The Cost of Tuition Fees is Sky-High for Canadian Undergraduate Students
The Rising Cost of Tuition Fees for Undergraduate Students in Canada
Among all provinces and territories, the largest increase in undergraduate average tuition rates (fees), between the years 2018-2023, is Alberta at 26.4 per cent according to Statistics Canada data.
In a study conducted by Statistics Canada, "inflation is rising in most sectors and across all provinces and territories in Canada. From April 2021 to April 2022, the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed an increase of (7) (per cent)."
Further, "Canadian students enrolled full-time in undergraduate programs will pay, on average, $6,693 in tuition for the upcoming 2021/2022 academic year, up 1.7 (per cent) from the previous year." "These increases are similar to those seen in the fall of 2020/2021."
In another study, "undergraduate tuition fees were unchanged in Ontario and in Newfoundland and Labrador for the 2021/2022 academic year, but rose in the other eight provinces and in Yukon, with the increases ranging from 1.1 (per cent) in Prince Edward Island to 7.5 (per cent) in Alberta." "Alberta's increase was due to a "province-wide restructuring of tuition fees that came into effect the previous year."
Many undergraduate students continue to face financial hardships today, which were only elevated during the pandemic.
In the early stages of the pandemic, a "crowdsourcing initiative suggested most students were concerned about their finances and short-term job prospects, potentially impacting their ability to pay tuition."
Results from the Labour Force Survey show how the student employment situation improved in the summer of 2021, in comparison to the previous summer, but "it will likely be several years before the longer-term financial impacts of the pandemic on students can be fully understood."
In an article, backed up by statistics Canada, it found the average tuition in Nova Scotia grew by 3 per cent since the previous year. "Saskatchewan was second on the list, with an average tuition of $8,854 this academic year, up by five per cent from 2021/22."
"Atlantic Canada’s second province in the top three was New Brunswick, third on the list for most expensive, with an average undergraduate tuition of $8,284 — up by 4 per cent from the previous year."
Quebec was also listed as the least expensive by province, with an average tuition of "$3,359 for Canadian students — up by 3 per cent from last year. "Quebec's average undergraduate tuition is only 36 per cent of Nova Scotia's Average Tuition. "
Newfoundland and Labrador, saw the highest percentage change of tuition fees as the second-least-expensive province. The province also saw an increase of "12 per cent in average tuition fees from the 2021/22 academic year to this year, sitting at $3,400."
Alberta also saw a high percentage increase, "10 per cent, going from $6,582 in 2021/22 to $7,221 this year."
Over all, Canada as a whole, has an average tuition cost of $6,834. Canada continues to see an increase in average tuition fees with no end in sight. In the future students hope for a decrease in inflation and costs, however, this will not be guaranteed any time soon.
Your update 3 is very insightful and definitely shows your knowledge on your data topic. I liked that you created 2 data wrapper charts to showcase that even though Alberta has the largest increase of average tuition rates, Nova Scotia currently has the highest average undergraduate tuition rate. I like that you provided articles to use as evidence to back-up your data charts which helps the readers in case they may want to look further into this topic. Overall, very well done, and you've exceeded the requirements for the assignments :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your update 3 Aidan, you definitely exceeded the requirements but please do not see that as a bad thing. Your explanation of the data is clear and intuitive, and providing articles really helped me to better understand the topic further. I also think that the comparison between Alberta having the largest increase in Average Tuition Fees and Nova Scotia has the highest average undergraduate tuition is quite interesting. Very well done.
ReplyDeleteHi Aidan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your data update, and I like how your two charts are connected together, with Alberta having the largest increase between the years 2018/19 and 2022/23 and Nova Scotia having the highest average in 2022/23. Your charts are easy to understand and give a new insight.
Hi Aidan, I really like your charts as they are clearly laid out and easy to understand. One thing I might change is in your wording of your article part that says, "raising concerns for young Canadians", because I am 49 years old, attending university, and I am quite concerned about the cost of tuition (so not just young Canadians). But otherwise, the chart is great!
ReplyDeleteThese data visualization charts are very well done. Things are void of clutter and your use of highlighting the significant bar in each chart sticks out like a sore thumb! There is just enough data to feel satisfied but not so much it feels overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteI think your report is very strong, starting with a really good lead and followed by a detailed explanation that pairs well with your data. The only small thing I would change is maybe not include the color legend for Alberta, because it is not really necessary if the names of all provinces are already in the right corner of the bars. On that note, I appreciate your strategy to highlight the provinces you chose to focus on with different colors.
ReplyDeleteHi Aidan, I didn't realize till now that I accidently wrote my data update 3 comment for you on this blog post and not the previous one. With that being said I think your charts look much better now and it is clear what you want readers to look at. I also like the type of charts you chose to show the data as it works well, especially the first one. Job well done.
ReplyDeleteI think your visualizations are very well done. They are easy to understand and don't seem too cluttered. If I could add any constructive feedback, I would say you could benefit from adding more points to back up the results of your data. specifically why the most expensive province, (nova scotia) is the way that it is.
ReplyDeleteAidan, your visualizations were very clean and easy to read. The colours were also very pleasing to the eye. I also like the way that you've integrated all the required links into your writing.
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