Federal Cap on International Students Will Not Affect Tuition Fees at B.C. Universities

The B.C. government has assured that tuition fees for domestic students at public universities will not be affected by the new federal cap on international students, announced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller. The cap, which will result in a 35% reduction in the intake of international students nationwide over the next two years, aims to address issues of program integrity and protect genuine students from fraud.

B.C. universities heavily rely on international student fees for funding, with domestic student tuition bringing in about $400 million per year at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In comparison, fees from international students collect around $657 million despite their significantly smaller numbers.

The cap, however, will not impact domestic students’ tuition fees, according to B.C. Post-Secondary Education Minister Selina Robinson. She stated that there is already a cap in place and they are committed to maintaining it. Robinson emphasized that the focus of the cap is to target bad actors in the post-secondary system, particularly in the private sector.

The University of British Columbia serves as an example of the stark difference in tuition fees between domestic and international students. While a B.C. resident commerce student pays slightly over $8,000 in tuition per year, an international student pays a staggering $61,000.