UPEI Tuition Fees Below National Averages for Canadian and International Students

Good news for current and prospective students at the University of Prince Edward Island. UPEI tuition fees for Canadian and international students are below the national average. UPEI has the lowest tuition fees in the Maritime provinces, according to Statistics Canada.

Statistics Canada released its annual survey of tuition fees for full-time students attending Canadian universities, on October 18. The survey, which was administered from April to June 2007, included 102 post-secondary degree-granting institutions this year, up from 60 last year.

It indicates that tuition fees paid by UPEI students in the 2007/2008 academic year declined by 9.8 per cent. Only one other province showed a decline in undergraduate tuition. The average tuition paid by full-time undergraduate students attending UPEI is $4,440, below the national average of $4,524. Full-time graduate students at UPEI paid $2,750, well below the national average of $5,447.

Prince Edward Island was one of only two provinces that did not show an increase in tuition fees for international students. At UPEI, international students paid just $8,760, in contrast to the national average of $13,985.

The lower tuition fees are considered an important factor in the increased numbers of students coming to UPEI from out of province. Full and part-time students transferring from other universities increased by 60.5 per cent this year. UPEI has 23 per cent more first-year students coming from New Brunswick than last year, and double the number of students from Nova Scotia. As well the number of international students attending UPEI this year rose by 4.1 per cent over last year.

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For more information about the Statistics Canada tuition survey, visit