Large tuition increases approved for several U of C programs

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Several programs at the University of Calgary will see large tuition increases next year.

Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides confirmed the BSc engineering, the medical doctor (MD) and the master of business administration (MBA) programs at the university will all be affected by “exceptional increases.”

Post-secondary institutions are able to implement tuition increases but any large spikes, considered exceptional, must be approved by the minister.

“The BSc Engineering program will increase by $2,085, the MD program will increase by $2,781, and the MBA program will increase by $4,776,” Nicolaides said in a statement to Postmedia on Thursday. “It is important to note that the cost of tuition for the BSc Engineering and MBA programs at the U of C remain below the national tuition average for their respective programs, and the MD program aligns with the national average.”

The confirmation of the increases comes a day after the provincial NDP released documents showing several programs at the University of Alberta will also have exceptional tuition increases. The master’s in counselling psychology program at that school will see tuition double to just over $8,500.

Nicole Schmidt, president of the U of C student union, said domestic engineering students will see about a 32 per cent increase in tuition, while medical students will face about a 15 per cent increase. Tuition for the MBA will increase by 25 per cent.

Schmidt said overall tuition at the school has increased by an average of 25 per cent over the past three years.

“Students are quite upset at these increases. There’s a lot of concerns about the economic impact that this is going to have on students,” she said. “Students will have to take out larger student loans and will have a harder time paying back this tuition money. I’d ask anyone sort of thinking about this to really consider what a 25 per cent increase to their mortgage would do to a household budget. This is essentially what students are going though.”

Schmidt said the governing United Conservative Party has not been a friend to students, saying the government has eliminated a tuition tax credit, scrapped a program that helped students find summer work and has provided less financial assistance than other provinces.

“Alberta has one of the least generous student aid programs in Canada. So, really, they’re not doing post-secondary students any favours,” said Schmidt.

Nicolaides said the government is providing $167 million in student assistance from the Advanced Education budget, including $12 million in new funding over three years to existing scholarships and $15 million over three years to new bursaries.

“A portion of the revenue from the exceptional tuition increases will also go to student financial assistance,” said Nicolaides.

The provincial government has been reducing its percentage of funding for post-secondary schools in recent years. In 2022-23, the government is expected to fund 57 per cent of post-secondary operating expenses. Schools are scheduled to fund 55 per cent of their own expenses by 2024-25. Nicolaides previously stated the changes are being made in an attempt to bring Alberta in line with other provinces.

Schmidt said the union fought the increases and delayed them from taking place this school year. She added they are still fighting for the school to implement metrics to gauge how programs are improved by tuition increases, and to ensure there is improved student consultation on any additional hikes.

The U of C said in a statement Thursday the increases will be invested in enhancements to “program quality and the student experience.”

“Examples of program enhancements include: experiential learning opportunities, scholarships and bursaries, enhancements to career services, program instructional improvements, new resources such as engineering lab kits, funds to encourage diversity in medical simulation laboratory materials, greater diversity of patient representatives in the curriculum, and the purchase of diverse multi-media assets for physical exam teaching,” read the statement.

The increases will come into effect in the 2022-23 academic year and will only apply to new, domestic students entering the program.

— With files from Ashley Joannou

dshort@postmedia.com