The New Brunswick government has followed Ontario's lead and announced free post-secondary tuition for students from lower income families. However, at the region's largest university, the cost of an education may be about to go way up.

Students at Dalhousie University in Halifax are wrapping up exam season, but that doesn't mean school is off their minds.

“It's ridiculous, like the tuition that we have to pay is just absolutely ridiculous, and I don't know what I would do without my parents support,” says Kellen Macky, student.

“I can't make my tuition for even last semester, I'm still paying for last semester,” says Kenneth, Kutsanzira, student.

There is no denying a university education can be costly. In Nova Scotia, tuition fees for full-time undergraduate students can be well over $7,000, with Acadia University the highest in the province, at $7,713.

The story is much the same in New Brunswick, with Mount Allison at nearly $7,500.

“When I think about the fact that people have to pay for knowledge, and they have to pay to learn critical thinking skills, anything like that, that just is fundamentally wrong,” says Sarah Deller, student.

The Dalhousie board of governors will vote Tuesday on a tuition hike that could see an increase of $2,000 over the course of three years for certain university programs.

“We have issues, more than 200 students a month use our food bank already, students are already having to choose between eating and going to school,” says John Hutton, Dalhousie Student Union vice-president.

Hutton says possible fee hikes are of great concern to students, some of whom face graduating with around $37,000 in debt.

All faculties are facing a three per cent increase, with additional increases for faculties of engineering, agriculture, and pharmacy.

“We think it's entirely unnecessary because Dalhousie is not in a financial crisis. Dalhousie has $28 million in surplus from last year. They could be using that to freeze tuition fees. It costs about $5 million to freeze tuition fees at Dal,” says Hutton.

Students from several Maritime universities rallied at province house Tuesday, where the Nova Scotia budget was being tabled.

Unlike New Brunswick, the Nova Scotia government has no plans to provide free tuition for low income students.

“Unfortunately, this budget is just a show of this governments contempt for students,” says Michaela Sam, with the Canadian Federation of Students.

Sam estimates that the province is losing 1,200 young people every year to pursue lives in provinces that are more affordable.

“If left unaided, the student debt crisis is going to skyrocket, and students in this province are going to be left without any supports to pursue their degrees here, which is, ultimately, going to harm the economy,” says Sam.

With substantial tuition increases on the horizon for some students, that debt load won't likely be lightened any time soon.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Caitlin Andrea