Debt for degrees
Broadcast Date: April 10, 1997
In 1997, the average Canadian student leaves university a little older, a little wiser and a lot poorer. As the average student debt approaches $10,000, some students are wondering if they can afford a post-secondary education. In this report, CBC-TV looks at three students - a university graduate, a current student and a prospective student - at different levels of the university experience, with the latter wondering not which university she'll go to, but whether she can afford to go at all.Debt for degrees
• As of 2008, the average student debt in Canada was $20,000 for those graduating with a four-year bachelor's degree.
• According to Statistics Canada, the average undergraduate tuition fee in Canada for the 2008-9 school year was $4,724. By province, Quebec had easily the lowest tuition rate, with an average cost of $2,167 and Nova Scotia was the priciest province, with an average tuition of $5,932. Nova Scotia was also the lone province to have a drop in tuition fees; for the 2007-8 school year, tuition averaged $6,110.
• As of January 2009, the debt owed on loans through the Canada Student Loans program had grown to $12.9 billion, with that amount increasing by nearly $20 per second.
Debt for degrees
Medium: Television
Program: CBC Evening News
Broadcast Date: April 10, 1997
Guest(s): Sarah Dopp, Nigel Moses, Laurisa O'Brien, John Snobelen
Reporter: Cheryl Jackson
Duration: 6:00
Last updated:
Jan. 30, 2009
Debt for degrees.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Jan. 30, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 13, 2012.]