UM Budget 2024-25 sets course to lead change together

The University of Manitoba’s 2024-25 general operating budget was approved by the Board of Governors on May 28, 2024.

The $820 million operating budget reflects the priorities identified in consultations with the UM community, including investments in student retention and success, enhanced learning spaces and technology, and competitive salaries and benefits for faculty and staff.

“Earlier this year we released ‘MomentUM: Leading Change Together’, our latest strategic plan that offers a bold and ambitious roadmap that is guiding us in building a more socially just and prosperous future for Manitoba. Crucially, our latest budget supports this plan and will help us attain the success we aim for,” says Michael Benarroch, UM’s President and Vice-Chancellor.  “The University of Manitoba continues to demonstrate that it provides significant return on provincial investment, driving every facet of our economy and the education, research and innovation that benefit all Manitobans.”

The UM budget supports our strategic priorities in a variety of ways, including investments of $24.2 million for:

• Empowering learners: An additional $4.6 million has been allocated to financial support for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a $540,000 specifically to support the financial needs of international students.
• Creating knowledge that matters: $1.1 million will be committed to a multi-year pilot program to enhance research competitiveness and support comprehensive interdisciplinary team research grants, and $1.2 million to address operating costs for the John Buhler Research Centre.
• Reimagining engagement: $185,000 to ensure UM’s website is accessible to all; $120,000 for project management to advance UM’s climate action plan; $11.3M for deferred maintenance, capital and infrastructure projects; and, $1.7M for investments in operational and service excellence, such as system upgrades.

In addition, a pool of funds has once again been made available for Faculties and Units to apply for in support of short-term projects to advance institutional priorities outlined in the new strategic plan. The results of the Strategic Initiatives Support Fund competition will be announced later in June.

The Manitoba government released its budget on April 2, which included a two per cent increase in operating grant to UM. UM welcomed the Province’s commitment to health care education and in the 2024/25 budget, in addition to the grant increase, received $25.8 million in increased provincial funding for both previously approved and new program expansions in healthcare related fields. The budget also reflects a 2.75% increase in domestic student tuition for most programs.

Read the 2024-2025 budget in full online, or learn more about UM’s budgeting process.