According to a study undertaken by a policy think-tank, the cost of a university degree in Canada is rising, with tuition and other mandatory fees likely to have more than quadrupled from 1990 to 2017, with students in Ontario bearing the brunt of the burden.
For its 2016 annual report, the Canadian University Survey Consortium polled over 18,000 graduating college and university students from 36 Canadian universities. The average student was saddled with $27,000 in debt.
University Tuitions fees by Canadian provinces
Provincial tuition and mandatory fees for full-time undergrads from 1990-91 through 2016-17. According to a center representative, the national average is weighted depending on enrolment per province, thus it is not exclusively based on provincial criteria.
National tuitions rates : $2,243 to $6,842
- N.L.: $2,059 to $2,655.
- P.E.I.: $2,871 to $6,710.
- N.S.: $2,974 to $6,969.
- N.B.: $2,949 to $6,527.
- Que.: $1,385 to $3,759.
- Ont.: $2,574 to $8,756.
- Man.: $2,316 to $4,086.
- Sask.: $2,367 to $7,280.
- Alta.: $1,970 to $7,431.
- B.C.: $2,770 to $5,639.
Source: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Statistics Canada
Canada 5th highest in OECD
- Canada has the OECD’s fifth-highest tertiary tuition, below Chile, the United States, Korea, and Japan.
- Eight of the 26 nations with tuition statistics do not charge tuition at comparable institutions or colleges.
- Ontario is the most expensive Canadian province for “tertiary” education (university and college). If Ontario were its own country, it would be ranked fifth in the OECD.
Source: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
The federal and provincial governments should take action because students are suffering. It is making it more difficult for Canadian university graduates to compete on the global stage because they will be concerned.
About how they will pay off their student loan debt after graduation. How will I be able to maintain a decent standard of living? Would my credit be ruined if I didn’t make enough money to pay off my student loan?
