Montreal's Concordia University has announced financial support of up to $4,000 for incoming out-of-province students in hopes of addressing concerns that a new government-imposed tuition increase will price them out of Quebec.
In a Friday news release, Concordia said undergraduate students starting next fall will be automatically considered for the new Canada Scholars Awards, which will be renewable for the duration of a student's degree so long as they maintain their academic standing.
The value of the award will depend on high school students' average grade at the time of admission, ranging from $1,500 for a B- to $4,000 for an A+.
Concordia also announced a new, one-time $2,000 award for select undergraduates who transfer from universities in other provinces.
“We want to ensure that Concordia continues to be the chosen destination for both francophone and anglophone students from elsewhere in Canada," university president Graham Carr said in the release.
Concordia's announcement follows a similar offer from McGill University, which next year will begin giving a $3,000 award to out-of-province students in departments the school says will likely see an enrolment drop because of the tuition increase.
McGill on Thursday sent an email to alumni asking for donations to support the award.
The Quebec government in October announced plans to increase tuition by $8,000 for Canadian students from outside the province as a way to protect the French language in Montreal. The measure would have brought those students' tuition to $17,000 — among the highest rates in the country for undergraduates — raising fears that it would slash enrolment and revenue at the province's three English-language universities, which accept more non-Quebec students than their French counterparts.
The provincial government agreed to lessen the tuition hike to $3,000 earlier this month but imposed new French proficiency targets for students in English-language programs. The new $12,000 rate for out-of-province Canadian students is set to take effect in fall 2024, with an exception for Bishop's University — Quebec's only English university outside Montreal — which will maintain the current $8,992 tuition.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2023.
Thomas MacDonald, The Canadian Press
