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Tuition freeze remains in place as students head back to Alberta universities

Students are welcomed to the University of Calgary on move-in day on Sept. 1, 2019. Carolyn Kury de Castillo/Global News

A record number of first-year students moved into the residence at the University of Calgary on Sunday.

Move-In Day 2019 saw over 2,700 students welcomed into their new home on campus: 1,045 first-year students along with 1,700 returning students.

Lakshmi Sangaranarayanan, associate director for Residence Services, said living on campus provides students with a wide variety of supports and allows for a smooth transition from home.

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“The No. 1 thing is the community, especially for first-year students who are moving from their home for the first time and they are transitioning from high school. This is the place to be. You meet your friends and chances are you will be living next door to someone in the same class so we have a strong academic community in residence and the convenience of being able to access all the resources,” Sangaranarayanan said.

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More than 300 student and staff volunteers were on hand to help everyone get settled.

Shauna Palmer said goodbye to her son, Connor, on Sunday. The High River mom had mixed emotions as Conner started his new life on campus.

“Nervous because he’s going out on his own and he won’t have us there to help him but I know he will be fine,” said Palmer.

Undergraduate and graduate fees for 2019-20 are the same as last year. A tuition freeze has been in effect since 2015 in Alberta. A spokesperson for the Alberta Advanced Education minister confirmed the freeze will continue this year.

Shared dorm rooms are available at the U of C for around $500 per month. This is the second year an “All You Care to Eat” pass will be available for students at a cost of $4,999 for eight months.

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