Students from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary are asking the province to step in and implement a cap on tuition fees for international students. (Richard Siemens)
CBC reports that student groups at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary have called on the provincial government to regulate international student tuition. Fees have continued to increase, with UCalgary students having seen a 10% hike in May and UAlberta students seeing a 6% hike this coming fall. UAlberta International Students’ Association president Dhir Bid stated that failure to regulate tuition will hurt the economy as fewer international students choose to study in Canada. AB Advanced Education Minister press secretary Sam Blackett states that regulation is not under consideration as international students, who have not contributed to postsecondary funding through taxes, need to pay at a cost-recovery level or above. UAlberta’s International Students’ Association and UCalgary’s Students’ Union continue to press for tuition regulation, arguing that international students are being put in a place of financial insecurity.