Achi news desk-
As another academic year comes to a close for University of the Sea students, many are watching their educational debt grow.
“My current annual tuition is $12,000,” said Mbali Dlamini, a student at Saint Mary’s University from Toronto.
Debt can be even higher for international students as some see annual tuition increases of three to five percent.
“When I started, my tuition was $25,000, about $27,000 a year and now it’s gone up to $35,000,” said Dalhousie University engineering student Bhubindr Singh Sidhu. “I’ve spent more than $90,000, about $100,000 on three years of education and engineering, it’s getting expensive, more and more expensive.”
A student reads outside King’s University College. (Source: Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic)A study by Stats Canada shows that the most expensive states in the country to pursue higher education are in the Marines.
Prince Edward Island leads the way with students carrying $43,000 worth of debt after graduation. Nova Scotia is second at just over $39,000. New Brunswick is fifth.
“We are looking at a generation that is burdened tremendously by this debt,” said Aideen Reynolds, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students Nova Scotia. “For those of us who have been paying attention to higher education in Nova Scotia, this is not surprising at all. We’ve had the highest tuition in the country or close to the highest tuition in the country for six years.”
She says educational costs force some to make difficult decisions.
“Students drop out and don’t come back, students go part-time because they can’t afford to be full-time,” he said.
Complicating matters even further is the current state of the job market.
“Everyone expects that we get good job opportunities after we finish our studies but right now the economic situation and the job market is really down,” said Dalhousie student Daksh Singh .
The report also shows that college tuition in Nova Scotia is the third highest in Canada, trailing only Alberta and Saskatchewan.
