International student fees under fire by B.C. student groups

B.C. student groups are pushing for the post-secondary system to reduce its reliance on international students for revenue.

The reliance on foreign students as a "cash cow" for B.C. post-secondary schools was laid bare during the pandemic, when international student enrollment plummeted due to travel restrictions and health regulations.

With a dip in international students, colleges and universities in the province struggled financially.

"Unfortunately, because of how the post-secondary system in B.C. is funded, the college needs that money to survive," said Michel Turcotte with the Camosun Student Society.

International student tuition fees are, on average, about four times higher than domestic fees in B.C.

"Our biggest campaign on campus is fairness for international students," said Turcotte. "And we would like to see international fees capped across the province."

The British Columbia Federation of Students agrees, noting domestic students have their tuition increases capped at two per cent per year.

"There should be better funding from the government to intuitions," said Melissa Chirino with the federation.

The federation also wants to see the province step up and provide more funding for post-secondary schools to prevent the dependence on international student fees and provide predictability for foreign students.

On Friday, the province told CTV News it hasn't committed to any tuition cap for international students, but that it has developed a framework to allow for tuition transparency so international students can know exactly how much they're on the hook for while at school here.

The University of Victoria's upcoming budget is reduced by about four per cent as it contends with a dip in international student enrollment.

It's not the same everywhere, though. During pandemic restrictions, there was a 20 per cent decline in international students at Camosun College, and the school ran deficits.

Now that most of those students have returned, the college expects to run a balanced budget soon.