The province's promise to cut 30 per cent of tuition has some students excited by the prospects of cheaper education.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty promised to cut tuition by 30 per cent for full-time post-secondary students by 2012. The new grant will apply to family incomes that make less than $160,000 and will be available for up to four years for a full-time undergraduate program. The new grant is expected to save $1,600 for university students and $730 for collect students each year.
“During these lean fiscal times, our government remains committed to helping our youth achieve success in school, go on to postsecondary education and get a good job,” McGuinty said in a release. “That's why we're making a smart choice to help families with a 30 per cent cut to tuition.”
Some Lakehead University students who spoke with Tbnewswatch.com said they would welcome a new grant that would make going to school easier to deal with.
Jolene Kohne, a kinesiology student, said having 30 per cent taken off would help her financially as it’s a struggle to continue to pay tuition while juggling multiple jobs and paying bills.
“I found it a personal struggle this year,” Kohne said. “I’m living on my own so I pay for everything food, rent and then tuition on top of it. Student aid just gets you by and it will be nice to see things be a little cheaper. Balancing two jobs and going to school is tough so maybe now I can cut one of those jobs out.”
But not all students were for the new grant.
Veronica Williams, a master’s student in biology, said it would be better for the province to take on a higher percentage of student tuition fees instead of offering a grant to a select few.
“The Ontario government use to pay about 70 per cent about 20 years ago and they have decreased it more and more since then,” Williams said. “Right now I think they are only paying 40 per cent of tuition and students are paying 60 per cent. I think it would be better to maybe pump it back up to 50 per cent so all the students have a little bit less of a burden on them then giving a rebate to a small demographic.”
The 28-year-old said she wouldn’t like it if the university, to reduce tuition, cut programs or courses with low enrollment because they still offered opportunities for those students.
Mike Snoddon, president of Lakehead University Student Union, said more needed to be done from the province to offset the high tuition costs. Snoddon said the grant should apply to all students not just full-time undergraduates.
He said many wouldn’t qualify including students in graduate programs, part-time, professional programs or have poor academic standing.
“The students who aren’t receiving this grant are the ones that need it the most,” Snoddon said. ”it is a step in the right direction but I think students are looking for a little bit more. Most students are dropping down to part-time so they can afford to get a post-secondary education.”
Snoddon said that most don’t realize that students have to be direct entry from high school to qualify for the grant. If a student took a year off of school to travel and then came back to go to university or college they wouldn’t be able to receive the grant.
He added it would be better if the province reduce tuition to what it was back in 90s and cap it there.
