A breakdown of the post-secondary tuition landscape across Canada.

Globe and Mail Update

The cost of a degree has increased across the country over the past few years. The average undergraduate tuition fee is $4,172, not including books and other living expenses, compared with $1,464 in 1990 - a 185 per cent increase, according to Statistics Canada.

Some provinces - Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Newfoundland, have temporarily frozen tuition fees - but these caps are considered temporary. Once the caps are removed, it is generally accepted that tuition fees will go up once again. Other provinces, like Quebec, have seen their tuition fees double in the past 14 years, but they remain, at an average of $1,890, the lowest in the country.

So where are the best post-secondary values, relative to tuition, in the country?

Rating the best value for your post-secondary dollar is a subjective measure at best, and there are countless surveys that attempt to rank the nation's post-secondary institutions. According to the Globe and Mail's University Report Card, Montreal's Concordia University (large institutions), St. Catharine's Brock University (medium-sized institutions) and Nipissing University (small-institutions) of North Bay, Ont. all scored highest in their classes for overall educational experience. Students polled in the Globe's survey were not asked specifically about the value of their university experience. However, it can be assumed that students at those schools felt well served for their money.

For the past 13 years, Maclean's magazine has ranked Canada's universities. This past year, St. Francis Xavier was named best 'primarily undergraduate' institution, while University of Waterloo was named best 'comprehensive,' while the University of Toronto was deemed best in the 'medical-doctoral' category. Clearly, you get the idea, depending on the method and the questions asked, a ranking of Canadian institutions will yield differing results.

According to Missing Pieces V, a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Manitoba lead the nation as the province most committed to accessible and affordable post-secondary education. Coincidentally, Quebec and Ontario, which happen to be the provinces that produced the top schools in the Globe's university report card, came in fifth and sixth respectively in the Missing Pieces V survey.

Manitoba, which has a cap on its tuition fees, was rated first overall by Missing Pieces V, followed by Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The subject of tuition fees has been part of a lively debate in Ontario of late thanks to the release of the Bob Rae's special report into the Ontario post-secondary system. 'Ontario: A Leader in Learning' was released in February and many of its recommendations were adopted by the provincial Liberal government.

The following were some of Rae's key recommendations:

• New legislation that enshrines the commitment that every qualified student in Ontario will find a place in college or university regardless of means.
• A $300-million overhaul of student assistance programs, including new up-front grants for more than 95,000 low-income students, more access to loans that better reflect the actual costs of study for low- and middle-income students, and new loans to help parents contribute to their children's education. Rae calls on the federal government to focus its student assistance on living costs, and follow the province's lead in providing substantial up-front grants and improved loans to meet student need. Rae proposes that, in time, a co-ordinated system with the federal government would enable graduates to repay their loans at rates tied more directly to their incomes.
• More co-operation and collaboration between all institutions.
• A responsible funding partnership that ensures sustainable revenues for the sector.
• A substantial increase in provincial investment - a total of at least $1.3 billion new base funding to colleges and universities by 2007-08 to include:
  • $700-million for quality improvements and innovation to make the student experience more rewarding and successful.
  • $180-million for expansion of graduate education.
  • $160-million for new enrolment and outreach, to expand participation in higher education.
• A commitment from the federal government to be a reliable and steady partner through transfers to the province for base operating support, and investments in priority areas, such as apprenticeship and graduate education. The provincial and federal governments should build on real opportunities for productive collaboration.
• A new Council on Higher Education to help set targets for growth in participation and quality improvements, and report publicly on progress and performance.

The multiyear investment, billed as the largest in 40 years, will be used to expand graduate studies, create more student spaces at the undergraduate level, hire more professors and help repair the student financial-aid system. Some of Rae's more contentious recommendations have yet to be adopted, including a suggestion that would allow universities to set their own tuition levels and a change to the student loan system that would allow students more time to pay back their debt. Here's a look at how the provinces break down according to tuition (listed from east to west):

Newfoundland
Institutions: Memorial University
Average tuition (2004-05): $2,606 (1994 - $1,465)
Average tuition rank: 2nd
Missing Pieces V ranking: 7th.

Prince Edward Island
Institutions: University of Prince Edward Island
Average tuition: $4,374
Average tuition rank: 4th
Missing Pieces V: 9th

Nova Scotia
Institutions: Acadia University, University College of Cape Breton, Dalhousie University, University of King's College, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Sainte-Anne Universite, St. Francis Xavier University, Saint Mary's University
Average tuition: $5,984
Average tuition rank: 10th
Missing Pieces V rank: 10th

New Brunswick
Institutions: Lansbridge University, Universite of Moncton, Mount Allison University, University of New Brunswick, St. Thomas University
Average tuition: $4,719
Average tuition rank: 5th
Missing Pieces V rank: 8th

Quebec
Institutions: Bishop's University, Concordia University, Laval University, McGill University, Universite de Montreal, Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales, Ecole Polytechnique, Universite de Quebec, Universite de Sherbrooke
Average tuition: $1,890
Average tuition rank: 1st
Missing Pieces V rank: 5th

Ontario Institutions: Brock University, Carleton University, College dominican de philosophie et de theologie, Guelph University, Lakehead University, McMaster University, Nipissing University, University of Ottawa, Queen's University, Redeemer College, Ryerson University, University of Toronto, Trent University, University of Waterloo, University of Western Ontario, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Windsor, York University
Average tuition: $4,960
Average tuition rank: 5th
Missing Pieces V rank: 6th

Manitoba
Institutions: Brandon University, Canadian Mennonite University, University of Manitoba, College de Saint-Boniface, University of Winnipeg
Average tuition: $3,160
Average tuition rank: 3rd
Missing Pieces V rank: 1st

Saskatchewan
Institutions: University of Regina, University of Saskatchewan
Average tuition: $4,894
Average tuition rank: 8th
Missing Pieces V rank: 3rd

Alberta
Institutions: University of Alberta, Augustana University College, University of Calgary, University College of Concordia, DeVry Institute of Technology-Calgary, King's University College, University of Lethbridge Average tuition: $4,804
Average tuition rank: 7th
Missing Pieces V rank: 2nd

British Columbia
Institutions: University of British Columbia, University of Northern British Columbia, Royal Roads University, Seminary of Christ the King, Simon Fraser University, Trinity Western University, University of Victoria
Average tuition: $4,735
Average tuition rank: 6th
Missing Pieces V rank: 4th