A newly released report from Statistics Canada shows the average Canadian tuition increase for undergraduate arts students for the upcoming academic year is 3%. Basic tuition at McMaster is up 2% over last year. The average increase in Ontario is 2.7%.

McMaster's Board of Governors this past Spring approved a five-year tuition plan which calls for a 2% tuition increase in each of the next five years. The decision brings McMaster's basic tuition fee for the 2000-2001 academic year to $3,830.70, among the lowest in the province.

In both 1998-99 and 1999-2000 the province allowed for maximum tuition increases of 20%. “McMaster chose to forego the full increase,” says Fred Hall, chair of the University's Enrolment Management team and associate vice-president, academic. “The decision meant we forfeited some much needed revenue but it helped to ensure that McMaster's tuition continued to be lower than most other Ontario universities.” McMaster's basic tuition fee for undergraduates is currently about 3.5% below the provincial average.

Starting this Fall McMaster students will also pay $26.10 to support a Quality Enhancement Fund to improve facilities that directly impact the quality of academic programs. For the next five years these funds will be directed to the University Library and associated learning technologies.