TRU students, Mesharr Alyami (left) and Miranda Smith (right), were of the many students unaware tuition will increase this fall.
(JESSICA WALLACE / iNFOnews.ca)
June 07, 2013 - 2:49 PM
Tuition is going up at TRU, but some students haven't got the message.
Students can find out through the minutes of the most recent board of governor's meeting - where the decision was made, but the university didn't send out a notification to their paying customers of a two per cent increase to tuition beginning this fall.
"Our rates are made public through our calendar and during the registration process," said Christopher Seguin, TRU's vice president of advancement.
While the two per cent equates to about $38 per semester for a full-time domestic student, every dollar counts on a student budget.
"Another $38, it adds up very quickly," said Miranda Smith, a second year human resources management student at the university.
Smith said she pays her own way by working and receives a bit of help from family.
She was surprised she hadn't heard about the increase to her tuition tab come next year. And so were the other students InfoTel News approached on campus this week about the rate increase.
"I don't like it," Smith said.
And it's not likely tuition will be going down any time soon.
According to Seguin, tuition has never decreased at the university. Actually, he believes it goes up almost every year.
Seguin said human resources and annual costs are driving up the price of education.
"That's simply because every year it costs more," he said. "Every year we try to keep the level of excellence high."
Seguin was unaware whether the rate increase was the same for international students.
Seguin said restrictions are in place on tuition increases.
"Our tuition increases are restricted by the provincial government as are our funding levels," he said.
A TRU Student Union representative was not available before deadline.
To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca, call: (250) 319-7494 or tweet: @jess__wallace.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013