A proposed Guaranteed Tuition Model will give financial certainty to international students for the full length of their studies up to five years.
Information about the model was presented to TRU's Budget Committee of Senate (BCOS) on Tuesday. The BCOS will be asked to recommend the model at another meeting later this fall, after which it will go to the Board of Governors for final consideration and approval.
The model will set the tuition rate at the start of studies and will not change for the full length of a student's program (up to five years), allowing students to make long-term financial plans to cover the entirety of their education at TRU.
TRU Vice-President International Baihua Chadwick said the change is designed to alleviate the worry around the ongoing costs for international students. Tuition certainty means students will know the full costs of their program before starting to study here.
"We know that students, after arriving in Canada, are always anxious about tuition increases," Chadwick said. "TRU has always tried to limit annual increases to no more than the cost of living, but even that varies from year to year. Even small increases part way through a student's education can affect their ability to continue."
The proposed change to the tuition model also aligns with the provincial and federal governments' expectations regarding providing cost certainty and transparency to international students.
If approved, the new model will come into effect in September 2025. This means a student in a four-year program would pay the same rate from fall 2025 through spring 2030. Ongoing international students or those starting their studies this September will continue to pay current tuition rates, which will be increased in future years according to inflation.
The proposed guaranteed tuition model has been in the works at TRU since before the federal government capped the number of international study visas and changed financial prerequisites for international students.
The cost per credit for international students starting in 2025 will be higher than per-credit rates under the current model, but those costs will not change for the entirety of a student's program. Over the five-year guaranteed period, a typical length of study for a bachelor's student, students under the new model will likely pay approximately $5,000 more for their education than those under the historic model.
Chadwick said TRU World has consulted student groups and understands that students prefer the per-credit model. TRU believes that the guaranteed tuition model will bring tuition certainty and transparency to new and ongoing students.
"Eliminating the uncertainty around the costs of education is an important step that TRU can take to bring students peace of mind. Studying in a different country is a big step that brings its challenges. Bringing certainty to tuition costs is one way we can reduce the stress for students and make their educational journey safer and more enjoyable," Chadwick said.
