BC tuition strategies: a review of international graduate tuition policy options in British Columbia

Universities in many Canadian provinces charge relatively high tuition fees to their international graduate students. In British Columbia, by contrast, international graduate students are charged the same or modestly higher tuition fees as those paid by domestic students with much of their education costs funded by the Province. A review of the existing literature, empirical data and experiential information offered by faculty and administrators suggests that this favourable treatment of international graduate students is a product of the limited revenue potential associated with higher fees, the perceived value of international students to research and institutional partnerships, and the influence of faculty in the setting of tuition fees. It is recommended, on the basis of these results and given the lack of a policy window allowing for change, that the Government of British Columbia maintain the status-quo and allow universities to set their own tuition fee levels for this population.