Correction appended
International tuition hikes for students in four faculties were outlined in an email sent late Wednesday to all students that linked to the financial aid web site.
Students Currently enrolled in Science, Engineering, Law, and Management can expect an eight per cent increase by Fall 2009 and a further 10 per cent increase by Summer 2010, while Arts students will face a five per cent increase by Summer 2010, the first in change in three years, according to the McGill web site. Students who enroll starting in Fall 2009, however, will experience substantially higher changes to annual tuition: Management will jump from $16,200 to $23,000; Law from $15,090 to $20,000; and Science and Engineering from $16,650 to $20,000. These one-year increases amount to 42, 33, and 20 per cent, respectively.
When asked how he felt about the announcement, future Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) president Andrew Doyle said he supported the increase, the second greatest of the announced hikes.
“As a Montrealer, I’m not that opposed to the increase [because Quebec] taxes are fairly substantial. My parents pay for international students to go to school,” he said, predicting that Quebeckers would likely face an tuition increase in future years.
SSMU VP External Devin Alfaro was not surprised by the new figures, though he did not support the hike.
“I think this is going the wrong direction for the University. It will limit access,” he said. “The University says [international tuition deregulation] means [more funding for] student aid, but will only grant a 30 per cent [aid increase].”
In the fall, the Quebec Ministry of Education allowed for the deregulation of international tuition, giving universities the freedom to set fees, and seek higher revenue margins. The McGill administration has indicated in the past that they normally increase international tuition fees by 8 per cent per annum.
– Erin Hale
The original version of this article misspelled the name of the future president of the Engineering Undergraduate Society, Andrew Doyle.