Bardia Eisazadeh is an international accounting student whose family paid $9,208.45 Cdn for the fall semester tuition at the University of Regina, almost three times domestic tuition.
“Tuition is always in international students’ minds,” said Eisazadeh.
“I know it’s gonna be hard for [my family].”
The family’s efforts to keep Eisazadeh in school have gone as far as to “sell their property” and “liquidate their assets,” as inflation greatly affects his home country, Iran (Iranian rial is the national currency value of Iran. One Iranian rial is $0.000033 of a Cdn).
Mindy Ellis, the senior public affairs strategist at the U of R, said tuition is higher for international students because domestic students have parents/caregivers who “support [Canadian] institutions through their taxes.” Because of this distinction, she said tuition for international students changes “proportionately based on a formula.”
“[T]he international tuition differential is not as high at the University of Regina as it is at many other Canadian universities,” said AVP International and Chief International Officer, Haroon Chaudry. However, he did not say whether the university was at all worried about losing potential or enrolled international students.
At the U of R, domestic students would have to pay $3,217.95 Cdn for the same credit hours in the same faculty as Eisazadeh.
“I think domestic students already pay a crazy tuition amount, triple that is even more insane,” said Karysa Leicht, a second-year domestic student, who was not aware of the amount international students pay.
Although Eisazadeh has never had to think about dropping out because of payments, he has thought about changing his degree studies to diploma studies, which would make him “graduate sooner and spend less.”
When he shared the idea with his family, they insisted that he completes his bachelor’s studies in Canada. Employment with a Canadian degree, according to Eisazadeh, opens up many more opportunities that he would not have with his “home country’s degree.”
