Big drop in tuition fees coming to Ontario
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The Doug Ford government will announce a 10% cut in post-secondary tuition Thursday for the 2019-20 school year, and universities and colleges will be expected to absorb the revenue loss in their budgets, a government source says.
Under the previous Liberal government, Ontario’s tuition fees rose to the highest in the country with an average cost of $8,838 per year for an undergraduate program, compared to the Canadian average of $6,838.
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“Every single decision our government makes is about affordability and putting more money in people’s pocket,” said a government source. “This would be an historic decrease.”
The tuition break is part of a larger announcement about university affordability, including OSAP — the program which provides students with grants and loans, the source said.
The new tuition fee framework, which replaces one that expires this year, would see the average undergraduate cost drop to $7,962 and the average graduate program fee drop to $9,034 from $10,028.
Tuition would be frozen the following year.
.A government memo says a college student would save about $340 next year and a university arts and science undergraduate $660.
The decrease does not apply to international students.
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While the Liberal government brought in no-cost tuition for low-income students, it did so while cancelling a post-secondary tax credit that was more widely available to Ontario families and fees for most students continued to rise.
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said he will oppose any cuts to university and college budgets that result in the provision of less student aid.
“Ontario colleges and universities already have the lowest per capita government funding in the country,” he said. “Further cuts will compromise quality. If Premier Ford is going to slash revenue streams, he must compensate colleges and universities, especially smaller and more rural institutions that are particularly strained.”
The government memo says that publicly-assisted colleges and universities must continue to provide student assistance through the Tuition Fee Set-Aside program.
aartuso@postmedia.com
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