Lorraine Carpenter, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Concordia University has formally made an announcement regarding the recent tuition hikes announced by the provincial government.
Tuition would double for out-of-province students and require universities to pay $20,000 to the government per international student enrolled from fall 2024.
The university expressed their dissatisfaction with the policy, stating that the change will have “devastating financial implications for Concordia and undermine our reputation as a global, next-gen university proud of its diversity, accessibility and openness to the world.”
According to Concordia, the university will lose $15.5 million in revenue for the 2024-2025 academic years and $62 million per year for the following four years. The university stated that their departments are expecting to lose 65 to 90 per cent of their out-of-province student population.
Concordia isn’t the only university speaking out. As a response to the Quebec government’s proposed tuition hikes, McGill shelved its plan to invest $50 million in promoting French to its staff, students and faculty members.
Students also took to the streets to voice their disapproval of the recent change. On Oct 30, students from Concordia, McGill and Bishop’s University organized a joint strike to protest the recent governmental implementations, voicing their anger and concerns over the news.
To combat the new provincial policy, Concordia says they are planning to “seek open channels of communication with the government, working with our colleagues at McGill and Bishop’s.”