Some N.S. universities struggling to fill residences — a must to hold on to funding

Some Nova Scotia universities are facing a potential loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding after failing to hit a provincially imposed target to fill campus residences to 95 per cent. 

Other universities are breathing a sigh of relief after enough students filled their residences to meet the province’s requirements. 

“It’s a big deal. That amount of revenue swing is a significant thing for any university, especially in these times,” said Elizabeth Yeo, the vice-president of students at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S.

In April 2025, the provincial government announced it signed two-year funding agreements with all 10 universities. 

In an effort to increase student housing, one of the province’s requirements was that universities had to fill their on-campus housing to at least 95 per cent, without reducing the number of beds. 

Each university must report its residence numbers to the province on a regular basis.

Schools that didn’t meet the goal last October have until February 2027 to show they’ve moved 25 per cent closer to the target. 

If they can’t do that, the province will hold back funding, which in St. FX’s case meant more than $1.1 million was on the line. 

“It is definitely something that we were paying attention to,” said Yeo. 

She noted that St. FX has some apartment-style housing which students enjoy, and it is working to make other residences more attractive to students by clustering single rooms together. 

The school was able to fill 98 per cent of its beds in October, and 96 per cent for the winter term. 

But that’s not the case at Acadia University in Wolfville. In October, the school filled 85 per cent of its 1,556 student beds for the fall term.

The winter term saw another drop to 82 per cent occupancy, says Chad Johnstone, Acadia’s director of residence and student life. 

Johnstone explained Acadia’s priority has been to have slightly more housing than needed, in order to house any student who asks for it and to accommodate emergency requests.