Dear members of the McGill community,

On October 13, the Government of Quebec announced plans to change the funding model related to university tuition. While we begin to assess the implications of the news, I want to provide some initial perspective.

What the Quebec Government announced:

  • Tuition fees for Canadian students from outside of Quebec would increase from $8,992 to around $17,000. Current students would have five years to complete their program of study under the existing tuition structure.
  • The funding model for universities regarding international students would change, with the Government clawing back more money from tuition fees than is currently the case.
  • These two changes would apply to undergraduate programs and non-research and professional master’s programs.
  • Much of the tuition that students pay to McGill would be returned to the Government and reallocated to francophone universities in Quebec, but the University would receive government grants to partially support the cost of teaching.
  • The tuition changes would apply to students beginning their studies in fall 2024.

Impacts on McGill and next steps:

These measures, if implemented, would have serious consequences. I have mobilized the senior administration, Board members and teams across the University to demonstrate the concrete negative effects these measures would have on McGill, on the higher education sector, and on the whole of Quebec society. Our focus is to work with government and our partners to reverse these impacts.

More information is needed before we can confirm the financial effects these measures would have on McGill. In the meantime, I ask those responsible for spending to be prudent, while continuing to be ambitious in advancing the University’s mission.

It goes without saying that these measures could affect the recruitment of prospective Canadian students from outside Quebec, as it will cost less to study elsewhere in Canada for many programs. Although McGill distinguished itself again last week as Canada’s top Medical Doctoral university, a near-doubling of tuition will make many think twice about their academic choices in fall 2024 and beyond.

The make-up of McGill’s student body is unique in Canada. Half of our students are from Quebec, 30 percent are international students, and the remaining 20 percent come from the rest of Canada. This diversity of origin and perspectives is part of McGill’s unique character – its DNA. We must protect this richness of community.

These measures threaten the University’s capacity to be a positive force for our home. Quebec boasts 19 distinguished universities, each playing a distinct role to meet the diverse needs of our population.

We need to ensure everyone realizes the incredible contributions that McGill makes, not just to Montreal but throughout every region of Quebec. And among McGill’s strongest assets is its tremendous power to attract and retain the highly skilled people who contribute so significantly to Quebec’s economy and society.

The power of an open Quebec society:

We are concerned that, in the government’s announcement, prospective students from outside Quebec may hear the message that they are not welcome – despite Montreal’s reputation as a global education destination, and the extraordinary contributions of students and alumni within Quebec.

We are stronger when our doors are open – when we attract the brightest minds from Canada and the world, enticing and equipping them to build fulfilling, productive lives here. They have so much to share with Montreal and Quebec.

And likewise, we Quebecers have so much to share with them: the cultural richness of la métropole; the strength of Quebec innovation and identity; the power of our made-in-Quebec ideas. When we close our doors, we compromise not only our values, but our future.

McGillians care deeply about their University, and I know that this announcement is concerning for many of us. We will engage government and partners to address these proposals, seeking ways to strengthen all universities for the good of Quebec.

Sincerely,

Deep Saini
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
McGill University

Published on: 16 Oct 2023
McGill's Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor issued this statement reflecting on the outbreak of war in the Middle East and its effect on our McGill community:

Dear members of the McGill community,

I have watched with horror the immense suffering and loss of human life that Hamas caused through its heinous terrorist attack on Israel. This act, and the continuing violence in Israel and Gaza, have created profound distress within McGill. I have personally witnessed the grief and anxiety that so many members of our community are currently experiencing.

Published on: 13 Oct 2023

Dr. Mindy R. Carter (DISE) is one of two recipients of the Inaugural UBC Faculty of Education Reconciliation and Decolonization Alumni Awards

Published on: 10 Oct 2023

Faculty of Education alumnus, Eric San (B.Ed.'96) AKA "Kid Koala" was featured in McGill News, talking about his music career, his McGill days, and how he created a holistic music-influenced curriculum for his grade six class while student teaching.

Kid Koala, a pioneering innovator of turntable music, performed at student dorm parties while pursuing an Education degree at McGill.

Published on: 29 Aug 2023

On Wednesday, August 23rd, DISE Faculty Lecturer and recent PhD graduate Aron Lee Rosenberg was featured on CBC Radio Noon, discussing his newly released book about spending the year 2020 completely offline - even while completing the candidacy process for his PhD.

The book is called Jacking Out: A Journal of a Year Spent Offline, and was published by Rock's Mills Press.

Published on: 29 Aug 2023

A call for papers for a mini-special issue in the McGill Journal of Education on Bill 23.

The deadline to submit is October 31, 2023.

Published on: 21 Aug 2023

Would you like to explore your ecological imagination?
Attend one to three creative, interactive, free and fun workshops?
Contribute to a better understanding of the role of imagination and creative arts practices in dealing with the climate crisis?

Classified as: call for submissions
Published on: 21 Aug 2023

When the inaugural cohort of the McGill Sustainability Education Fellows (SEF) gathered for their final event in May 2023, the presentation topics ranged from regenerative agriculture and sustainable supply chains to biodiversity in Barbados and how climate change impacts respiratory illnesses. While all 23 faculty and student participants shared the common goal of embedding sustainability in the curriculum, it was clear that a group representing seven faculties and 11 departments across two campuses offered a broad range of ideas for how to achieve that goal.

Published on: 16 Aug 2023

Office of First Nations and Inuit Education (OFNIE) student, Esther Elizabeth Tooma, was featured by CBC as being part of an all-female team that finished in second place at the Quebec Aboriginal Firefighters Competition last week. Tooma, a certificate student slated to graduate after the Summer 2024 Semester, only started training last year for the firefighter competition held in Listuguj, Quebec. 

Classified as: ofnie
Published on: 9 Aug 2023

The McGill International Institute of Education (MIIE) welcomed 20 undergraduate students and three chaperones from the Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates to a two-week MIIE Summer Academy from June 26 to July 7, 2023.

Classified as: External, faculty, international, MIIE, students
Published on: 26 Jul 2023

From July 5-13, the Faculty of Education's Office of First Nations and Inuit Education (OFNIE) is hosting Summer Institute in the Education Building at McGill's downtown campus for students following OFNIE's in-community programs.

More than 8o OFNIE students from 17 different Inuit, Cree, Kanien'kehá:ka, and Naskapi communities from across (what is now) the province of Quebec.

Two courses are being offered: two sections of a course on teaching to diverse learners in the Indigenous classroom and another on using Indigenous art across the elementary school curriculum.

Classified as: Indigenous
Published on: 10 Jul 2023

Wahéhshon Whitebean, PhD candidate in the Educational Studies program at the Department of Integrated Studies in Education, was named recipient of Rathlyn Fellowships. Awarded annually through the Indigenous Studies Program at McGill, Rathlyn Fellowships support Indigenous graduate students at McGill in their studies and research.

Published on: 16 Jun 2023

EduBuddies is an initiative organized by the Education Undergraduate Society (EdUS), which aims to facilitate the transition to McGill University and higher education for the Faculty of Education's incoming first-year students. This program is a wonderful opportunity for upper-year students (rising U2-U4+) to engage in leadership within the faculty and to make a meaningful impact on new students within their program. New students can use this program to meet new friends in the faculty through social events.

Published on: 16 Jun 2023

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