International students give U of T more money than the provincial government

Feb 27 2019, 4:00 am

The University of Toronto is receiving more cash from international students than the provincial government.

According to a report from The Varsity, the school’s international student population ten years ago was about 10% of enrolment. At the time, non-citizens were not allowed to serve on the Governing Council — which is the school’s “most powerful administrative body.

The Varsity reports that by 2015, that was amended, and two years later, international students accounted for 22% of the University’s student body.

And today, international students make up 30% of the university’s revenue, which equates to $928.61 million. This is way more than the 25% and 24% that provincial grants and domestic tuition provide respectively.

The Varsity adds that since 2007, the school’s operating budget increased by 89%, corresponding with the rise of international students at the university.

And as the school expanded, “international students have become U of T’s only consistently growing source of revenue,” says the Varsity.

The report says that Chinese international students made up about 65% of the international undergraduate student population in 2018.

And with the increase in international students, tuition for the foreign students continues to rise across post-secondary institutions in Canada.

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“When adjusted for inflation, the base domestic Arts & Science tuition at U of T has increased by about $1,000 over 11 years; international students have seen their tuition rise by more than $25,000 — a 127.5% increase — during that time,” say The Varsity.

Meanwhile for citizens, in January, Doug Ford’s government officially cut local tuition by 10%, but OSAP was also heavily affected by the provincial announcement.

In what it was calling the “first ever province-wide tuition reduction,” the province said this cut will make post-secondary education more affordable and accessible for students. The reduction will take place in the 2019-2020 school year, and tuition fees would be frozen for the following year.

In a statement following the announcement, the NDP said that students who need grants and loans to help pay for post-secondary education are now going to get less help and pay more interest, following changes by the Ford government.

DH Toronto StaffDH Toronto Staff

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