VIU’s Christmas Gift to International Students - A surprise tuition fee increase
At VIU’s Board of Governors meeting on December 15, VIU will be approving a last-minute increase of 5% for international tuition for the 2023-24 academic year. This increase comes without notice to students during the week of final exams, before the winter break.
International tuition in BC is not regulated by the government, meaning institutions are not mandated to provide transparency or predictability for international tuition, allowing fees to increase by any amount at any time.
Last year, VIU launched their EDI Action Plan and Strategic Plan to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion across the University, among these plans there were many examples of this institution advancing equity and fairness but when push comes to shove, international students are left out of these commitments and relied on to carry the weight of the University’s achievements.
At the Board of Governors meeting in December 2021 when the decision was made to increase international tuition by 2%, it was presented and made on the merits that VIU was to “keep tuition and fee increases comparable between domestic and international from an equity and fairness perspective….Standardizing the fee increase sends a consistent message to international students” - VIU Board of Governors, 2021.
This year, it appeared that VIU was going to keep that same commitment, presenting a 2% increase for both international and domestic students. Just days before a vote would be held, an increase to 5% was proposed. “VIU is taking advantage of students during exam week, to go as far as to slip something in without involving students is a breach of trust, and it shows their willingness to go against their own word” - Tyler Patton, domestic student. These increases are leaving students with the impression that VIU’s commitment to equity and fairness isn’t reliable.
At VIU, when tuition increases are proposed, they are done by way of 2 readings. In this case, the first reading proposed was 2%, and at the second reading 5%. Students were not given an opportunity to respond to this last-minute amendment to the initial proposal because of VIU’s decision not to provide two readings.
One of our goals at the Students’ Union is to advocate and improve fairness for international students and we call on VIU to implement an institutional tuition fee cap for international students, allowing them the same predictability as domestic students.
When it comes to international students, is VIU meeting its commitment to equity and fairness?
