UBC Reports | Vol. 47 | No. 16 | October 18, 2001

International tuition to keep up with costs

New scholarship programs intended to help offset increase for international undergraduates

Tuition fees for new international undergraduate students will increase by 12 per cent starting next summer.

The Board of Governors voted in favour of raising tuition fees last month following consultations with student leaders.

"Fees for international students have remained the same since 1996," says Neil Guppy, associate vice-president, Academic Programs. "We've known these fees should be increased to bring them into line with the current cost-of-living and the education price index -- UBC's education-related costs. The 12 per cent increase is a catch-up."

The board also called for tuition fees to be adjusted annually from now on to reflect future increases in UBC education-related costs.

The increase will ensure that UBC continues to fully recover the costs of educating international undergraduate students, Guppy says.

The objective is consistent with the university's commitment not to use B.C. provincial government grants to subsidize the education of international undergraduates.

Once it takes effect, the 12 per cent increase will bring tuition fees up to the current full-cost level.

Currently, UBC's international undergraduate students pay $13,830 or $461 per credit. With the increase, base tuition for all undergraduate, diploma programs and some post-baccalaureate programs will be $15,430 or $516 per credit.

The new cost-of-living increases will be implemented annually starting in the summer of 2002 for all international students enrolling at that time.

International students already enrolled at UBC prior to the summer of 2002 will pay $461 per credit for the summer 2002 and winter 2002/03 sessions, then $516 per credit for the remainder of their program.

Guppy says that while the tuition fees are increasing, UBC has recently introduced new scholarship programs for international students. The new awards, some of which are valued at up to $27,000 per year, are awarded on a combination of need and merit.

In addition, UBC is committed to implementing stronger student development and counseling services for international students, and faculties are responding to international student needs with a variety of programs and initiatives, adds Guppy.

UBC had 886 international undergraduate students enrolled last year.