Nothing can be more interesting than what affects your life directly. Being an open-minded soul, I always love getting perspectives from different people. Richard’s great blog on the 10% increase in tuition for the international students captured my attention. As Richard says, the main objective of raising the tuition is to improve facilities and academic experiences as well as boosting the university competitiveness and reputation.
Well, these conclusions by Richard could be accurate in a way; however, they are not justifiable according to me. Why did he join UBC in the first place if the school’s reputation wasn’t very attractive? The conclusions would also imply that facilities at UBC do not meet the required standards. As a current student, I know that UBC has modernized and up to date facilities ranging from supportive learning materials (library books), classrooms and recreational centres. And the rise of the residence fee by 20% will just be a great pinch to families’ pockets. Before UBC raising its prices it should consider that it is not a monopoly in the educational market of Canada, this might be a risky move.
Richard also stated that the higher tuition will be an incentive but not an obstacle. Presently, there are approximately 19% of international students in Vancouver Campus with the current tuition fee, what happens if it becomes more expensive? The increase in tuition fee will shrink their international target markets; the high-income families might resort to sending their children to best local Universities. Domestic students from low and middle-income families might also choose to send their children to affordable universities due to these increases, while a large part might consider the opportunity cost of taking full time jobs to attending university.
A change is as good as a rest and I am okay with that. The best change especially in this case should be that which is gradual, raising the tuition by 5% will be reasonable. It will give the administration time to deal with the unexpected outcomes compared to 10% increase.
Reference
http://blogs.ubc.ca/richardwoong/