Quebec plans to raise tuition fees for students from other provinces, and McGill University has launched a new scholarship to offset those costs.
McGill said its $3,000 "Canada Scholarship" for new undergraduate students, starting in fall 2024 through winter 2025, will be available for arts, agricultural and environmental sciences, music, education, architecture, nursing, and most science majors.
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The school says that about 80% of new Canadian students from outside of McGill will be eligible for this scholarship.
At the same time that Quebec approves an increase in tuition for students from other provinces, tuition will increase from $9,000 to $12,000 per year starting next fall. Initially, the province planned to increase tuition to $17,000, but the lower amount was confirmed in last week's announcement.
The university said it planned to call on Chancellor François Le Gaux to reverse the decision on tuition measures, calling its impact "devastating". According to the letter, Bishop's University in Shebrook, Quebec, will be allowed to accept a certain number of out-of-province students at a rate of $9,000, "for a total of 825 fee-waiver places."
"I would like to give special thanks to the French-speaking leaders who have unequivocally supported Bishop's University," said Rector and Vice Chancellor Sebastien Lebel-Grenier. "They succeeded in convincing the Quebec government that we, and the students we recruit from elsewhere in Canada, are not a threat to the French language, but an important part of what makes our region unique. ”
International students will now have to pay a base rate of $20,000 CAD and the government will charge a fee of $3,000 CAD.
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Lebel-Grenier points out that this change will not directly affect the amount of fees paid by students, "because their current tuition fees are already in excess of this amount." "
In addition to the increase in tuition fees, Quebec has also introduced new requirements for students from other provinces, requiring them to achieve an intermediate level of French at the time of graduation.
"You have acknowledged the decline of the French language in Quebec, particularly in Montreal," Delhi said in the letter, adding that "urgent action is needed in the Frenchization of Canadian and international students." ”
Quebec said it wants the institutions to ensure that during the 2025-2026 period, "80 percent of new non-Quebec students enrolled in English language programs will have reached Quebec French proficiency level five at the end of their undergraduate degree programs." ”
She added that universities could face financial penalties if they fail to meet this target.
In response to the province's plan to reform higher education, McGill University's vice-chancellor and vice-chancellor, Dipu Sainey, called the policies "unacceptable" in an announcement earlier this week, saying it would have an "absolutely devastating" impact on Quebec's economy and universities.
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Earlier Montreal Mayor Valerie Plant said that Quebec's tuition fee hike would send future Quebec students to other provinces
So McGill University says the scholarship will serve as a guarantee for up to four years.
In a statement, Saini said the scholarship would require the school to "make a financial sacrifice," but noted that Canadian students from outside the province were part of the school's "DNA."
"Over the past 200 years, McGill has dealt with the challenges it faces," he said. At the heart of our success is the talent we attract – from Quebec, Canada and around the world. ”
"This scholarship is designed to achieve exactly that. The quality of our people is what makes McGill one of the world's top universities and will maintain our preeminent position. ”
McGill University will provide more details about tuition scholarships on its undergraduate admissions website by December 22, 2023.