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The Facts on Tuition in British Columbia

September 4, 2007

VICTORIA - Here are the facts on student demographics in British Columbia.

Tuition

  • The provincial government has limited tuition increases at public post-secondary institutions in B.C. to the rate of inflation - two per cent.
  • Average undergraduate tuition fees at B.C. public universities are $4,636 – and almost $1,000 less when public colleges, university colleges and provincial institutes are taken into account.
  • B.C.'s tuition fees at publicly funded universities are fourth-lowest in Canada.
  • Tuition accounts for less than one-third of the cost of a student's education.

Support for students

  • The Province remains committed to helping qualified students get their education - regardless of their personal financial circumstances. B.C.'s comprehensive student financial assistance program offers help to thousands of students every year.
  • Since 2001, the Province has invested $1.46 billion in helping students overcome financial barriers to post-secondary education.
  • Government pays 100 per cent of the interest on students' loans for up to 10 years while they are enrolled in full-time studies.
  • The Province also provides debt management programs that help students with their payments including loan reductions or those most in need, interest relief programs, and loan forgiveness programs.
  • Fifty-four per cent of B.C.'s college-level students and about 52 per cent of university students graduate debt-free.

Access and investment

  • The B.C. government committed to adding 25,000 new seats to institutions throughout the province to improve access. To date, B.C. has already funded nearly 15,574 of those seats. In all, this government has funded a total of 21,838 new seats since assuming office in 2001. This has increased access to college and university programs for B.C. students.
  • Last year, there were 433,000 students inpublic post-secondary institutions in B.C. – this was the highest number ever, up 8,000 from 2005-06.
  • Since tuition fees have been allowed to return to about the Canadian average, post-secondary institutions have been using their increased revenues to begin solving access issues that arose during the tuition freeze of the 1990s.
  • According to Statistics Canada, a university graduate will earn about $600,000 more in their working life than someone with solely a high school education.