The Working Student: Arguments for lowering tuitions often focus on accessibility. But there’s another, better, reason

October 11, 2012

By Robert Ballingall

For students and their families, the beginning of another year in the university calendar means it’s time to write another, ever-larger cheque to pay tuition. It also heralds the perennial calls of student advocacy groups to reduce tuition levels. This year, with the news that the PQ government has moved to cancel proposed tuition increases in Quebec, the student movement can claim a victory.

But so far student advocates have been unsuccessful in countering an important argument against lower tuition fees. As President David Naylor argued in the Autumn 2012 issue of U of T Magazine, bursary and debt-forgiveness programs exist for lower-income students that significantly – if not entirely – offset the barriers posed by high tuitions. If students have the marks to get in to institutions that offer such programs, they will typically be able to meet the financial obligations of attending university.

Continue reading this article at U of T Magazine.