Tuition Troubles

Letters — Published April 12, 2011

So obviously, we’re all opposed to this. Except maybe the government employees who get to boost their salaries. But there is an issue that’s not being voiced here. First off, I’m from Alberta, so I’m a resident of Alberta.

I can’t become a resident of Quebec and enjoy the cheaper tuition rates unless I live here
for 12 consecutive months without being in school full time.

The cost of waiting a full school year to continue my education is out of the question for me. So I pipe down and pay the higher tuition. This is my choice and I can’t complain about this.

After all, tuition is about par (actually a little more) with the tuition rates in my home province, so it wouldn’t be
much different if I went back home.

But get this: the out-of-province tuition rates are increasing as well as the Quebec tuition rates (not to mention the international tuition rates). What kind of idiotic government is in charge here!?

The point of an out-of-province tuition rate is to ensure that non-residents are paying the same as everyone else in Canada. Raising non-resident rates along with resident rates is just going to give Quebec the most
expensive universities in Canada (except for residents). WTF!

I’ve looked at the parts of the new budget concerning students, and on only one page did it mention anything about out-of-province tuition rates. It simply stated what the rates were and were going to be, and that the policy on out-of-province rates should be updated. That’s it. They didn’t address this issue at all.

—Timothy Jong,
Independent Student