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In Order to Increase the Number of International Students, Laurentian University in Canada Decided to Freeze the Fees Charged to Them
Laurentian University in Canada is seeking to increase the number of international students at the institution by freezing the fees charged to them. According to information released by Exame, the initiative is motivated by a decline in foreign students at the university: between 2020 and 2021, the reduction was 5.7%.
Michel Piché, Vice President of Finance at the entity, explains that, at this moment, there is no intention to raise international fees, as its goal is to help international students choose Laurentian University.
Therefore, the university’s expectation, with the change in pricing policy, is to compete with other institutions in the region that charge higher fees for foreign students. At the University of Ottawa, for example, which is one of the best in Canada, the volume of international students exceeds 19%. At Laurentian, on the other hand, the percentage is only 8.6%.
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The change in pricing policy occurs after the government of the province of Ontario, where the institution is located, froze, for the third consecutive year, the fee charged to domestic students. According to Piché, the university expects that, in the 2022-2023 academic year, international students will account for about 22% of the entity’s revenue.
About the Fee Charging in Canada
In Canada, the amount to be paid at universities differs for international and domestic students. This policy is also applied in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. Although more common in public universities, such as Laurentian University, it also exists in private schools, like Vancouver Film School.
Each province in Canada can set a cap on the fees charged to local students. Those coming from another province or from outside the country must pay differentiated amounts, determined by the universities themselves.
According to data obtained by the Ontario Graduate Student Alliance, the average price paid by Canadian students in the province is CAD$ 7,938. The amount spent by foreign students, in turn, is, on average, CAD$ 42,185.
However, the average amounts paid at Laurentian University are much lower compared to those practiced in the rest of the province. In most undergraduate courses at the institution, international students pay fees of CAD$ 27,726.70. Ontario students, on the other hand, pay CAD$ 7,011.00, while students from the rest of Canada pay CAD$ 7,346.70. It is noted, therefore, that the amount paid by international students is nearly 4 times greater than that charged to domestic students.
Other Benefits Offered to International Students
A study conducted by Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA) shows that around CAD$ 7 billion reaches the country’s universities thanks to their international students. However, students may be exempt from paying these fees.
This is because, in international universities, it is common for individuals with high academic performance to be eligible for scholarships provided by the government, companies, or even the university itself.
In this context, Laurentian University offers International Excellence Scholarships for international students, which guarantee amounts of up to CAD$ 60,000 for high-performing students. Furthermore, the university also seeks support from international governments that may cover the fees of university students.
In Brazil, for example, the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) may cover all costs incurred by students participating in their doctorate abroad.
About Laurentian University
Founded in 1960, Laurentian University is a bilingual institution located in the municipality of Sudbury, in the province of Ontario. Today, the university offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs in multiple areas of knowledge.
Furthermore, the entity represents a great opportunity for those who wish to work in Canada, as, according to data from the institution itself, an average of 95.5% of its graduates find employment within six months of graduation.
