How B. C. tuition fees compare

Students in Quebec have been striking for more than 100 days over increases to post- secondary tuition; this week in B. C. only several dozen students appeared at a rally in support. Yet, as Sun reporter Janet Steffenhagen reported, B. C. students pay higher tuition than Quebecers attending post- secondary schools in their province, a yearly average of $ 4,852 compared with $ 2,519. Quebec’s fees are the lowest in the country, where the national average for tuition at public post- secondary institutions is $ 5,366. Tuition for an undergraduate arts student at the University of B. C. has quintupled over the past 30 years, rising from about $ 900 a year to about $ 4,600. At the same time, the minimum wage has increased threefold over the same period, to $ 10.25 an hour this year from $ 3.65. B. C. fees have been climbing steadily since 2002, when the newly elected Liberal government killed a six- year tuition freeze introduced by the previous NDP administration. Tuition soared as post- secondary schools tried to cover lost revenue: the University of B. C. boosted undergraduate fees by an average of 22 per cent, while the hike at Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria was about 30 per cent. Faced with anger from students and parents, the Liberals announced a cap in 2005 that now holds annual increases to two per cent. Nevertheless, universities are drawing a greater percentage of their revenues from student fees while the portion covered by government has been steadily shrinking. A ministry survey in 2010 suggested half of B. C. university graduates were in debt, and the median amount owing was $ 20,000. Of diploma and certificate students, 48 per cent borrowed money to pay for their education and the median debt was $ 10,000.