Canada tuition hikes far surpass inflation

Canadian full-time undergraduate students' tuitions outpaced the 1.3 percent inflation rate with 5 percent increases this year, Statistics Canada reported. The national average tuition of $5,581 for the 2011/2012 academic year came on the heels of a 4.3 percent tuition increase the previous year, the agency reported Wednesday. However, there is a wide disparity in tuition by province. Ontario undergraduates paid the highest, $7,180, while students in Newfoundland/Labrador paid $2,649 for the year. As in previous years, there was no change in the three most expensive undergraduate programs. On average, dentistry students paid $16,910, followed by medical students at $11,891 and pharmacy students at $10,297, the report said. "Fees for graduate students rose in every province except Newfoundland and Labrador," StatsCan said. "Increases ranged from 1.5 percent in Alberta to 9.2 percent in Quebec." There was no change in the most expensive graduate program. "At the graduate level, the most expensive programs remained the executive master of business administration with tuition fees of $38,508, and the regular MBA program, at $23,757," the agency said.