By: Corbett Gildersleve, Opinions Editor
Many university students get student loans to help pay for their education and living expenses. According to StudentAid BC, monthly living allowance covers shelter, food, local transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. This amount is set by what the federal government considers a “moderate” standard of living, though it’s unclear how this is estimated. There are multiple categories based on whether you’re a single student living at or away from home, if you’re married, and/or have children, each with their own allowances. If you’re living away from home in BC, the monthly allowance is $2,423. However, this number might not be what you receive. There are multiple factors that can affect this amount including your program’s length and your finances. In some cases, your parents might be expected to contribute financially. After doing the math, many students can’t live off this.
BC’s cost of living varies from place to place, but on average, the monthly cost for a single person ranges from $3,300–$3,800, according to Statistics Canada. In 2025, the Burnaby Beacon reported that Burnaby’s average rent for a one-bedroom apartment was as high as $2,366. This leaves you with $57 for all your other expenses, going off of student aid’s aforementioned monthly allowance. There is a clear disconnect between what StudentAid BC asserts to be sufficient and the reality of the cost.
As a student, you don’t get a discount on living costs. You don’t get 10% off on rent because you’re enrolled at SFU.
You have to compete for that one bedroom apartment against a bunch of people with more competitive applications; such as working professionals, and/or a married couple.
Let’s look at SFU. If you’re a new student moved in this summer into a Burnaby campus residence, your average monthly costs are less compared to the market, but you have fewer choices as well. If you’re selected for the Towers (North, West/East), or Courtyard Residence, then you’re required to pay for the meal plan. Adding up the housing and meal plan fee, the cost ranges from $1,771–$2,007 a month. That would leave between $416–$652 a month for transportation, clothing, entertainment, and eating the odd meal outside the dining hall.
While it’s not possible for a single student living away from home to live off of the maximum monthly allowance given by BC student aid alone, it still doesn’t account for additional expenses. This would include the pink tax where buying common items are more expensive when targeted towards women (e.g. razors, hair cuts, deodorant) or additional living costs for international students (e.g. GuardMe and MSP). It also doesn’t give enough of a buffer for emergency situations.
If you have to work and take out a student loan, then you have less time to study, to meet with friends, volunteer in a club, or do all the other opportunities that come with being a student. This can negatively impact what social connections you’d make and perhaps mess with the development of new skills which can affect your graduate and/or job applications. The BC and federal governments should not have student aid based on some averaged set of costs but instead based on the local cost of living. It should also take into account other social factors like race and gender to counter issues like the pink tax and inequitable costs. This just further stacks the deck against students by requiring them to work more, take on more debt, and in the end, have less employment opportunities. The government needs to think more about equity instead of base equality.
