As the Quebec government proposes its increase in tuition fees for out-of-province students wishing to study at a Quebec university, Bishop's University (BU) is actively working to raise awareness around its concerns and it is asking Townshippers to stand in solidarity with the 180-year old institution as it encourages government officials to re-evaluate its new measures.

Earlier this month, Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry announced new measures concerning the tuition fees for out-of-province students and international students seeking to study at a Quebec university. According to the official press release, the aim is to strengthen the “Francophone-language university network.”

Starting in 2024, students coming from other Canadian provinces will be faced with a $17,000 tuition fee to study at a Quebec university rather than the current fee that is set at roughly $9,000. Students covered by international agreements, such as those from France and Belgium, as well as non-Quebec students already enrolled at a Quebec university, will not be affected by these changes. A new minimum tuition fee of $20,000 will also be set for international students, with a portion of those fees being redistributed back to French-language universities. 

Principal of BU Sébastien Lebel-Grenier said that the new measures for out-of-province students will “price out” people wanting to study at BU and described the situation as “catastrophic” in more ways than one. These students account for about 30% of the student body at Bishop's, according to Lebel-Grenier.

“The price that is going to be imposed on them, $17,000, it’s almost twice what the national average is. Our students are unfortunately not independently wealthy and we are not an institution of the elite. Our mission is to provide a very high quality university education to a representative cross-section of Canadian and Quebec students,” said Lebel-Grenier. “(…) If the measures are implemented as they’ve been announced, we fear that we will be losing ninety per cent or more of our Canadian out-of-province students. That in and of itself is catastrophic on a financial level, but more fundamentally it’s going to alter the identity of our institution.”

Lebel-Grenier added that BU has history of diversity on its campus with students coming from all over Canada.

“Our campus is a campus where different communities meet and learn to understand each other and to have an open point of view on the world. That identity of our institution is under attack. We fear that if the measures are imposed that it will fundamentally transform who we are as an institution,” highlighted Lebel-Grenier. 

He mentioned that those out-of-province students that are already studying at BU will not be affected, but the government’s announcements have resulted in a host of concerns amongst the BU student body, past, present, and potential BU students. 

“We’re already into our recruitment for next year, well into our recruitment for next year, so I’ve been getting a lot emails and calls from concerned prospective students who are basically telling us that Bishop’s is the place they want to be. It’s the place they want to go to, but they won’t be able to afford it. We’ve been getting a lot of feedback from alumni as well telling us that they would not have been able to afford the incredible experience that Bishops’ provided them had tuition been as expensive as what is proposed,” Lebel-Grenier told CIDI. “That’s really why we think that putting out there that we expect to lose at least ninety per cent or more of our Canadian out-of-province students is not far fetched. This is really based on the feedback we’ve been getting and people are telling us that it will make studies at Bishop’s, or any other English-language Quebec university, prohibitive for Canadian out-of-province students.”

Speaking on the new minimum tuition fee for international students, Lebel-Grenier explained that it won’t have a direct financial impact on BU as most Quebec universities already charge upwards of $20,000 in tuition fees to begin with because there is no government funding available to support these students. He added that the government’s “claw back or appropriation” of a portion of that money will “compromise” the university’s ability to provide an education, support programs, and services for these students however. 

“It’s going to vary per university, but for example we expect that for Bishops’ it’s going to amount to between $5,000 and $6,000 that will be clawed back by the government and that money is then going to be distributed to French-language universities,” he highlighted. “(…) The impact there won’t be on attracting international students, it’s going to be on being able to provide education for these students. For Bishop's, we expect that measure in and of itself is going to lead to a loss of about $2 million per year. That’s a substantial amount for a university of our size, we just have around 2, 650 students.” 

Sophia Stacey, who is the president of the Students Representative Council for Bishop’s University, said that when BU students found out about the provincial government’s announcement “the feeling on campus was definitely fear, anxiety.”

Stacey emphasized that the Quebec government’s assumption that out-of province students at BU are imposing a “threat to the vitality of the French language in the Eastern Townships has not been to Bishops’ University or the Eastern Townships.”

“The linguistic profile of Sherbrooke is Francophone, it is French primarily. (…) I would say what Bishop’s is doing when it comes to the French language is that it is empowering students to learn, speak, and live in French whom otherwise wouldn’t be able to, such as myself. I come here from Alberta and when I moved here when I was 17 I didn’t speak French,” she highlighted. “I’ve learned while I’ve been here and I know so many students that have lived this same story of me in terms of taking French classes or working in French. That’s really what Bishop's University does, it gives out-of province students opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have, including learning a second language.”

Lebel-Grenier and Stacey both said that Bishop's University and the Students Representative Council will continue raising awareness around the new measures to keep people informed and to give BU a voice in the situation. However, they hope the community will also mobilize and support their local educational institution. 

Stacey noted that she has also written an open letter on behalf of the Students Representative Council and it includes co-signatures collected from across Canada and Quebec of people that are “standing in solidarity” with BU. A petition, sponsored by a local MNA, will also be made available on the National Assembly’s website in the near future. The petition is a joint effort between BU, Concordia University, and McGill university. 

“If you are an out-of-province student listening to this or an international student, I want all of our students and all of the members of our community at Bishops’ to know that you are valued and that you belong here. Despite the narrative that has been produced by the government, it doesn’t change the value that you bring to the Eastern Townships or the community that is Bishop's University,” said Stacey. “(…) No matter what role you play in this situation, everyone has something at stake.” 

Listen to the full interview with Lebel-Grenier and Stacey below: