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Cost comparison: post-secondary education in Canada vs U.S.

As Quebec students continue their protests over tuition hikes, consider this: Americans now owe more than $1 trillion in student loans.

So how much will you have to fork over for a higher education?  Below, Global News compares the cost of classes at select Canadian and American post-secondary institutions. Figures are based on the 2011/12 academic year rates for domestic students, and do not factor in book costs, other fees and living expenses, unless otherwise stated.

CANADA
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver)
$4,700.40: Programs include Arts, Education (Native Indian Teacher Program), Family Studies, Fine Arts, Kinesiology, Social Work
$16,081.60: Dentistry, Medicine

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA (Edmonton)
$5,194.80: Agricultural, Business, Life and Environmental Studies, Arts, Education, Medical Lab Science, Native Studies, Physical Education, Faculte Saint-Jean, Science
$5,541.12: Law
$6,926.40: Nursing
$7,318.24: Medicine
$10,042.96: Dental Hygiene (includes clinical operations fee)
$19,699.04: Dentistry

MacEWAN UNIVERSITY (Edmonton)
These figures are for the 2012/13 academic year.
$3,960: Programs include Accounting, Legal Assistant
$10,980: Acupuncture

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UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
A five-course load will amount to $5,256.60.

NORTHERN ALBERTA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (Edmonton)
Most courses will add up to $3,960 for the 2012/13 academic year.

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UNIVERSITY OF REGINA
$4,097.10: Master degree programs
$4,317.60: PhD and MPP degree programs

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA (Winnipeg)
One year’s tuition for an arts degree will cost $2,992.20.
Medicine goes for $7,575.26 in the first year, then down to $7,259.08 in subsequent years.
Law is slightly higher at $8,705.37 per year.  A law surcharge of $4,242 per year is included.
Dentistry is far more expensive at $18,411.98 in the first year. It then skyrockets to a whopping $46,025.98 in the third year.  In these cases, dental kits and other fees are factored in.

CARLETON UNIVERSITY (Ottawa)
$6,282.90: Arts, Science, Math
$9,046.91: Engineering
Tuition can be lower for seniors, which is listed at $5,023.90.

RYERSON UNIVERSITY (Toronto)
Fees can range from $6,001 for Arts to as high as $8,498 for Engineering, Architecture and Science.

McGILL UNIVERSITY (Montreal)
$2,167.80: Programs include Arts, Civil Law (BCL), Laws (LLB), Education, Nursing
$5,058.20: Programs include Doctor of Dental Medicine, Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery. Tuition costs are lower in subsequent years.

UNITED STATES
South of the border, as you can see, the cost is far higher for a higher education than it is in the Great White North.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES
$12,686 for the 2012/13 academic year

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STANFORD UNIVERSITY (Stanford, California)
Tuition is $13,350 for undergraduates. Law school rings up at $15,820, while medical school currently runs at $15,248.

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (Pasadena, California)
$38,085 for the 2012/13 academic year

HARVARD UNIVERSITY (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
$38,480 for the 2012/13 academic year

YALE UNIVERSITY (New Haven, Connecticut)
Around $32,500: Programs include Art, Physician Associate
$33,400: Public Health
$50,275: Law
$71,640: Medical School (only this figure is for the 2012/13 academic year)

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (New York City)
About $19,000: Programs include Arts, Business, Nursing, Science, Social Work
$24,475: Law
$52,371: Medicine
$58,043: Dentistry (includes other miscellaneous fees)

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY (Washington, DC)
$40,920

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY (Princeton, New Jersey)
$38,650 for the 2012/13 academic year

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY (Baltimore, Maryland)
$42,280

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND (College Park, Maryland)
$8,655 (includes mandatory fees)

BROWN UNIVERSITY (Providence, Rhode Island)
$41,328

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA (Gainesville, Florida)
$5,700 (noticeably lower than some other American institutions)

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