Future students in three Olds College programs will be paying more after the provincial government approved tuition hikes for 25 programs at 10 post-secondary institutions across Alberta.
The cost per year of the animal health technology, apparel technology diploma and equine science programs will increase to $7,500 from $4,380. It will be a gradual increase, phased in over three years but existing students will not be affected.
The hikes are being called “market modifiers,” which, according to a release from the ministry of innovation and advanced education, will “enhance program quality and correct tuition anomalies between programs in Alberta and across Canada.”
The increases are expected to raise a projected $21 million for the schools that applied for the market modifiers.
Jason Dewling, Olds College's vice-president of academics and research, said a number of factors were considered when deciding which programs warranted an increase including graduation rates, demand, post-graduation wages and payback ratio on loans.
“No one likes to increase tuition but there's a tension in our job here to have some costs align with the true cost of the program for students,” Dewling said, who added that the Students' Association of Olds College executives passed a motion to support the increases.
“We're never happy that tuition is going to increase but when the college approached us, we were told these programs do need more resources so it made sense,” said Erikka Weisgerber, communications vice-president for the association.
Dewling said this will be the first time the school will have what's known as differentiated tuition — different costs for different programs.
This is because some cost the school more to deliver.
He used a business program as an example of one that's less expensive, with a school offering about 450 instructional hours for the term to 30-50 students.
The three programs at Olds College slated for a tuition increase cost more, due to smaller class sizes and more instructional hours — as many as 750 per term.
They also require special teaching spaces, many of which have seen upgrades, Dewling said.
Some of these include:
An $8-million equine facility
The Fashion Institute, located in Calgary which cost $22 million, plus another $3 million for equipment
Future plans to invest in new AHT facilities
Dewling said a private equine college opening near Lethbridge would charge $18,000 for 15 weeks, which dwarfs the $7,500 cost for the 2017-18 school year.
Weisgerber noted that tuition at Olds College is still low compared to the rest of the province.
“There are not a lot of other programs out there like these,” she said. “So I think students that want to pursue that kind of education, they're probably willing to go a little bit of an extra mile. I don't think it's out of reach for people applying.”
