Malaspina University-College Board plans to raise tuition fees

The Board of Malaspina University-College plans to raise tuition fees in order to prevent massive cuts to programs and courses, and to maintain quality and services for students.
 
At its meeting on April 8, the Board gave formal notice of motion of its intention to amend the by-law on fees for instruction.

Proposed fees for academic, career, and technical courses will be $79 per credit hour ($237 per three-credit course);  $237 per month for full-time applied (trades) programs ($142 for part-time studies), effective April 1, 2002.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />On an annual basis, students will be paying $2,370 per year (10 courses) for first to fourth-year full-time academic programs, while students in applied programs will be paying $2,370 for a 10-month full-time program.  Laboratory and materials fees will now be included in the new fee structure.

Fees for international students will be set at $3,900 per semester ($7,800 per year), up from $3,600, effective September 1, 2002.

Previously, students paid $42 per credit hour for first and second year courses, and $63 for third and fourth year courses, while students in applied programs paid $131 per month for full-time ($107 for part-time) studies.  Students also paid laboratory and materials fees for selected courses.

Fees for English as a Second Language courses will remain at $94 per course, while the Ministry of Advanced Education is maintaining tuition-free access for students completing high school subjects.

Students in co-operative education programs will pay $350 per work placement term, up from $194.

Malaspina’s Board is committed to offering quality programs and services at tuition levels that are below those charged at B.C.’s universities where the average annual fees will increase to $2,900, next year.

Presently, the average tuition charged by Canadian universities is $3,417 per year.  The highest tuition fees in Canada are charged by Acadia University in Nova Scotia, at $5,805 per year.

“This is not a decision we’re taking lightly,” said Malaspina president Rich Johnston.  “A lot of thought has gone into it, and we’ve consulted with a number of stakeholders including the Malaspina Students’ Union.  We made our intentions to raise fees public in February and have received a lot of understanding and support for it,” he said.

Malaspina University-College last raised tuition fees in 1995;  fees were frozen by the B.C. government on March 18, 1996.

The Board will vote on the proposed fee increases at its next meeting on April 25, after which the Board must seek final approval from the Minister of Advanced Education.