UPEI makes changes to tuition deposit for incoming international students
The following notice was also sent by email to students, staff, and faculty on March 15.
As mentioned in Interim President Keefe’s message on March 11, the Government of Canada announced in January that they were putting restrictions in place to reduce the number of new international students entering Canada by 35 per cent. The rules apply to all new undergraduate students only.
As a result of these restrictions, all Canadian post-secondary institutions will require that every study permit application submitted by a prospective international student to the federal government department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) include a provincial attestation letter (PAL) from a Canadian province or territory.
UPEI staff, particularly those with the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Research (e.g., in international recruitment, the Registrar’s office, and institutional research), have been examining all processes to ensure that those to whom the Government of PEI is extending attestation letters are very serious about coming to UPEI.
One way that universities and colleges around the region are ensuring that international applicants are committed to coming to their institution is through their tuition deposit. At a special meeting on Wednesday, March 13, the UPEI Board of Governors approved an increase to the tuition deposit for new international undergraduate students (including DVM and BEd) from $1,000 to $5,000. The previous deposit was non-refundable. This deposit is refundable, minus an administrative fee of $500, for students who apply for a student visa and are denied by IRCC. Holland College is introducing a similar increase and process to ensure their PALs are also used judiciously. Please note that tuition deposits are not extra fees and are applied directly to the balance owing on tuition.
