About
The Ontario College Student Associations for International Tuition Equity Coalition is an action-oriented group representing over 50,000 international students across Ontario colleges.
Who we are
The #NeedOrGreed campaign has been created by an action-oriented group of Ontario College Student Associations, motivated and inspired to advocate for international tuition equity! Together, this group is known as the Ontario College Student Associations for International Tuition Equity Coalition. Funded by a core group of 6 Student Associations and supported by other Ontario College Student Associations, we recognized the need for a strong and unified voice to stand up for the over 50,000 international students we represent.
WHY IS INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TUITION UNFAIR?
For years, international students have either directly or indirectly been the target of unfair policy choices and decisions by both Ontario Colleges and the Ontario government. From the creation of racist differential tuition policies leading to international students paying up to 4.5x the price of domestic tuition, or, the decisions of Colleges to prioritize international recruitment and raising tuition by up to 20% per year to make international tuition their primary source of funding. Together, international students, their friends and family, and the greater community have been left to question if these decisions are driven by #NeedOrGreed?
Freezing Tuition and Making Future Increases Equitable
Over the last few years, students have struggled to keep up with the rising cost of living, but domestic students have received tuition cuts and freezes. Sadly, international students have continued to receive tuition increases and never received a tuition cut.
The facts:
- International students at Ontario Colleges pay, on average, $14,308 for tuition. Domestic students pay $3,228. This is approximately 4.5x higher for international students versus domestic for the exact same education.
- Domestic students received a 10% tuition rate cut in 2019/2020, while international students saw an 8% increase in tuition during the same year.
- Domestic tuition has remained frozen since 2020 and generally is limited to increases of up to 3% per year, while Ontario Colleges are allowed to raise international tuition by up to 20% per year.
After a 10% tuition cut and two years of tuition freezes for domestic students, it is time for international students to receive relief too! How can this relief be provided?
Ontario Colleges should:
- Freeze tuition for international students for the next academic year
- Limit future increases to international tuition to the same 3% maximum applicable to most programs
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities should:
- Mandate tuition freezes across all Ontario Colleges for international students for the next academic year
- Update Ontario College tuition directives to apply the same domestic tuition increase criteria to international student tuition
Introducing Financial Certainty to Tuition Prices
The COVID pandemic and other world events have caused constant unpredictability over the last few years for everyone, but it has been especially difficult for international students who can receive increases of up to 20% in their tuition, on top of inflation and other unpredictable life expenses.
The facts:
- The average international student’s tuition could rise by 20% in one year. That is an increase of over $2,800!
- Housing, the largest expense for a student after tuition, has exploded with the market rate for a bachelor apartment in Ontario rising 46% since 2012, higher than the inflationary standard of 21%
- Tuition prices can be made predictable for an entire academic program through Cohort Tuition Pricing as demonstrated by Brock University, the University of Windsor, and at post-secondary institutions in Alberta.
How can financial certainty be introduced to tuition prices?
Ontario Colleges should:
- Introduce Cohort Tuition Pricing frameworks which ensure the price paid in the first year of a program remains the same through the last year of the program to avoid surprise tuition price increases.
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities should:
- Mandate Cohort Tuition Pricing frameworks which ensure the price paid in the first year of a program remains the same through the last year of a program to avoid surprise tuition price increases at all Ontario colleges.
Restoring Ontario Colleges to a Publicly-Funded College Model
The decisions of current and previous governments have defunded and underfunded the Ontario College system and its associated programs. These financial shortfalls have forced Ontario Colleges to seek out additional funding to compensate and have resulted in them becoming international student tuition-dependent to exist.
The facts:
- 33% of Ontario College funding came from international tuition fees, 16% came from domestic tuition fees, and only 22% came from the province in 2020/2021.
- International student tuition fees accounted for 67.7% of Ontario College’s tuition revenue in 2020/2021.
- Provincial per-student funding in Ontario is the lowest of any province in Canada.
- Ontario Colleges accumulated $1.4 billion in surpluses from 2016/2017 – 2020/2021.
- The elimination of the International Student Recovery Fee in 2020/2021 would have cost approximately $79 million
When the majority of revenue for Ontario Colleges comes from private tuition fees, and Ontario Colleges are posting surpluses, are they considered public colleges anymore?
Ontario Colleges should:
- Eliminate the $750 per year International Student Recovery Fee.
- If maintained, fully disclose the fee as an additional ancillary fee or that it is included in tuition, and clearly state its purpose.
- Publicly disclose their tuition revenue, separated by international and domestic tuition revenue, including their use allocation, annually.
- Eliminate differential tuition for international students, up to the subsidized value of domestic tuition, through a multi-year phased-in approach.
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities should:
- Restore grant funding for Ontario colleges to support the elimination of the International Student Recovery Fee.
- Mandate consistent application of the International Student Recovery Fee across Ontario colleges.
- Publicly disclose Ontario college tuition revenue, separated by international and domestic tuition revenue, including their use allocation, annually.
- Permanently increase core operating grant funding for postsecondary institutions and index it to inflation.
- Mandate the elimination of differential tuition for international students, up to the subsidized value of domestic tuition, through a multi-year phased-in approach.
Supporting Resources & Information
Want to know more about the history of international tuition and learn more about our proposed solutions, take a look at the resource documents we have compiled below!
