U of C tuition to go up: way up

[SebC]

U of A is going through the same thing.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

For those who are blaming the institution--this really isn't their fault. When you're underfunded for two decades, and then asked to absorb further cuts by a government that refuses to make higher education a priority, this is what happens. There are short-term budgetary needs, and the institution has no way of meeting them other than to raise money by passing the costs on to the student. It sucks, but what are they supposed to do? The government is passing on another 5% funding cut to the school--and that's after literally twenty years of budget starvation. There's no "fat" left to cut; the next line of defense is to change the funding model to one where students shoulder more of the burden.

My worry is that the U of C has no long-term plan for fiscal health in a future where the government is even less likely to come up with more money for their budget. Does anyone really think that Wild Rose is likely to make higher education more of a priority than Stelmach has? I'd love to be set straight by one of our resident WRAers, but I don't think "more money for Universities" is one of their policy planks.

[Berger_4_]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Manzo is awesome. just hilarious, used one of my options on his soci 201 class

Yeah he really is. I wish he taught another class that I could take, and that I would have gone to a few more lectures last year. I guess he was dropping a bunch of f bombs earlier this semester cause he said he'd been nominated for best prof 7 years running but hadn't won yet, so he felt cursing a whole bunch would put him over the top or something haha.

[REDVAN]

U of C should just sell naming rights to everything.

EG/ Haskayne, Schulich shouldn't be the only sell-out faculties/departments.

You can't tell me there isn't an oil compnay that would love to get their name plastered on the earth sciences building, or some computer company on the math science building. Even the education building could find suitors.

Or, the students could just do like every other person in Calgary who doesn't like something: bitch about it on an online forum and then get on with your life.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Manzo is awesome. just hilarious, used one of my options on his soci 201 class

Hmm, he teaches SOCI201? I took that class back in 92, I think. I wonder if he was my prof.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by fotze

What fat has been cut?

You want budget line items? I don't have them--but I do know people in administration, and they're faced with difficult choices here. They've cut programs and services every year for a very long time in order to cope with constant budget pressure from the government. It will take years to restore our higher education institutions to even adequate fiscal health.

You have to consider the recent cuts in the budgetary context of the last two decades. In the 90s there were deep, across-the-board funding cuts. Then followed a lengthy period of budget starvation--essentially funding either held steady or was reduced slightly each year--keep in mind that over time the cost of higher ed goes up, not down. A 0% increase essentially amounts to a small cut.

Now there are two consecutive years of deep funding cuts, and the University is backed into a corner. They're raising tuition to mitigate the impact, but the money raised from the increase actually won't cover the shortfall--there will still be cuts to programs, service and staffing.

I'm not saying that raising tuition is the right thing to do. Obviously it creates a huge hardship for students, particularly when you could argue that the quality of the product is going down, not up. I just think it's worth pointing the finger at the right people if we're going to be upset about this. If you don't like higher tuition, don't blame the school--they're out of options. Blame the Stelmach government.

[FiftyBelow]

I didn't realize how expensive tuition is back home. Here at UBC it costs me about $2300 for a full 5 course load per term. Not cheap, but a step-up from $3000.00.

[mikey_the_redneck]

It is too bad that some young people come out of school with a lifetime of debt nowadays....
On top of the education costs, they get out of school and try to buy a house and sometimes they can't even get a mortgage.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

It is too bad that some young people come out of school with a lifetime of debt nowadays....
On top of the education costs, they get out of school and try to buy a house and sometimes they can't even get a mortgage.

Oh the injustice.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by FiftyBelow

I didn't realize how expensive tuition is back home. Here at UBC it costs me about $2300 for a full 5 course load per term. Not cheap, but a step-up from $3000.00.

Be thankful you didn't do your undergrad here

http://www.moneymatters.dal.ca/costs/index.html

How much will your Dalhousie education cost in an average year? That depends on a variety of factors, including the program you've chosen and the number of courses you're taking. As a very general rule, here are some estimates to give you an idea.

Estimated Costs

Fall & Winter Term CDN Tuition and Incidental Fees* $6,800
Books and Supplies $1,000
Residence (lodging and food)** $8,300
Canadian Student Total $16,100

Tuition and fees are based on recommended rates for the 2009/10 academic year.
* Based on courses in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Fees vary by program.
** Based on the the average residence rate for a double room.

[ynwa03]

Really, when it comes down to it, this is just the government, through the institution, seeing how far they can push things before people show signs of revolt/major activism...then tuition costs will come down slowly until everyone is content. It's the same with everything; gas prices, food prices, taxes etc. etc.

We live in a capitalist society, and the government is no different. They'll do what they want until they can no long get away with it. People will pay for what they can afford.

[Berger_4_]

Here's the email I got from the Provost today:

Dear Students,

I write today with an update on the University’s proposals around 2010-11 tuition rates and to share a draft plan to increase tuition in targeted programs and faculties.

The context for this plan is that the University has a core responsibility to deliver high quality education to its students, and we are committed to ensuring that all U of C students receive an outstanding education. The reality is that costs to deliver high quality education are increasing, and government grants are not. In fact, we are anticipating a further reduction in provincial funding in next month’s budget announcement. Despite the challenging financial times facing the University, protecting the high quality of the student experience is our highest priority.

As you are probably aware, the Province of Alberta has capped tuition increases every year since 2004-05. This has resulted in very modest tuition cost increases at the University of Calgary during this period. This year, the provincial government indicated that, for 2010-11, the maximum allowable tuition increase would be 1.5 percent. Additionally, the government has invited post-secondary institutions to submit proposals for so-called market modifiers beyond 1.5 percent in professional programs or specialties. The University of Calgary is currently exploring this concept of market modifiers for programs in a number of faculties, including business, law, medicine and engineering.

The increases the University is proposing for 2010-11, and has discussed with student leaders and faculties are:

1.5-percent increase across the board for all undergraduate and graduate programs. The University will make a recommendation to its governing body, the Board of Governors, on this increase at the Board’s February meeting. As noted above, 1.5 percent is the maximum increase permitted for 2010-11 under the provincial Tuition Policy Regulation.
Targeted increases in several Faculties and programs, also known as market modifiers. The proposed increases for these areas are currently in draft form, but in an effort to be as open and transparent with students as possible, I provide below a table that indicates the potential increases.
WHEN REVIEWING THIS TABLE, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE STILL WORKING ON OUR PROPOSAL, SO THESE ARE DRAFT NUMBERS ONLY. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT COURSE-BASED MARKET MODIFIERS APPLY ONLY TO COURSES OFFERED BY THE FACULTY INDICATED. FOR EXAMPLE, BUSINESS STUDENTS TAKE MOSTLY ARTS AND SCIENCE COURSES IN YEARS 1 AND 2, AND THE TUITION CHARGED FOR THESE COURSES WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO A MARKET MODIFIER.

Engineering Per Course Fee

09/10 Fee: $516.09

1.5% Increase: $523.83

Proposed Market Modifier: $200.00

Total: $723.83


Business Per Course Fee

09/10 Fee: $516.09

1.5% Increase: $523.83

Proposed Market Modifier: $240.00

Total:$763.83


Law Annual Fees

09/10 Fee: $11,799.00

1.5% Increase: $11,977.00

Proposed Market Modifier: $1,823.00

Total: $13,800.00


Medicine Annual Fees

09/10 Fee: $14,384.00

1.5% Increase: $14,599.98

Proposed Market Modifier: $4,400.02

Total: $19,000.00


Business: Master of Business Administration Per Course Fee

09/10 Fee: $1,247.88

1.5% Increase: $1,266.59

Proposed Market Modifier: $179.12

Total: $1,445.71

An additional program fee for several of our distance Master of Education and Education graduate diploma programs.
When considering where to propose market modifiers, we identified programs where:

The current tuition is considerably less than tuition charged for the same program at other peer universities;
The earning potential of the program’s graduates is significant soon after degree completion;
There are significant costs associated with the delivery of a specialized, experiential program.
The University is also investigating a moderate increase to student fees later this spring, with the goal of consolidating student fees and bundling the services offered throughout a student’s experience at the university and also after graduation. This model for one omnibus student fee package is in line with current practice at most other Canadian universities.

Let me be clear and underline that the University’s leadership is aware that any increase in tuition has a direct impact on students. We take very seriously the issues raised by students, and, to address some of the concerns raised to date, we will commit both to the provincial government and to the Board of Governors that a portion of any increased tuition revenue from the market modifiers will be dedicated to scholarships and bursaries for affected students. This will be critical to ensure that, so far as possible, no student is disadvantaged because of financial constraints.

The provincial government has indicated a deadline of the end of January for receipt of proposals from post-secondary institutions for market modifiers. While we await the government’s decision, we shall continue to discuss these proposed increases with student leaders, and student associations in the affected faculties. Once the University has heard from the government and we have completed our consultations with students, we shall submit our proposed increases to the Board of Governors for its consideration. We expect the Board to consider our submission and make a final decision on market modifiers and student fee increases in mid-April.

As we move forward in this process, I encourage you to offer your feedback by emailing me at provost@ucalgary.ca. Students within affected faculties will also hear from their deans in the weeks ahead.

Let me close by saying that the University of Calgary is committed to its students. We value your commitment to post-secondary education and we look forward to seeing you thrive and succeed at the U of C and beyond.

Sincerely

Alan Harrison

Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

[SuperMatt18]

Still the only issue of content that I really have is not that they are increasing tuition but the fact that they are doing it only to the Engineering,Business, Medicine and Law classes/students.

We are not receiving any better instruction in one of those classes then say a Political Science or Art class but we are expected to pay a premium because it is implied that people in these faculties will make more money when they finish.

If this really came down to a problem with the school deficit would it not make more sense to increase tuition to all classes by about 20-40 dollars as opposed to putting the brunt of the deficit on those faculties.

[Moose]

It sucks that tuition and fees are going up, but to be honest the tuition for U of C still isn't that bad. One term of tuition+fees at Waterloo for undergraduate engineering is pushing $6000, and even in co-op work terms you have to pay roughly $1000 for 'part time' tuition and a co-op fee. With the state of the economy in Ontario job placements are quite low for co-ops now (luckily I missed the recession and didn't have any trouble finding a job), so I feel bad for the financial pressure that a lot of the undergrad students are now under here.

Given that almost every student in the big faculties here (engineering, math, computer science) aren't from Waterloo and don't have the option of living at home that a certain percentage of those students going to U of C have, the costs for getting a degree could be a lot higher.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

Isn't Dr. Manzo on here? If I recall correctly, he posted something on here last year when I was in his class...I think MattyC was in it too actually.

yeah Manzo is the man. I tried to get into a class with him again this year but it conflicted with a core course. I beleive he's fredr123 or something

[Locke]

I hate how they just decided to tax the living hell out of the big 4 faculties. That is such BS.

They overextend the hell out of the University's capacity, but the faculties that limit and control their own admissions numbers are the ones that are getting slapped with huge fees. They bumped up the price, per business course by a whopping $248 per course. Thats huge.

It would have been a way smaller hit if they'd spread it out over everyone rather than hose the Big 4.

I also hate how the U of C has upped tuition by the maximum allowable every year since I can remember, even the stupid 'tuition freeze' that was really just redistribution BS they maxed out their tuition increase.

I guess I just have to be glad that I'm done.

Originally Posted by MattyC

yeah Manzo is the man. I tried to get into a class with him again this year but it conflicted with a core course. I beleive he's fredr123 or something

I dont think its fredr, I think hes a lawyer.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

U of C should just sell naming rights to everything.

EG/ Haskayne, Schulich shouldn't be the only sell-out faculties/departments.

You can't tell me there isn't an oil compnay that would love to get their name plastered on the earth sciences building, or some computer company on the math science building. Even the education building could find suitors.

I agree. The City of Winnepeg is selling naming rights to pretty much everything in the city to raise money - parking meters, heart defibrillators, you name it. While that may be taking it to the extreme I don't see why other faculties at the UofC can't follow Haskayne and Schulich's example.

I know I wouldn't give a damn if something like Science Theaters was renamed.

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by RedHot25

Be thankful you didn't do your undergrad here

http://www.moneymatters.dal.ca/costs/index.html

How much will your Dalhousie education cost in an average year? That depends on a variety of factors, including the program you've chosen and the number of courses you're taking. As a very general rule, here are some estimates to give you an idea.

Estimated Costs

Fall & Winter Term CDN Tuition and Incidental Fees* $6,800
Books and Supplies $1,000
Residence (lodging and food)** $8,300
Canadian Student Total $16,100

Tuition and fees are based on recommended rates for the 2009/10 academic year.
* Based on courses in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Fees vary by program.
** Based on the the average residence rate for a double room.

Thats nothing...
Engineering at Waterloo (Including Res)
1A: $12,885.67
1B: $9,787.67
Books: $1500
Total Cost for the year: $24173.34

[Bob]

Originally Posted by FlamesPuck12

Thats nothing...
Engineering at Waterloo (Including Res)
1A: $12,885.67
1B: $9,787.67
Books: $1500
Total Cost for the year: $24173.34

Jesus, 13 grand for 1 semester

[Flame Of Liberty]

Damn I wish I paid these outrageous course fees (UofC) for my business degree....

I'm going to get so screwed with MBA fees....well what can you do.