Public tuition costs for full-time undergraduate students has risen in most Canadian provinces, and Ontario has the highest tuition fees in the country, according to two reports released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and Statistics Canada.
Undergrads are now paying 3.2 per cent more on average for the 2015-2016 academic year compared to last year, according to the Statistics Canada report.
Ontario undergraduate students pay an average of $7,868 while graduate students pay $8,971, according to the same report.
The CCPA found the average tuition and compulsory fees for Canadian undergraduate students is $6,971, with Ontario students paying $8,691 on average this year.
The CCPA projects Ontario fees will reach an average of $9,541 by 2018-19. According to the report, Ontario has had the highest public tuition in Canada since 2008-09. This year, Ontario will cap student loans at $7,400, with anything higher to be forgiven.
Erin Inglis, a third-year English student at Carleton University, waitresses part-time on the weekends. She said she is worried that if university costs continue to rise, she’ll have to work more hours to afford attending school.
“It’s definitely frustrating, especially when I pay every cent of my own tuition,” she said. “You need to work more hours when you’re supposed to be studying . . . It’s hard to balance and get good grades when you have to pay so much for your tuition.”
Rajean Hoilett, chairperson of Ontario’s branch of the Canadian Federation of Students, said he regularly hears from students who are struggling to fund their education.
“Tuition fees are often cited as the largest barrier for students accessing post-secondary education,” he said. “It really limits participation in higher education among youth.”
Hoilett said rising tuition fees are only part of a wider financial problem for students. There are many other “economic realities” like rent or residence, food, and transportation that can contribute to students’ financial woes, he said.
Some students are turning to food banks, credit cards, and holding multiple jobs in order stay afloat, Hoilett said.
Rajean would like to see the Ontario government emulate Newfoundland and Labrador by providing more non-repayable grants to students instead of OSAP funding, which incurs interest. The CFS also favours tuition fee freezes such as the one enacted in Alberta this year.
Maria-Hélèna Pacelli, executive director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), said students at issue with tuition fees should channel their concerns on election day.
“We certainly encourage our member schools to do local advocacy,” Pacelli said.
CASA recently launched their “Get Out the Vote Campaign,” which encourages young people to vote on Oct. 19.
“Putting an X on a ballot doesn’t seem like a very big task,” Pacelli said, “but it’s . . . important in terms of putting the issues on the map.”
