Atlantic Veterinary College increases tuition for new international students

International students enrolling at the Atlantic Veterinary College will have to pay higher fees beginning in September.

The UPEI board of directors has approved a tuition increase of 22 per cent, which means an international student will now pay $68,000 per year, compared to $12,000 a year for Canadian students.

Greg Keefe, dean of the college, says regional students are funded both by tuition and also by government grants to the institution, "this brings us closer to the support we get for those students," he said.

"And it also reflects what those students would pay at other institutions outside of Canada," said Keefe.

"With the change in currency value, we used to be one of the more expensive schools, and now we're actually one of the cheaper ones for international students."

The UPEI student union voted against the 22 per cent tuition increase, stating that the college should not be asking students to pay more out of pocket to maintain programming and should look at other options for revenue.