$288,480	6
University of Alberta	Course-Based Master’s Program in Modeling, Data and Predictions	$320,000	12
Northeast		$2,048,665	189
Keyano College	Bachelor of Science Nursing	$738,050	48
Keyano College	Primary Care Paramedic	$435,615	45
Portage College	Paramedicine	$875,000	96
Northwest		$2,420,455	608
Athabasca University	Post-Licensed Practical Nurse Bachelor of Nursing	494,000	60
Athabasca University	Bachelor of Science (Major in Computing and Information Systems)	143,000	360
Northern Lakes College	Post-Licensed Practical Nurse Bachelor of Nursing	$429,090	60
Northwestern Polytechnic	Practical Nurse	$985,777	80
Northwestern Polytechnic	Primary Care Paramedic	$368,587	48
South		$6,101,506	288
Medicine Hat College	Practical Nurse	$2,105,084	96
University of Lethbridge	Bachelor of Nursing (with Lethbridge College)	$1,887,304	57
University of Lethbridge	Bachelor of Science Computer Science	$1,746,276	100
University of Lethbridge	Graduate Certificate in Data Science	$362,842	35
Grand Total		$57,690,019	2,840

• The grand total of $57.6 million in the chart above reflects the:
  • $44 million to create 1,400 new seats in health-related programs.
  • $10 million to create more than 1,100 new seats for business, technology and other programs.
  • $3.6 million in tech talent funding to create 300 new seats in technology programs.