Inflation, commutes and cross-border tensions loom over campus life for some students

American international student Ben Carpenter is pictured on campus at Carleton University in Ottawa on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

As post-secondary students head back to school in September, some say the everyday challenges of campus life are only amplified by a cost-of-living crisis, societal pressures and an increasingly fractured political climate.

Here’s a look at what’s been weighing heavily on the minds of some university students as they prepare to go back to the classroom.

Anxiety amid cross-border political tensions

Ben Carpenter, an incoming fourth-year student at Carleton University in Ottawa, decided to move to Canada from the United States for school because he found the tuition to be more affordable.

But being an American in Canada’s capital during a tariff war and U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for a 51st state has been a strange experience, he said. He doesn’t immediately tell people he’s from the U.S., he added, given the tension between the two countries.

“(Ottawa) is clearly anti-Trump,” said Carpenter. “It is also clearly anti-America, which is for good reason and doesn’t upset me.”

Carpenter also worries whether he’ll be able to stay in Canada long term, especially since his partner and friends live in Ottawa. As a gay man, he’s especially wary about the safety of LGBTQ2S+ people in America, he said.

Though he’s eligible for a post-graduate work permit in Canada, Carpenter said he’s conscious that immigration rules in both countries have been in flux the past couple of years.

“I understand there is a pretty prevalent view among a lot of people that immigration rules have been too lax, and I see the government responding to that by tightening them,” said Carpenter. “That, of course, is scary to me just because I would like to stay.”

Carpenter added that he’s trying his best not to worry too much – he doesn’t want these challenges to interfere with his life in Ottawa.

“I just focus on making it through the day because if I do have to leave Canada then I don’t want to feel like I wasted any time.”

The struggle with AI and social media

Rylande Horsman, a student going into her third year at Nipissing University, said her phone addiction is hard to break and “takes away from being able to study.”

“I find that when I’m at the library and I’m really trying to lock in when the motivation is so low, I’ll just say, ‘Oh, I’ll take a five minute break,’” said Horsman. “Five minutes turns into 20 minutes, 20 minutes turns it into a half an hour.”

The problem is only made worse by the constant flow of online posts from peers that make her feel insecure, she said.

“Their schedules are jam-packed and they seem to be doing absolutely incredible at every single thing that they’re doing,” said Horsman. “We’re like, ‘Man, I need to step it up a bit, I need to do more,’ when the reality is that everyone struggles.”

Abby Noonan, who also goes to Nipissing, said she’s feeling the impact of the rising use of artificial intelligence in school. She said she’s often seen classmates use generative AI to do assignments, which she called “frustrating and really discouraging.”

“It’s hard to put in effort in an assignment when you know that someone’s generating the same essay in two seconds and they’re still getting a better grade than you,” said Noonan. “It almost feels like what’s the point, you know?”

Costly commutes and burnout fears

Maeve Villeneuve-Elson lives in the west Ottawa suburb of Stittsville, and said the looming daily commute to Carleton University and part-time job “weighs on my mind.”

Villeneuve-Elson said recent changes in the city’s transportation routes and schedules, coupled with the school’s recently announced restrictions on parking permits, means facing “well over two hours” to commute in the evening.

“I will go to bed stressing, staring at the ceiling, stressing about if one bus is late, it could ruin my entire day.”

With limited access to a car, Villeneuve-Elson is concerned about the commute’s impact on their social life and ability to take on shifts at work.

The student hopes professors and business owners have patience with students who are commuting in a city that’s seeing fast population growth and increased congestion.

“I know a lot of people who are older than me, who are in an older generation tend to view Gen Z as being constantly late to things,” Villeneuve-Elson said.

“A lot at the time, I find, especially for university students, that’s because of these unreliable cycles that all push upon one another, which ultimately leads to stress burnouts.”

Back to school – but at what cost?

Iyiola Alande, a student at Trent University, said his biggest challenge is planning his finances ahead of the semester. He said a lot of students, particularly international students like himself, thought the affordability crisis Canada saw coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic would be temporary.

“We didn’t anticipate a consistent inflation problem,” he said. “So it’s been hard for a lot of students like myself to plan out their degree.”

Affordability weighs heavily on students’ minds, he said, as they have to figure out how to juggle bills, rent, and rising tuition costs. It can be especially hard for international students who are limited to 24 hours of work per week during the school year, he added.

“People think students nowadays are just lazy and don’t realize that we’re just living in very, very different times,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2025.

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press