International students or ‘cash cows’?
Foreign pupils on hook for up to four times more tuition than their Ontario peers
They’re the new “it kids” of higher education — international students who pay big bucks and bring a global feel to campus — and now, a year ahead of schedule, Ontario has topped its goal of attracting 50 per cent more to its colleges and universities.
Since Queen’s Park vowed in 2010 to boost the ranks of foreign students to 57,000 within five years, their numbers have grown to 66,417 and counting, said Reza Moridi, Ontario’s minister of training, colleges and universities.
There are now 43,159 at university and 23,258 at community college.
The province plans to keep chasing these global whiz kids to boost the economy and enrich the ivory tower, he said, even as some warn they’re being exploited with inflated fees and little support.
“We’ve met the goal ahead of schedule, but my thinking is we need to go beyond that — especially with graduate students,” Moridi said in an interview.
“Each international student contributes about $35,000 to our economy and $35,000 is creating a job, right?”
Global classmates broaden Ontario students’ view of the world, added the Iranian-born nuclear scientist, once an international student himself, who earned a master’s and doctorate in England.
“We’re always thinking about bringing foreign investments to Canada. Well, this is bringing in foreign talents.”
Yet the drive for these lucrative visitors — who pay up to three or four times more tuition than their Ontario peers with little chance of financial aid or affordable health coverage — has sparked warnings.
Student groups say Ontario should limit their tuition hikes just as it does for homegrown students and let international students use OHIP instead of making them pay $800 for a private insurance plan that is not accepted at all hospitals.
“International student fees went up 32 per cent in one year at McMaster University while domestic tuition was capped at 3 per cent — they should be regulated instead of institutions being able to just set ridiculous increases,” said Jen Carter, president of the Ontario Undergrad- uate Student Alliance.
“It’s fair for international students to pay more so institutions can recoup their charges — but not by turning them into cash cows.” A Statistics Canada report Thursday showed international undergraduate fees in Ontario rose by 10 per cent last year. Cameron Wathey paid about $145,000 in tuition for his four-year degree in cinema studies from the University of Toronto. His parents back in the Caribbean island of St. Maarten were able to help pay, but many of his friends back home can’t afford such steep international tuition. “And a lot of my international friends here have had to pay emergency room expenses out of pocket because the health coverage we get isn’t recognized,” said Wathey, 24. “Some had to wait for their parents to send money before they could go to hospital.” The Canadian Federation of Stu- dents in Ontario was set to meet Friday with officials from Ontario’s health ministry to discuss the possibility of letting international students use the province’s health plan, as is permitted in Manitoba and Nova Scotia. “I’m cautiously optimistic; we’re very concerned that international students are being exploited to make up for gaps in revenue,” said Federation Chair Alastair Woods. “If we want them to make Canada their home, it’s important to treat them fairly.” Some 4.5 million students around the world are getting their post-secondary education abroad — twice as many as roughly a decade ago — and more than half of them come from Asia. The United States draws the largest share at 17 per cent, the United Kingdom 16 per cent, Australia 6 per cent and Canada 5 per cent, according to fresh figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The University of Toronto ramped up its international recruitment in 2008 and now has12,600 foreign students, roughly 15 per cent of enrolment — twice the share as 12 years ago, said Jill Matus, vice-provost of students.