American brains are Canada's gain
- From: "Patient Zero 2.03.....The one true Elder" <noonan24_7@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 00:43:38 GMT
American brains are Canada's gain
Cash-strapped families increasingly drawn to lower cost of studying north of
the border - and this country's schools are cashing in
ELIZABETH CHURCH
Globe and Mail Update
May 18, 2009 at 8:31 AM EDT
Libby MacCarthy had never been to Canada when she applied to Dalhousie
University at the suggestion of a friend. After a campus visit during a cold
snap in April, the Maine native was still undecided about the merits of a
Canadian education.
But when the offer from her top U.S. choice arrived without a promise of
financial aid, the annual $25,000 (U.S.) difference in cost made up her
mind.
"Canadian universities are like hidden gems," said the 21-year-old, who
starts her fourth year in Halifax in September. "A lot of them are Ivy
League-quality schools and they are just a lot less expensive."
At a time when many U.S families are finding they have fewer dollars than
they expected to spend on higher education, the price of a Canadian
undergraduate degree is looking attractive.
That feeling is being fuelled by increased marketing from the Canadian
government and more interest by Canadian schools, drawn to the American
market as a way to maintain enrolment, attract more tuition dollars and give
their campus a more international outlook.
Signs of that push are showing up this spring. Many schools say their U.S.
applications are up, and so is the number of students saying yes to offers.
"The U.S. is one of our target areas, no question," said Asa Kachan, the
registrar at Dalhousie, where applications from American students are up 14
per cent this year.
In a province with 11 universities and a declining high-school population,
Ms. Kachan says attracting foreign students is vital. The school does that
by tapping into networks of U.S. guidance counsellors and sending staff to
key high schools. Foreign students account for 8 per cent of enrolment, but
Dalhousie wants to raise that to 10 or 12 per cent.
Across the country, about 9,000 Americans studied at Canadian universities
and colleges this year, up from 2,300 just 12 years ago, according to
Canada's embassy in Washington. On the flipside, an estimated 29,000
Canadians headed south in 2007-2008 for undergraduate or graduate studies, a
reflection of the size of the American system.
At Montreal's McGill University, where there is a long tradition of U.S.
recruiting, Americans accounted for 12 per cent of this year's freshman
class. Application numbers this spring are even with previous years, but
acceptance rates are up 4 per cent.
McGill has seen a steady increase in American students, with numbers rising
by 22 per cent in the past five years. Senior administrators say name
recognition and recruiting efforts have contributed to that rise, but add
cost is a factor.
"When we recruit we do not talk about being cheap," said Morton Mendelson,
the university's deputy provost of student life and learning. "We say come
to McGill. It's a world-class education. But people who are buying the
education can do the math."
Foreign tuition fees range from triple to more than five times those paid by
local students, depending on the province. Still, they are tens of thousands
of dollars less than the cost of private U.S. schools and are on par with
fees charged by state colleges to local students, depending on exchange
rates.
For a foreign student, for instance, Dalhousie estimates that tuition,
books, housing and health insurance run $23,636 a year. At Boston
University, a school that often competes for the same U.S. students, the
equivalent annual cost comes to $61,794.
At the University of Toronto, where applications from U.S. high-school
students have tripled in the past seven years, student recruiting director
Janet Hurd said economic and political factors as well as the value of the
Canadian dollar have helped to drive that trend, but so have outreach
efforts in cities such as Washington, Boston and New York.
Ms. Hurd said when she tells American parents to expect to pay about $30,000
for tuition, books and housing, they often ask if that is for a term or the
whole year.
What seems like a bargain for U.S. parents can be an income opportunity for
schools, although rules on fees vary among provinces. At the University of
Waterloo, increasing foreign student numbers from 10 to 20 per cent is part
of a strategy to diversify income.
Waterloo president David Johnston says the school's first goal in attracting
international students is to increase the quality of education, but he adds
that the dollars this generates are attractive at a time when campuses are
facing budget cuts. Canadian students pay roughly $6,000 in tuition at
Waterloo, with the province contributing about $6,000. International
students pay upwards of $20,000 in tuition. "The economics are attractive,"
he said.
Other universities say the money argument is not that compelling, and point
out that recruiting and supporting foreign students also costs more. Until
this year in Quebec, extra fees from international students went to the
province, although that policy is being phased out for some programs.
Ms. MacCarthy said her time at Dalhousie has taught her a lot about Canada,
and about how others see her country. At first, she said, it was difficult
to hear others say negative things about Americans. "You get things said
that are very hurtful, so you have to learn to deal with that."
The election of a new president, she said, has made it easier to be an
American on a Canadian campus.
Her next hurdle is to decide where she will go after graduation. "I'm
considering staying in Canada," she said.
****
A study in contrasts
New England is a favourite recruiting ground for Canadian schools, as are
most border states and California with its large population. Here's a look
at how a leading Atlantic university, Dalhousie in Halifax - which is
smaller in size, but has a law and medical school - compares with a U.S.
counterpart, Boston University.
Dalhousie Boston
Founded 1818 1839*
Total students 15,197 31,766
Total faculty 1,143 2,622
Tuition, fees for foreign students $14,060 $44,975
Cost of books, supplies $1,000 $1,100
Cost of residence $7,940 $13,862
Health insurance $636 $1,715
Total cost $23,636 $61,794
*School was founded in 1837 as a Methodist
seminary in Vermont, but moved to Boston in 1867.
Converted U.S. dollar figures may not add exactly due to rounding.
--
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did well on Hulu, which, by amazing coincidence, is also owned by NewsCorp
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/tvblog/2009/05/fox_execs_keep_playing_with_do.html
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