Maritime provinces among most expensive for higher education
As another academic year winds down for Maritime university students, many are watching their educational debt grow.
“My yearly tuition right now is $12,000,” says Mbali Dlamini, a Saint Mary’s University student from Toronto.
Debt can be even higher for international students as some are seeing yearly tuition increases of three-to-five per cent.
”At the time I started, my tuition was $25,000, around $27,000 per year and now it has been hiked up to $35,000,” says Dalhousie University engineering student Bhubindr Singh Sidhu. “I’ve spent more than $90,000, around $100,000 on three years of education and engineering, it’s getting expensive, more and more expensive.”
A student reads outside University of King's College. (Source: Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic)
A Stats Canada study shows the most expensive provinces in the country to pursue higher education are in the Maritimes.
Prince Edward Island leads the way with students carrying $43,000 worth of debt upon graduation. Nova Scotia is second at just over $39,000. New Brunswick is fifth.
“We’re looking at a generation who is hugely burdened by this debt,” says Aideen Reynolds, Nova Scotia chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students. “For those of us who have been paying attention to higher education in Nova Scotia, this is not at all surprising. We’ve been at the highest tuition in the country or near the highest tuition in the country for like six years.”
She says educational costs are forcing some to make difficult decisions.
“Students are dropping out and not coming back, students are going part time because they can’t afford to be full-time,” she says.
Complicating matters even further is the current state of the job market.
“Everyone expects that we get good job opportunities after we are done with our studies but right now the economic situation and the job market is really down,” says Dalhousie student Daksh Singh.
The report also shows college tuition in Nova Scotia is the third highest in Canada, trailing only Alberta and Saskatchewan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.