Brock University, near Niagara Falls, says it will extend financial aid to cover all tuition fees for all international PhD candidates.
It currently employs fellowships to cover all but C$3,500 of the tuition rates, but come May, the institution will raise the amount it spends on covering tuition to the full amount.
“We are seeing a lot more interest from developing countries, northern Africa, Latin America”
The change follows a new funding initiative from the Ontario provincial government, which ups the percentage of the provincial grants universities receive from domestic graduate enrolments than can be spent on international students.
Brock and other HEIs will be able to spend 10% of these funds on covering the cost of enrolling international students. More research-intensive institutions, such as the University of Toronto and McMaster in Hamilton, will be allowed to spend 15% of the grant this way.
The HEIs must charge the international PhD candidates the same as domestic students, in order to benefit from the government plan. This was hinted at in January, when the University of Toronto announced that all international PhDs would be charged domestic fees.
If the three year plan runs smoothly, it is estimated that the province will pay for around 1,200 students’ tuition. It currently funds only 133 students.
A spokesperson for the province said that the plan will aim to benefit both international and domestic students in Ontario.
“[It] will help provide international students with a high quality postsecondary experience … and expand learning opportunities for domestic students who interact with their international counterparts on campuses across the province,” they said.
Jamie Mandigo, vice-provost for enrolment management and international at Brock, said that the decision was made due to rising numbers of applications from developing nations.
“We are seeing a lot more interest from developing countries, from northern Africa … from Latin American countries,” he said.
With the degrees earned in Canada, Mandigo said, students can return to their growing home nations with the tools for growth and prosperity.
“That’s an important role we as a university can play. We have a social obligation to disseminate knowledge worldwide and education can be that catalyst of revitalisation in all parts of the world”.
The announcement came as HEIs across Canada announced record PhD applications, with Waterloo up by 41% and 80% at the University of Alberta.
