Re: "Tuition costs must be curbed," Aug. 25.
Students in British Columbia - and their parents - know they are getting great value and even greater opportunities from their university degrees. In fact, the numbers tell a different story than the editorial about tuition costs.
On average, university graduates earn $1.3 million more during their careers than those with only a high school diploma - and $1 million more than college grads. Since July 2008, in the worst of the economic downturn, more than 700,000 net new jobs were created for university graduates. This compares to a net loss of 640,000 jobs for those without any post-secondary qualifications.
The editorial also greatly overstates the debt load for university graduates in B.C. In fact, the most recent numbers the Research Universities' Council of British Columbia show that almost half of all B.C. students graduate from university debt-free. Among those who do borrow, the median amount was $20,000.
Last year, a record number of students - more than one million - were enrolled in Canada's universities. Full-time university enrolment has grown 50 per cent since 2000. The continuing popularity of a university education speaks to the realworld value that students continue to place on a university degree.
Christine Tausig-Ford
Vice-president, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Ottawa
