Abby SchenkThe University of Alberta’s Board of Governors has approved a 2.2 per cent general tuition increase, effective Sept. 1, 2015.
The proposal, brought forward by Acting Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Olive Yonge, recommended that all general, differential and market modifier tuition fees increase by 2.2 per cent. Tuition fee revenue is “integral for the university’s continued vitality and success,” the proposal read. On Sept. 10, 2014, the Alberta Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education calculated the maximum allowable tuition increase to be 2.2 per cent.
The university faced “significant budget challenges” in 2013–14, and in 2014–15, the government did not increase the grant. It is uncertain whether the university can expect a base grant increase in 2015–16.
With the approval, undergraduate domestic Faculty of Arts and Science students will see a general increase of $116.40 per term in 2015–16, bringing the 2014–15 full-time per term tuition fee from $5,320.80 to $5,437.20.
Undergraduate international Faculty of Arts and Science students will see increases of $314.40 along with the $116.40 base increase, a total of $430.80 per term.
Domestic course-based masters, thesis 919 and thesis based masters and PhD students will see a general increases of $82.08, $53.60 and $61.68 per term.
International course-based masters, thesis 919 and thesis based masters and PhD students will see also see total increases of $167.76, $104. 96 and $145.08.
The BoG also approved a 2.2 per cent fee increase for program differentials, course differentials and market modifiers.
The Faculty of Law’s JD program, Faculty of Business’s MBA program and the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry’s Doctor of Medicine program will receive program differential increases of $100.00, $13.08 and $100.00, respectively. A 2.2 per cent market modifier increase will be applied to undergraduate Faculty of Business, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Pharmacy students, with $4.60, $3.88, $8.88 and $18.84, respectively. Thesis based graduate students will see an increase of $18.84, as well.
Annual tuition increases are linked to the Alberta Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is based on average monthly increases from July to June.
The proposal stated that the university “continues to face challenges in balancing limited growth in public funding in operating revenue against rising investment costs for teaching and research.”
The university is still waiting for decisions by Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education on market modifier proposals by the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s MScPT program, the Faculty of Business’s MBA program, the Faculty of Law’s JD program, the Faculty of Pharmacy’s BSc program and the Department of Economics.
