Tuition increases at University of Victoria could benefit Camosun

With UVic and Camosun both raising tuition by two percent in September, the college’s smaller class sizes and lower tuition costs across the board could give Camosun a competitive advantage, according to administration.

Both the university and the college announced the tuition raises recently, but UVic also included that “larger class sizes and reductions in teaching assistants, academic advising programs and field-based learning experiences are expected” in their announcement.

“Camosun offers smaller class sizes than universities,” says Camosun marketing and communications strategist Michelle Tinis, “usually around 40 students max per class.”

With tuition increases at both postsecondary institutions in Victoria, students are left weighing the pros and cons.

Gina Marrelli, a third-year sociology student at UVic and former Camosun student, says she isn’t heading back to Camosun, despite the lower tuition.

“I’ve already spent two-plus years at Camosun,” says Marrelli. “By the time I had transferred over to UVic I was really looking forward to being in a different environment. That was more important to me than the fact that tuition fees were higher.”

But students such as Kimberly Collis, a fourth-year child and youth care student at UVic, are far more concerned about the overall price tag that comes along with advanced education.

“The right time to make education accessible to anyone and everyone is now,” says Collis. “There is no individual who cannot benefit from knowing more tomorrow than they do today. Who does it help when the cost just keeps going up?”

Katie Marocchi, chairperson of the BC Canadian Federation of Students, agrees that education needs to be more accessible.

“Public education is for the public good,” says Marocchi. “Higher learning enhances and enriches our society, and builds a workforce capable of competing in today’s economy.”

Marocchi says that grade school education, which is free, is the basic standard for education in Canada, but with shifting economies and modernization, higher learning has become the new basic standard required for most to participate in the economy.

“So, for more than just the principle of public education, post-secondary education should be made universally accessible,” she says.

Tuition fees are the number one barrier to accessing postsecondary education, says Marocchi.

“By keeping tuition fees high, government is choosing to keep families that cannot afford the high cost of postsecondary education out of the system. It is fundamentally unjust that socioeconomic background is the primary determining factor in whether one can acquire a postsecondary education,” says Marocchi. “Average student debt upon graduation is $27,000. No generation before ours has been asked to shoulder this student debt for a public education.”