International students face unlimited tuition increases at most Canadian institutions
Canadian universities and colleges raked in more than $9.6 billion in tuition from international students in a single year.
Despite making up just 17 per cent of students studying in Canada, international students contributed 43.5 per cent of all tuition fees collected in 2020, according to the most recent survey by Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs (TLAC). It reports 373,599 international students attended a university or degree-granting college in 2020/2021.
TLAC does not calculate the total amount international students pay in tuition across the country and it doesn’t keep record of this population by level of study. Statistics Canada, however, tallies fees spent by undergraduate or graduate study.
Based on the average cost of tuition for these students that year, domestic and foreign students spent a total estimated $22 billion.
“Tuition for international students is not subsidized here.”
Universities and colleges are collecting more from international students every year with increases in tuition, while prices for domestic or in-province students remain at a similar or fixed rate — regardless of government grants institutions receive of up to 80 per cent in some provinces.
“Lacking a cap on how much tuition can be raised, and less financial aid services than the Canadian students,” are among the most common complaints from international students, said Damanpreet Singh, international student representative for the Canadian Federation of Students.
The University of British Columbia, for example, increased tuition fees for international students for 2023/2024 by five per cent for new students, and three per cent for those returning for another year of study. UBC expects to collect $54 million more in tuition than it did last year.
The university also expects to be short $1 million in fees from domestic students.