2025-2026 estimated consolidated operating budget
Bringing together our revenue and expense assumptions, the 2025-2026 Estimated Consolidated Budget totals $ 262.7M. The assumptions collectively project a balanced budget, with an estimated $18.4M in additional revenues offsetting an estimated $18.8M in new expenses, along with $3M of planned reserves for future requirements.
University budgets are complex, featuring multiple revenue streams that must be directed to specific functions. To ensure compliance tracking we categorize these revenues into separate funds aligned with particular functions. The true ‘operating budget’ includes the first two columns in Figure 7 which total $188M or 71 per cent of the consolidated budget. We separate ‘purchased services’ to explicitly show the funds attributed to Durham College as a service provider. The ‘operating rev’ column is about 11 per cent of the budget and includes academic or research revenue generating activities such as ACE, Brilliant Catalyst and continuous learning. While most initiatives will be profitable, the university will fund start ups and has about $450K invested in ACE to support research. The final three columns total 17 per cent of the budget and are expected to break even (i.e. aside from the $3M debenture payment), plus they have some reserves for future capital, through ancillary fees or commercial revenues such as parking and food services.
| Operating Budget | Purchased Services | Operating-REV | Ancillary Fee Budget |
Infrastructure Capital | Commercial Services | 2025 - 26 Proposed Budget |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||||||
| Operating Grants | 61,537 | - | - | - | 13,500 | - | 75,037 |
| Other Grants | 8,537 | - | 2,881 | 221 | 3,100 | - | 14,739 |
| Tuition | 114,787 | - | 12,906 | - | - | - | 127,693 |
| Student Ancillary Fees | 1,980 | 1,529 | 127 | 12,264 | 2,397 | 550 | 18,846 |
| Donations | 21 | - | 2,009 | 10 | - | 9 | 2,049 |
| Other Revenue | 5,849 | 373 | 9,098 | 259 | - | 8,723 | 24,301 |
| Total Operating Revenues | 192,710 | 1,902 | 27,021 | 12,754 | 18,997 | 9,281 | 262,665 |
| Base Expenditures | |||||||
| FT Labour | (111,222) | (7,952) | (6,383) | (6,509) | - | (1,861) | (133,928) |
| PT Labour | (12,176) | (266) | (5,550) | (1,461) | - | (440) | (19,892) |
| OPEX | (29,827) | (7,966) | (17,050) | (3,193) | (16,501) | (5,404) | (79,942) |
| CAPITAL | (100) | - | - | (232) | (5,497) | (20) | (5,848) |
| Approved Base Expenditures | (153,324) | (16,184) | (28,983) | (11,396) | (21,998) | (7,725) | (239,610) |
| Budget Surplus/(Deficit) before Asks | 29,652 | (14,086) | (2,558) | 1,281 | (3,001) | 1,208 | 12,496 |
| Base Recommendations | (2,158) | 405 | - | (241) | - | (745) | (2,740) |
| OTO Recommendations | (3,343) | (1,026) | 965 | (393) | - | (78) | (3,874) |
| Capital Recommendations | (1,673) | (1,201) | - | (575) | - | (233) | (3,682) |
| Total Net New Recommendations | (7,174) | (1,823) | 965 | (1,209) | - | (1,056) | (10,296) |
| Total Expenditures | (170,233) | (17,810) | (28,614) | (12,681) | (21,998) | (9,129) | (260,465) |
| Total CY Budget Surplus/(Deficit) | 22,477 | (15,908) | (1,593) | 73 | (3,001) | 152 | 2,200 |
| Funded through PY restricted reserves | - | - | 827 | - | - | - | 827 |
| Total Budget Surplus/(Deficit) | 22,477 | (15,908) | (766) | 73 | (3,001) | 152 | 3,027 |
In addition to the operating budget there are restricted funds that are collected annually and recognized in the financial statements. These are not included in the budget as the funds normally have specific expense requirements tied to them. Research funding primarily flows into restricted accounts, supporting new and unique learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. In 2023 and 2024, Ontario Tech ranked as Canada’s Research University of the Year (as per Research Infosource). We are anticipating approximately $17M in the next year. While the funds used to cover in-year expenses such as student awards are in the operating budget, most advancement revenue flows into restricted accounts. The university’s comprehensive Tech with a Conscience campaign launched in Spring of 2024. In 2024-2025, $13M in new gifts and pledges has been raised, representing a 40 per cent increase over the prior year and we have a goal of over $12M for next year.