Cape Breton University said it should be able to handle a cut to its provincial funding without a huge increase in tuition.

The province is cutting the grant it gives universities by four per cent.

Gordon MacInnis, vice president of finance and operations for CBU, said the cut could take up to $900,000 out of the university's $43 million budget, which could lead to a rise in tuition.

"I think there will be some increase in tuition I don't know if it will go to three percent, but again, at the risk of sounding like an investment manager, to take a long term view at where we're going," said MacInnis. "So we want to maintain as much flexibility in our costs and revenue structure as we can on a go forward basis."

The province is only allowing universities to increase tuition by three per cent.

MacInnis said CBU's recruitment of international students and good financial planning has put it in a good position to handle the funding cut.

"I think because of the success of the international market place and the planning that we did in 2008, unless something comes at us out of the blue at us, something that we're not expecting, we do think that we'll be able to sustain next year pretty well," said MacInnis. "It will be a challenge obviously ah we're not going to be able to do everything that we want to do. But in relative terms people aren't going to see anything like they saw in 2008."

Back in 2008, CBU eliminated 33 jobs.

MacInnis said there may be some increase in tuition as a result of the upcoming funding cut.

But he doesn't believe tuition will be increased by the full three percent allowed by the province.