Student Fee Implementation

Updated March 11, 2016

At its February 2016 meeting, the VIU Board of Governors approved a Student Services Fee in order to provide new benefits for students in three tangible areas: health and well-being, experiential learning, and access to technology.

The Student Services Fee will allow VIU to provide services and supports for students that are comparable not only with universities in B.C. but across Canada and around the world.

After the fee is in place, VIU will still have among the lowest tuition and fees in the province. The University remains committed to delivering exceptional value, providing a top-quality student experience at lower overall cost, and adding new services in a sustainable way.

Facts about the fee:

The Student Services Fee applies to domestic full- and part-time VIU students starting April 1, 2016. The fee is $6.27 per credit, or approximately $188 per full time student in a four-year program. For non-credit programs, the fee will be determined as a percentage of tuition.

The Student Services Fee will not apply to students in short-term Professional Development and Training programs, as these students are not eligible for the support services provided through the fee. The fees for International students and domestic students in off-grant/cost-recovery programs will be proposed as part of the regularly scheduled review of off-grant tuition later in 2016.

Services covered:

1. Student Health Services: To allow VIU to meet the demand of its students for increased access to health services, including mental health services and support for students with disabilities.




2. Experiential Education: the fee will allow VIU to provide experiential (real-world learning experiences) for all students through the newly established Centre for Experiential and Co-Curricular Learning (formerly the Campus Career Centre). The Centre will create new opportunities for experiential education, develop new opportunities for paid employment off-campus, and introduce a Co-Curricular Record to all students.




3. Digital Access: the fee will allow VIU to provide students with access to a Technology Lending Library in the Learning Commons where students will find the latest hardware (like tablets, laptops) and software (like voice-to-text, time management, word processing, etc.).

For more information:

-  About the charging of the Fee to your account: Registrar | 250-740-6400


-  About the services covered by the Fee: Student Services | 250-740-6594


-  About how fees are approved at the University: email University Relations