The British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS) recently released a research document outlining many of the issues facing international students in British Columbia.

The document focuses on B.C.’s economic dependence on international students, the instability of unregulated tuition fees, and the lack of support services for international students in the province.

“International students come to Canada hoping to access one of the top ranked countries for higher education in the world,” said Aran Armutlu, BCFS Chair. “But while they’re here, their tuition fees can increase at any time with no notice; unpredictable fee increases result in an inability for students to properly budget for their time in B.C.”

B.C. charges the second-highest tuition fees for international students in Canada, outpaced only by Ontario; currently, average fees are $23,000 annually – a 64% increase since 2006. Because there is no regulation of tuition fee increases for international students, in spring 2018 alone some institutions increased fees by 15 and 20% the BCFS pointed out.

“B.C. hosts about one-third of all international students studying in Canada and as such they have become an important component of B.C.’s economy,” the research document continues. “Annually international students spend over $3.1 billion in the province, which creates more than 26,000 jobs and contributes in excess of $1.7 billion to B.C.’s GDP.”

“From a purely economic perspective, it is in the best interest of the government to ensure B.C. continues to be an attractive destination for international study,” said Armutlu. “The unpredictable nature of international tuition fee increases could force international students to turn elsewhere to complete their studies, leaving our institutions without enrolment and stripping millions from our economy in lost spending — affecting all of us in B.C.”

The research document concludes with two recommendations: the regulation of fees for international students; and the establishment of an international education strategy to provide sufficient supports for international students. This would create fairness, consistency, and predictability for international student studying in our province.

The BC Federation of Students represents over 130,000 students at 13 universities and colleges in every region of B.C. Together, these students advocate for a well-funded system of post-secondary education in B.C. that is affordable and accessible for all students.

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