Bishop’s University and the Quebec government fee hike,
“You are dead wrong on the tuition piece as far as Bishops is concerned,” wrote a reader who is also a friend of mine. He points out that 30% of Bishops students come from the rest of Canada and will no longer come. “Bishops won’t be able to survive the revenue loss.”
He says students won’t go to expensive schools in the United but smaller universities in the Maritime provinces such St F/X, Mount A and Acadia.
It is obvious that my free-market argument for the Montreal English language universities does not apply to the smaller Bishop’s Univeristy.
The past president of Bishop’s University, Michael Goldbloom, sent out this fact sheet:
FACTSHEET FOR INTERNAL COMMUNITY AND LOCAL LEADERS AND ALLIES
Proposed Quebec tuition policy changes: The impact on Bishop’s University
The student population at Bishop’s University
I. Bishop’s University was founded 180 years ago, in 1843.
II. In 2023, Bishop’s was ranked fourth overall among primarily undergraduate universities in Canada by Maclean’s magazine.
III. We have approximately 2,650 students enrolled in fall 2023. Our student population over the past ten years has comprised, on average, 55% Quebec resident students, 30% Canadian non-Quebec resident students and 15% international students. About a third of our students are francophones.
IV. In fall 2023, 642 students lived in the university residences (23% of all students), consisting of 51% Quebec resident students, 36% Canadian non-Quebec resident students and 13% international students.
V. Our sports teams are made up of 47% Quebec resident students, 46% Canadian non-Quebec resident students and 7% international students.
Proposed tuition changes for Canadian non-Quebec resident students
I. Canadian non-Quebec resident undergraduate students at every Quebec university currently pay annual tuition fees of approximately $9,000. All Quebec resident students at every Quebec university currently pay annual tuition fees of approximately $3,000.
II. Under the announced changes, Canadian non-Quebec resident students will see their tuition fees increase from approximately $9,000 to $17,000 per year, starting in fall 2024.
III. The average tuition fees for undergraduate studies in Canada was $7,532 in 2022-23. As the proposed measures would make Quebec tuition fees by far the most expensive in Canada for undergraduate studies, the vast majority of prospective Bishop’s Canadian non-Quebec resident students would not be able to afford to come to our University.
IV. We estimate that we could lose 90% of our Canadian non-Quebec resident students. Accounting for the tuition fees lost, as well as other revenues such as student services and residence fees, the shortfall for Bishop’s from this measure alone would be approximately $12M per year.
V. According to an economic impact analysis commissioned by Bishop’s, the loss of our Canadian non-Quebec resident students would translate into a loss for the Quebec economy of $62.1M per year, including a loss for the Sherbrooke economy of $48.8M per year.
Proposed tuition changes for international students
I. The proposed policy change to tuition fees for international students will not make it more expensive for these students to come to study at Bishop’s. However, the Quebec government would appropriate a significant portion of the fees charged, which is not the case at present.
II. At our current levels of enrolment of international students, the estimated annual revenue loss to Bishop’s University will be close to $2M.
III. These funds will no longer be available for recruitment and retention activities aimed at international students, including support for student welcome and orientation to Quebec, visa advice, academic support and mental health services. This will have a significant impact on our ability to recruit and serve international students.
Exemptions from the proposed tuition fee changes
The proposed changes to Quebec tuition fees will not affect:
I. For a period of five years, Canadian non-Quebec resident students who are already enrolled at Quebec universities;
II. French and Belgian students;
III. Students in research-oriented graduate programs.
Summary of the position of Bishop’s University
1. Bishop’s University has been a part of the fabric of the Eastern Townships of Quebec for 180 years.
2. We are seen by everyone within this community as one of the institutional pillars of the region, an essential partner and a proud asset.
3. No one believes that the existence of Bishop’s, and the presence at Bishop’s of some 800 students from the rest of Canada, in any way endangers the existence and vitality of the French language in Quebec.
The proposed measures are simply not designed or calibrated for a university such as Bishop’s. As a small, regional university that is deeply embedded in our community, we are a positive force for the province. Our mission encompasses bringing together students from across all of Canada, within an environment that values French and champions Quebec.
With such a high proportion of students from the rest of Canada, we will suffer catastrophic impacts if this sudden and massive increase in fees is implemented. We are not an institution of the financial elite, and these new fees will make Bishop’s much too expensive for the kind of students who have always sought out the education and experience we offer.
Bishop’s University ought to be exempted from these proposed changes to tuition fees for students from outside Quebec.