Students are Heartbroken as Some Canadian Universities Raise Tuition Fees

Students are highly stressed and heartbroken as some of the Canadian universities plan to raise tuition fees for the new sessions. Students who were expecting their costs should be going down in light of the COVID-19 pandemic are not amused with this hike in fees.

While universities argue that remote teaching and learning incur higher costs, students are already facing challenges such as difficulty in finding summer employment to support their already higher course fees.

“Students are struggling more than ever with skyrocketing tuition increases they have faced over the years,” Sofia Descalzi, National Chairwoman of the Canadian Federation of Students said on Friday. “It really is disappointing to see that in a time of crisis, universities and colleges are not ensuring affordability and accessibility of their education and reducing tuition fees, but they are going the opposite way.”

University of Manitoba had earlier announced that it would be raising tuition fees by an average of 3.75 per cent making most of the undergrads pay about $250 – 640 more a year for a complete course. The university said remote teaching and learning in light of the COVID-19 pandemic is adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to its costs.

Even in Ontario, the University of Guelph is among few schools that have raised tuition fee for international students as well, who generally pay significantly more than their Canadian counterparts. The fee hike is estimated to be between 3 and 15 per cent.

“We understand that the increases may represent a hardship for some continuing and returning international students, particularly amid challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the University of Guleph said.

Also, the University of Toronto said tuition fee for international undergrads has gone up for the summer session by an average of 5.4 per cent — 4.2 per cent for graduates and will remain at that level in the fall. The school said it has also been providing emergency relief funding for those impacted by COVID.

Dalhousie University that too is raising tuition fee by three per cent also said it was taking extra measures to cut costs and limit non-essential spending.