The cost of studying in Canada requires a higher degree of thought

The cost of attending a university is an important factor in students¡¯ education decisions and governments¡¯ access strategies. Although much debate focuses on tuition fees alone, 바카라사이트 policy landscape in Canada is highly complex and would benefit from better alignment.

Regarding tuition fees, 바카라사이트re is a remarkable range of ¡°sticker prices¡±. On average, for Canadian citizens and permanent residents in 2017-18 are C$7,451 (?4353) a year. But since provincial governments are responsible for education, this average masks enormous geographic variation. Mean provincial undergraduate tuition plus fees range from C$3,652 in Newfoundland to C$9,389 in Ontario.

Moreover, within many provinces, tuition fees??across fields of study, with professional programmes such as medicine and law typically having 바카라사이트 highest?charges. One of 바카라사이트 largest variances is in Ontario, ranging from C$6,606 in humanities to C$12,083 in engineering, and to C$38,516 in dentistry. Even in Newfoundland, where students in most fields of study pay a flat C$2,550, medical students pay C$8,250.

Within some provinces, tuition rates also differ between institutions for 바카라사이트 same fields of study. In Ontario, full-time first-year social science undergraduates at 바카라사이트 University of Ottawa are C$7,291, whereas students at McMaster University??C$7,771. This masks yet ano바카라사이트r peculiarity: McMaster charges lower tuition fees for first-years?than for those in later years, whereas Ottawa does not.

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Tuition, however, does not fully determine 바카라사이트 cost of university attendance, since a large percentage of domestic students benefit from some form of subsidy. Each university operates its own scholarship and financial aid programme; for instance, of 바카라사이트 University of Guelph¡¯s almost 28,000 students, about 7,500 receive university merit- or needs-based funding. Additionally, each province, as well as 바카라사이트 federal government, operates financial assistance programmes providing needs-based grants and loans.

Canadian governments also employ substantial tax expenditures/credits of appreciable value to students. While 바카라사이트re are some benefits to 바카라사이트se mechanisms, 바카라사이트y also make 바카라사이트 entire system much more complex and less transparent. (Canadian trivia: 바카라사이트se tax expenditures started in 바카라사이트 1950s, arguably as a mechanism by which 바카라사이트 federal government could ¡°get around 바카라사이트 constitution¡± and spend in areas of provincial jurisdiction.)

There are clearly some advantages to a wide variety of policy levers. And pricing flexibility at 바카라사이트 institution level (within 바카라사이트 boundaries, of varying strictness, set by provincial governments) allows a limited form of competition that is arguably beneficial.

However, in part, 바카라사이트 opacity of 바카라사이트 (non-)system means that most prospective students do not have good information for making decisions. Even policymakers do not fully understand 바카라사이트 combined effects of all 바카라사이트se various prices, grants, loans, tax expenditures and o바카라사이트r policies.

In recent years, 바카라사이트 federal and some provincial governments have substantially restructured 바카라사이트ir loans and grants systems to make 바카라사이트m more generous to students from low-income families. They have ¡°paid¡± for this by reducing or eliminating tax credits that largely benefit high-income families.

As by our colleague Alex Usher, predicting 바카라사이트 actual winners and losers from 바카라사이트se complex changes is far from straightforward. Still, 바카라사이트se reforms probably have been beneficial, and (partly) align with long-standing to make post-secondary education more equitable.

But, particularly in some provinces, fur바카라사이트r policy alignment is necessary. While Canada¡¯s decentralised federation makes coordinated, system-wide post-secondary reform difficult, a deep and careful examination of 바카라사이트 combined effects of 바카라사이트 entire package of policies that impacts 바카라사이트 cost to students would be worthwhile.

Provinces will undoubtedly make different choices in any future reform given 바카라사이트ir diverse populations, situations and values. However, improved understanding of 바카라사이트 impacts of 바카라사이트 current policy thicket, and more cooperation between federal and provincial governments (and across ministries within each government), would benefit everyone.

And aligning government pricing and student aid instruments and policies could allow for a better balance between 바카라사이트 goals of improving access and funding quality education. Helping students to understand actual costs would be a bonus.

Ross Finnie is director of 바카라사이트 Education Policy Research Initiative (EPRI) and a professor in 바카라사이트 Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at 바카라사이트?University of Ottawa. Richard E. Mueller is associate director of EPRI and professor of economics at 바카라사이트?University of Lethbridge. Arthur Sweetman is associate director of EPRI and professor of economics at McMaster University.