UW students react to call for tuition increase

Life as a college student could be getting more difficult come next September.

Ontario’s colleges and universities are looking to the province to end the freeze on tuition fees and raise tuition by five per cent.

Several post-secondary institutions are projecting major operating budget deficits by the end of the fiscal year. The University of Waterloo (UW) is projecting a $15 million shortfall, while Wilfrid Laurier University and The University of Guelph are forecasting similar deficits.

UW students Jonathan and Arya shared their initial reactions to the possibility of a five per cent hike to their tuition.

“Definitely not too happy about it considering how the price of everything has gone up,” said Jonathan. “Especially those that are living on campus who have to spend on groceries. I can’t imagine anyone is too thrilled about it.”

“I don’t think it’s good though with the state of the economy,” said Arya. “Even for co-ops, it’s not looking too good, there’s a tech downturn right now. So especially students who are paying tuition themselves, it’s also harder for them to get work right now, so just raising the fees would be more taxing.”

Jonathan also told CityNews what supports students will need if tuition rises.

“Some more grants or scholarships perhaps. Even just some more seminars regarding the resources we have access to. We might have access to a lot, but half of us don’t even know about them.”

Meanwhile, UW Provost James Rush explained to CityNews that the deficit comes from an operating grant that hasn’t changed in years, and a decision to cut domestic tuition by 10 per cent in 2019. Since that decision, tuition rates have been frozen.

“Those two components … are the two main revenue sources for universities in Ontario,” said Rush. “It really is an urgent call for action to improve on the grant funding and the tuition flexibility that’s needed to make the [Ontario education] system sustainable.”

Rush added that if nothing changes, the annual deficit could rise to $100 million by 2027. He said there is no current threat of a Laurentian University situation, but it’s a reminder of what can happen.

“The Ontario [education] system is a system that we all count on for supporting people in the province and their development for driving innovation as well as education and for supporting the economic and workforce development of the province and the country. This is an early warning that [the system] needs attention.”