Panic has set in at Bishop’s University in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, with the recent announcement of a dramatic hike in tuition fees for out-of-province students.
The small liberal arts college attracts students from across Canada and around the world. With nearly one-third from outside Quebec, the university says its very survival is at stake.
Sophia Stacey is from Alberta and loves the French language and Quebec culture.
That’s why she chose to study at Bishop’s University.
As the head of the university’s student union, she says many students here feel the same. But that is all under threat now that the government has announced tuition for out-of-province students will double.
“When students found out last week, they were initially panicked because it wasn’t clear whether it would apply to them or not,” Stacey said.
“Once students began to understand that it wouldn’t apply to them directly, they began to feel angry, because it’s a threat to their longevity and the sustainability of Bishop’s University.”
According to the university’s 2022-2023 enrolment statistics, 30 per cent of their students came from out of province, 55 per cent were from Quebec and 15 per cent were international students. The total number of students enrolled that period was 2,650.
“I see it as a direct threat to our institution, not only in financial terms. We really stand to be by far the most affected university in Quebec by these measures,” said Bishop’s University principal Sébastien Lebel-Grenier.
“In doubling tuition for that category of students, of course, the very vast majority of them won’t be able to come to Bishop’s.”
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Dream, crushed
One of those people is 17-year-old high school student Ireland Bassendowski from British Columbia.
Bassendowski’s family owns a home an hour away from campus. She has been taking French lessons for years now because she wanted to study to become a math teacher at Bishop’s.
“I remember being 14 years old and we were driving around Sherbrooke. I remember seeing these cool buildings and I thought, ‘What is that?’ We stopped by and just this previous summer, I got to go for a tour of the university, Bassendowski said.
“That was my dream university to go to.”
Bassendowski’s dream came true when she received an acceptance letter to the college last week, only to have it quickly crushed by the news of higher fees.
“The cost for an out-of-province was ranged between $9,000 and $11,000, which we thought was very, very fair. Now it will be about $17,000 per year. We had money saved up for me to go to university, but we just can’t afford that. It’ll be an extra $40,000 to $50,000. And we really just cannot do that.”
She is now scrambling to apply to local universities because she can no longer afford Bishop’s.
“It’s been really devastating this week,” Bassendowski said.
Fear on campus
While the policy won’t affect students who are currently enrolled, some take aim at the government’s comments.
Quebec’s higher education minister, Pascale Déry, argues that most students who come to study in Quebec end up leaving.
“That’s largely inaccurate,” said Olivia Woods, who is from British Columbia. “A lot of students come out of province to Bishop’s but then continue to stay within Montreal or within the Eastern Townships because of their love for the province and the language.”
Woods says she is devastated that the university’s future is hanging by a thread.
“I feel really privileged to be able to go to school in Quebec, and I love the community I’ve made here. The fact that there’s a chance that our university won’t survive this is devastating to me. I love my school so much and I just hope that more students can continue to enjoy it,” Woods said.
Renee Rosteius, who is from Ottawa, calls Déry’s comments hurtful.
“I think that there’s a lot of people here who have a lot of respect for the language and who are drawn to the unique culture of Quebec because it’s so distinguished from other provinces. So I’d say that that’s a pretty hurtful statement, and it’s really generalizing of Anglophones,” Rosteius said.
A spokesperson for Déry told Global News that she is sensitive to Bishop’s particular situation and that she will find a way to support the university.
However, how that will be done and when measures will be announced is not clear.
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