Canadian universities are increasingly looking towards fees from international students to boost revenues, and a quick glance at your local university’s fee schedule makes it easy to see why.
We used the University of Alberta’s tuition cost calculator to compare the tuition rates between international students and Canadian students, and the difference is staggering.
Generally, international students pay higher tuition fees than Canadian students. However, the gap differs by level of study and tends to widen over time.
For our experiment, we calculated the annual Bachelor of Commerce tuition costs for both international and domestic students attending the University of Alberta and living off-campus.
According to the calculator, the estimated tuition cost for a Canadian student is $13,352.09.
University of Alberta
However, for international students, the price skyrockets to $43,390.25. That’s a 225% increase.
University of Alberta
In addition to all that, there’s still the cost of housing, food, and school supplies, which is certainly not cheap.
While some people may be fortunate to stay with family or split costs with roommates, an average one-bedroom apartment in Edmonton rents for $1,408. University life adds up quickly!