All willing and qualified students should be able to pursue higher education in Ontario, yet some groups remain significantly underrepresented within the province’s post-secondary sector. The hidden costs of university life – housing, transit, and food security – continue to disproportionately affect students from marginalized communities, especially those balancing work, caregiving responsibilities, or navigating familial skepticism about certain post-secondary pathways. To meaningfully enhance access, the provincial government should create a comprehensive access strategy that is bold, intersectional, and equity-driven in both design and implementation, consisting of flexible pathways to university, improved outreach programs, increased guidance in secondary schools, and more comprehensive data regarding access initiatives and post-secondary attainment.