The average tuition fees for international students increased by 25 per cent in Alberta for the 2020/2021 academic year. This change was a result of the change in the province’s international tuition model according to Statistics Canada. This increased the financial strain international students are facing, especially amid the pandemic.
In an effort to support students, Lethbridge College provided initiatives for international students, according to the college’s funding specialist in student awards and financial aid.
Michael Doughty says a payment plan has been introduced in the fall of 2020 for students struggling financially, including international students, allowing them to pursue their registered classes even without fully paying tuition fees by the deadline. According to Doughty, 15 students benefited from the plan in the fall semester while 34 students benefited in the winter semester.
Doughty says the majority of the students were international students who were struggling as a result of the pandemic and limited work hours.
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“The reason really isn’t as important as just trying to help those students have some sort of alternative in terms of making their payments,” says Doughty.
The college also introduced the winter bursary in November, a one-time campaign that was able to aid about 100 students from over 450 applicants, according to Doughty.
Harmandeep Dhillon, a general arts and science student, says he received $1,000 from the winter bursary.
“My parents gave me one-year [worth of] tuition fees,” says Dhillon, explaining he has to work part-time in order to cover the remaining one-year worth of tuition fees.
“But the next semesters, I am going to manage my fees by myself,” says Dhillon. “So, it [the winter bursary] was a great help for me.”
Dhillon came to Canada when he was seventeen to study. Despite the struggles and mental stress of being an international student, Dhillon says he continues to study harder expecting to secure a better future in the country.
“That still leaves a huge number of students that still had a legitimate financial need that we weren’t able to help, just because of the limitations of the funding that’s available. There’s a pool of money and we can only draw so much from it,” says Doughty, explaining the need to prioritize students with extraordinary financial needs.
The college also offers the entrance and continuing awards, provided as a credit against the upcoming fall tuition, open as well to international students. According to Doughty, there has been an increase to more than 20 awards specifically geared for international students from only two when he first started.
The college’s scholarship program that will open at the beginning of March is not strictly academic, according to Doughty, but also offers awards based on financial needs.
Doughty encourages all students, both domestic and international students, to apply as they only need to fill up a single form to apply for all awards.
