Canadian universities are charging higher tuition fees for international students coming to Canada. However, domestic students do not see any difference in their tuition fees and pay comparatively less.
As per the recent studies by Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs (TLAC), international students contribute 43.5 percent of the overall tuition fees collected in 2020. Moreover, these students constitute 17 percent of the total student population in the country.
TLAC further reported that during the academic session 2020–21, there were 373,599 international students studying in Canada. However, the survey does not calculate the amount that international students contribute through their tuition fees. While taking into account the contribution of both international and domestic students, it stands at $22 billion for the academic year 2020.
According to recent reports from Statistics Canada, tuition fees for international students have increased by 8 percent. This increase ultimately indicates that students have to pay $36,123 on average.
There are many programmes where increases have been laid down, including for veterinary medicine, wherein students are required to pay $68,256. However, students who are enrolled in dentistry and medicine courses should pay $59,515 and $58,790, respectively. On the other hand, domestic students have to pay $6,834 as tuition fees in the academic session 2022–23.
For the 2023–24 academic year, the University of British Columbia (UBC) increased tuition fees by five percent for international students and by three percent for returning students. According to reports, UBC is expected to collect $54 million more in tuition fees than the previous year.
Despite tuition increases, Canada continues to be one of the most popular study-abroad destinations for international students. Last year, 807,750 international students were enrolled in Canadian universities at all levels of study. 373,599 international students are enrolled only in higher education.