In today’s world, everything has its price. Knowledge, although ostensibly free, can be very expensive when it is gained at a university.
McGill has managed to maintain its world-class reputation and relatively low price for the past few years, but as all relative costs rise, McGill has found it necessary to raise its tuition. Currently, students pay tuition based on their programs and residency. Undergraduate students from Quebec pay the least amount, approximately $3,500 per semester, other Canadians pay around $7,200, and international students are billed $14,500. For international students, fees also vary from $14,500-24,500 depending on their undergraduate faculty. These fees are expected to rise yearly by either $100 or rising percentage increments, and further tuition hikes are anticipated beyond 2013.
This has caused uproar both on campus and in government buildings. Quebec has the lowest tuition costs for universities in all of Canada, and has committed itself to keeping things that way. In March, the government of Quebec fined McGill $2.1 million for raising the price of its MBA program from $3,400 to $29,500, which was apparently against the law. Students have responded to tuition hikesby marching against them in Quebec City and negotiating with government officials. However, there seems to be a lack of consensus regarding the actions that should be taken—some believe tuition should be raised to the Canadian average, whilst others think tuition shouldn’t be raised at all. Most recently, McGill has announced numerous cuts to its language programs to make up for funding gaps. These seem to be inspiring more resistance from students than the original tuition hikes.
University should be a place where collegiettes™ (and their male counterparts) learn to question things, to find their voices and to formulate opinions. So—you decide. Should McGill raise its tuition? Which programs should get cut? Or is a McGill education already grossly overpriced? Tell us what you think!
Sources:
http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2011/03/in-defense-of-tuition-hikes/
http://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/fees/tuition/
http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2011/01/thousands-of-students-protest-fee-hikes-in-quebec-city/
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/mcgill-fined-2-million-quebec-government-hiking-mba-20110314-115348-666.html