On Friday, December 16th, 2022, CNC announced that they would increase domestic tuition by 2% and international tuition by 4%. We have been watching this matter closely as it has been a widely known concern for our membership. The CNCSU strongly opposes all tuition increases for our members and remains firm today.
As our members may know, we actively work alongside the British Columbia Federation of Students on the Fairness for International Students campaign. This campaign illustrates the point that there is no cap on tuition for international students. Previously this year, the Emily Carr University of Art + Design increased their international tuition by 30% – illustrating that it is indeed possible for tuition to increase drastically and unfairly for international students. This is a great concern for our union, and we are fighting for a cap on international tuition the same way there is for domestic students.
We understand that the college is feeling the pinch financially with growing inflation rates across the province and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we want to call for the college to work with the CNCSU in pushing for more government funding to offset the need to increase tuition for international students. Student Unions across the province are working on a campaign called “Fund it, Fix it.” This campaign calls on our Provincial Government to invest heavily in our post-secondary education system to provide relief for our institutions, which will decrease the need to increase tuition for all students.
Our asks for the College of New Caledonia in regard to the tuition issue are as follows:
Implement a cap on international tuition increases, limiting the unpredictability for our international members.
Partner with the CNC Students’ Union on the “Fund it, Fix it.” campaign to push the Provincial Government for more funding to provide financial stability for post-secondary institutions.
As we look towards the future, we commit to always fighting for our membership and advocating for fairness. We look forward to working alongside CNC to limit the need for tuition increases in the future.
Signed,
The CNCSU Executive Committee
