Province lowers tuition hike for Ontario universities, colleges to 3%
Posted March 28, 2013 8:05 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario government is lowering the cap on average tuition fee increases for public post-secondary institutions over the next four years from five to three per cent.
Post-secondary education in Ontario ranks as among the most expensive in the country.
MPP Brad Duguid, minister of training, colleges and universities, said the new tuition policy strikes a balance between increasing affordability for students while helping the schools with long-term financial stability.
“The fact of the matter is we’re in tight-fiscal times,” he said.
“The provincial government doesn’t have the revenue to be able to do that ourselves.”
Duguid said the move will save students about $1,200 over the next four years.
He said the government has listened to students but also knows the strain post-secondary institutions are under.
“We’re putting a great burden on our post-secondary education system,” he said.
“They’re getting one per cent increases over the next three years in funding from the province — their inflation rates add about six or seven per cent.”
Until now, post-secondary schools were allowed to hike tuition by an average of five per cent.
The three per cent does not apply to professional and grad programs, which can be increased by up to five per cent, down from eight per cent.
The Council of Ontario Universities said it will not be easy to absorb the reduction in addition to the $40-million in cuts announced in the last provincial budget.
The council also said tuition is nearly half of all revenue received by Ontario universities.
It added that student aid and bursary programs make post-secondary education affordable for everyone.
