Students add up the numbers on university fees, financial aid

By Karen Seidman. Changes mean more students will be entitled to loans and bursaries. While Quebec university students recently won a hard-fought gain in the government’s financial-aid program that should boost the number of students entitled to loans and bursaries, they will also feel the pinch of a sharply reduced tax credit for next year. There’s a lot of give and take, as students can now assess what the government has planned for next year in terms of fees and student aid. Very few gains come without a price, so students may claim victory in their tuition battle, but they will take some hits as well. By changing the parameters of the parental contribution to $45,000 of family income from $28,000 over the next couple of years — something for which students have lobbied hard — more students should be able to benefit from greater access to loans and bursaries. Read more...