Quebec's English-speaking universities have submitted to the Legault government what it describes as an “expanded” proposal to increase tuition fees for new students from abroad and other Canadian provinces.
The provincial government announced Oct. 13 that Canadian students starting their studies in fall 2024 will pay the equivalent of what the government costs their education, $17,000 per year, rather than $9,000 per hour. Foreign students would have to pay tuition fees of $20,000.
On Saturday morning, Bishop's, Concordia and McGill universities presented a new proposal to the CAQ government that proposes increasing tuition fees for Canadian students from outside Quebec based on various fields of study.
Specifically, this proposal would require students in the arts, sciences, education, nursing, psychology and agriculture – which make up 79% of non-Quebec students in these institutions – to pay $9,000 in tuition fees.
During a press conference on Saturday morning, Fabrice Labeau, first vice-chancellor of McGill University, indicated that fees for these programs in other provinces are around $6,000 per year.
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In the English-speaking universities' proposal, engineering, computer science and management students would have to pay $14,000. This group represents 16% of Canadian students from outside Quebec at the universities in question. By comparison, students at the universities of Toronto and British Columbia have to pay $14,500 and almost $8,000, respectively.
The highest amount, aimed at students of medicine, dentistry, law and pharmacy, would be $20,000, well below fees in other provinces, acknowledged Mr. Labeau, who stressed, however, that it would only be 5% of theirs Represent Canadian clientele from outside Quebec.
At the government announcement in October, Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry made it clear that it was a minimum rate and that universities had the right to charge amounts as they saw fit.
But according to McGill, Concordia and Bishop universities, attracting students from outside Quebec is nearly impossible when annual fees are $17,000.
They say average tuition fees in Quebec are already higher than elsewhere in the country, at $9,000 compared to $7,500. They also point out that, unlike the rest of Canada, tuition fees in Quebec are the same for all disciplines.
The difference between fees [facturés] in Quebec and the other provinces is so advanced that it is almost impossible to imagine that students would still come to Quebec if they came from other provinces.
Entry of registration numbers
English-speaking universities say the provincial government's announcement of possible increases is already having an impact on the number of admission applications from Canadian students from outside Quebec. McGill University reported that the number of such requests was down 20% compared to the same period last year. At Concordia University, that decline is around 16%.
Mr. Labeau stated that McGill University hears from the parents of students who drop out. This uncertainty, this possibility of having to pay up to three times more than they would have to pay if they did it [allaient] at the University of Toronto […]There is no doubt about the origin [cette baisse du nombre d’inscriptions]he emphasized.
In addition, the ratings agency Moody's, which specifically assesses the financial performance of universities, issued a press release this week indicating that McGill and Concordia universities are at risk of their credit ratings deteriorating. This is bound to impact the funding costs of our universities, Deep Saini, principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University, said on Saturday.
The situation is serious for McGill, Concordia and Bishop's, and also for the other universities in Quebec. Minister Déry's announced increase in tuition fees for Canadian non-resident students will have disastrous consequences for McGill and Quebec.
Improve French
McGill, Concordia and Bishop universities claim their proposal is a compromise aimed at achieving the goals of promoting and protecting the French language.
To this end, they intend to introduce a francization program that will ensure that 40% of non-French-speaking bachelor's students reach French level 6 upon graduation, which is considered an intermediate level according to the Quebec Level Scale. Knowledge of French.
In a proposal submitted to the government on November 6, English-speaking universities detail how they would like to improve French.
In her opinion, we should first make French second language courses more accessible by integrating them into programs. McGill and Concordia universities have said they would be willing to make French courses mandatory for Canadian students from outside Quebec.
They also propose to improve the offering of internships in French and would like to offer activities that promote a better understanding of Quebec culture.
The universities do not have any data on student retention. “That’s part of our proposals,” Mr. Labeau said.
We want a study framework to determine student retention. Before embarking on a policy based on this hypothesis [selon laquelle] everyone leaves [dans sa province ou dans son pays d’origine]we need data.
Mr. Labeau believes improving knowledge of Quebec culture and the French language will help retain more students from outside Quebec in the province.
Quebec is a magnet. We have the power to attract students from all over the world, including from across Canada, because, among other things, Montreal is one of the most vibrant university cities in the world. We are the second largest college city in America after Boston. […]. “We have everything we need to keep people here,” Mr. Labeau concluded.