WATCH: Some U of A students could soon pay close to 60 per cent more for tuition. Vinesh Pratap reports.
EDMONTON – Students looking to enter the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law next fall may have to shell out a lot more for tuition.
The faculty, along with its Law Students’ Association, is proposing an increase of the faculty’s “market modifier” (a proposal for fee increases) to the Alberta government.
If approved, first year students in 2015-16 would pay $15,995 for tuition. That’s a 58 per cent increase to the current $10,121 tuition.
$2,000 increases would also be phased in for second- and third-year students.
The proposal also includes a four-year moratorium on increasing class sizes for first-year students, and the elimination of $50 faculty membership fees.
Alberta’s Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education would have to approve the proposal. It may also be considering increases from other post-secondary institutions in Alberta. The University of Calgary’s website states this year, the Province invited post-secondary institutions to submit proposals for fee increases (known as ‘market modifiers’) in professional programs or specialty areas.
In a news release, the U of A’s Faculty of Law said its proposed hike would bring the its tuition in line with competitors elsewhere in Canada. The faculty also said recent market assessments show the U of A’s tuition is the third lowest among 12 competitor universities this academic year. The national average is $15,802, according to the U of A.
Faculty of Law dean Paul Paton said the increase would go toward more enhanced learning opportunities, career services support, scholarship and bursaries, and mental health support for students and new lawyers.
The faculty said it consulted students in 2013 about the proposed changes, and will hold two more town hall meetings in 2014-15.
READ BELOW: LSA letter of support for the tuition increase
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