Students weigh university offers amid chaos
Pandemic leaves schools unsure of how classes and residences will work
High school students have until Monday to accept university offers — without knowing exactly what they are signing up for.
Some schools have said the fall semester will be online, others haven’t yet committed. Some plan to offer a hybrid with some in-class labs — if health officials allow. It’s anyone’s guess what will happen when second semester starts in January.
Tuition reductions because of online-only learning aren’t on the table. Some schools are asking for residence deposits when it is unclear if they can even open residence doors.
Amid all the uncertainty, only one university — Ontario Tech in Oshawa — has decided to offer a money-back guarantee.
It recently launched an “experience guarantee” that means any student — full- or part-time — who is “not satisfied with the quality of their university experience can withdraw from their program by Friday, Oct. 9 and receive a full tuition refund without penalty.”
Academic vice-president and provost Lori Livingston said the university knows students and parents are feeling uncertain about this upcoming school year given the COVID-19 pandemic and their lingering doubts over the online experience.
“Universities, high schools, elementary schools have always relied on face-to-face instruction and this is a huge disruption,” she said. “If there’s any hesitation, we want to help students understand that we believe we have a quality experience” and are willing to back it up.
The university, which opened 18 years ago, has always used a “blended” approach, and all students receive a laptop with programs to support their learning. The school is always increasing online classes and online work within courses, Livingston said.
“We are well-positioned for the fall,” she said of the university’s hopes for a blended online/in-class semester. “We really believe strongly in what we do and what we’ve been doing for years.”
Catherine Dunne, past-president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, said the amount of information from each institution about the upcoming school year has varied.
“Students need to know, concretely, what that’s really going to look like, so they can make decisions about where they are going in the fall, where they are going to live, if they are signing a lease or making travel arrangements,” she said. “They need more information.”
Students should not be paying a residence deposit if it’s unclear residence halls will be open, she added, nor should they be paying for any services, such as athletic centres, if they are not able to access them.
OCAD University — the Ontario College of Art and Design — has been firm that all classes will be online this fall, but “some faculty have designed their spring and summer courses to integrate readings, videos and virtual tours of museums to make courses more dynamic and include a variety of voices.”
At Western University, firstyear students can live in residence starting in September if they choose, although double rooms will likely be turned into singles in an effort to “de-densify.” For classes, the school is looking at a “mixed model” of online and in-person.
Ontario universities contacted by the Star said they have no plans to decrease tuition, but did say students can apply for deferrals. The University of Guelph said it will waive deferral fees.
The University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo lowered some fees for spring/summer and may do so for the fall.
The Canadian Federation of Students said tuition for the first semester should ideally be free, given families’ financial worries during the pandemic.
“Students have been thrown into this, not really knowing what to expect,” said Kayla Weiler of the Ontario branch of the CFS. “Paying four to five grand to be at home on a computer is not the same.”
Cameron Prosic is heading to McMaster this fall to study life sciences, where almost all classes will be online for the first semester except for students who need clinical or lab access.
He’d like to know if universities will reschedule big events such as welcome/frosh week and how grading might work for online courses.
“These things would normally be explained in person,” he said. “We are stuck in this void. We just have so many questions. But I’m happy that (McMaster) came out early” and said classes would be online. “I would rather know early on.”
Colleges and Universities Minister Ross Romano said that “during these unprecedented times, our institutions have worked tirelessly, developing new and innovative technologies, to ensure our students receive the same quality education they deserve.”
And officials are working “around the clock to ensure the continuity of advanced education while maintaining the same standard of excellence that learners across Ontario have come to expect,” he said.