News

Response to Advanced Education Announcement of Tuition Freeze

November 30, 2017

Earlier today, Minister of Advanced Education Marlin Schmidt announced a continued freeze on tuition for the upcoming academic year. While a backfill of “up to $17 million” was mentioned in the announcement, details of how this money will be allocated to the myriad of post-secondary institutions in Alberta is not expected until March, and it is unclear if the amount of money allocated for backfill will adequately cover the inflationary cost that institutions face.

Ab-GPAC has two major concerns with the announcement to freeze tuition, despite relatively aligned stakeholder consensus that tuition should follow an inflationary indicator of some kind.

Our first concern surrounds the lack of regulation of international student tuition and fees. Our fear is that institutions will use this flexibility as a lever to compensate for the budget shortfall that will occur as a result of the decision to freeze tuition. International students have a positive impact on the learning and research outcomes of graduate students, undergraduate learners and institutions, and on the Alberta economy. We strongly recommend that institutions apply the freeze mandated by the government to international tuition and fees as well.

Our second concern is one of institutional quality. Tuition forms a significant portion of the operating budgets of institutions, and given the reality of inflation, a tuition freeze means that budgets/revenues will be reduced across institutions. This could/will result in lower quality education, research support, and student services. Graduate students choose where to study primarily on the quality of research and education at these institutions, and students will choose to go elsewhere if the services and support they need are not there.

Graduate students are at the forefront of innovation, research, and economic development in the province. They are the entrepreneurs, leaders, and economic drivers of tomorrow. These exceptional people have chosen institutions in Alberta precisely because of their quality, and they continue to bring value to Alberta after earning their degrees as, graduate students educated here put Alberta on the world stage.

We are looking forward to future announcements from the ministry on issues surrounding international students and for clarity surrounding the promised $17 million support for institutions.

To view Edmonton Journal Article with quote from Ab-GPAC Chair visit: http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-tuition-freeze-continues-next-year-government-commits-17-million-in-backfill

An Open Letter on the Future of Tuition in Alberta

September 21, 2017

Ab-GPAC has released an open letter regarding the upcoming cabinet decision on the future of tuition in Alberta. We feel that this is an issue that will affect graduate student education in the province, and as future innovators the quality of education here in Alberta is important. You can read our full statement here:

• 2017-09-21 Open Letter on the Future of Tuition in Alberta (PDF)