Message from the GSA President

Regarding Graduate Tuition Fees for 2020-2021

12 March 2020

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

After first being presented to several governance bodies here on campus, as well as to representatives of undergraduate and graduate students for consultation, the Board of Governors will now consider a proposal for increases to tuition fees at the University of Alberta at a special meeting set for the end of March 2020. As you are likely aware, this is unfolding in the wake of substantial budget cuts made to the University by the provincial government. These cuts, which exceed what the University was anticipating, will affect not only tuition levels, but also departmental budgets, supports for students, and the institution's ability to employ top tier instructors and researchers (whether faculty, sessionals, or TAs and RAs). As such, they will profoundly and adversely affect the quality of education at the University.

With respect to how tuition increases, once approved, will impact graduate students, tuition fees for continuing thesis-based students will increase by 2.67% (the actual increase will be 7% but then the University will apply a rebate that makes the actual costs paid by students a 2.67% increase). Likewise, continuing international course-based tuition will be set with a 4% increase and continuing domestic students in course-based programs will see a 7% increase.

The GSA recognizes that tuition increases, without commensurate increases in available supports, can result in very difficult situations for some students. All GSA members who will encounter financial shortfalls as a result of increased tuition rates are encouraged to explore available sources of needs-based support. Likewise, we remain committed to continuing to advocate for increases in financial support for those in need of them, and especially for those most affected by these increases. The GSA has been working diligently on this, along with the Students' Union, and the University has incorporated increased financial supports into their proposals; they are one of the few universities in the province to incorporate a proposal for increases to financial support alongside increases to tuition fees.

It is important to note that the University could have pursued an across-the-board 7% tuition increase on all graduate students (as most other Alberta institutions have done, with only the University of Calgary setting tuition increases at 5%, 2% lower than the allowable increase specified by government), as the Alberta government recently empowered them to do. I want to stress that thesis-based graduate students at the U of A will see the lowest increase to their tuition of any institution in the province. My team and I have worked hard to navigate the precarious budgetary situations facing Alberta's post-secondary institutions to ensure that graduate students don't unduly bear the burden of the massive cuts that the University has received from government. We will continue this work in future years, when the institution may put forward new proposals to increase tuition.

High quality post-secondary education that is both affordable and accessible enriches both our society and our economy. Alberta's universities embody excellence while they preserve equal access, reduce student debt, promote equity within society through access to education, and create opportunities for growth and diversity. This is a message that my team and I will continue to advance in all our interactions with University administration and, importantly, with government in the wake of the severe budget cuts to post-secondary education that have been implemented by the government.

I encourage any GSA member with questions or concerns about the significant cuts to the University's budget or these increases in graduate student tuition rates to please reach out to me at gsa.president@ualberta.ca. I am happy to have further conversations about the impact this will have on you and your work as a graduate student.

Sincerely,

Fahed Elian, GSA President 2019-2020