The Board of Governors, following the provincial government's ending of a two-year tuition freeze, has approved McMaster tuition fees for the 2006/07 school year.

The government allows tuition increases of up to 4.5 per cent for first-year students in most programs, and up to eight per cent for first-year students in professional and graduate programs. Overall the average tuition increase for McMaster students cannot be more than five per cent. At the same time the province announced improvements to the student financial aid program.

At McMaster, the tuition increase for the majority of students will be an additional $165 for 2006/07. Graduate degree tuition fees will increase by eight per cent for level-one students and by four per cent for subsequent years. McMaster's average tuition fee increases of 4.39 per cent in 2006/07 and 4.95 per cent in 2007/08 will help alleviate a fiscal deficit caused by basic cost increases. The additional revenue will help the University begin to address some of its financial challenges, but will not cover the cost increases for faculty, staff, utilities and other expenses.
According to President Peter George, “Our goal is to improve quality and accessibility but the reality is that even with the tuition increases we won't be able to make real progress on either front.”

McMaster provides significant financial support to students. More than 4000 bursaries were allocated in 2005-06 totaling approximately $7.5 million. Across the University, $5.9 million was allocated and paid out through McMaster's awards programs to undergraduate students for the same period. There are numerous work opportunities on campus as well during the study period and in the summer, which help students to address financial shortfall. Last summer, over $1.9 million was paid to students participating in the McWork program.

McMaster has recently enhanced its academic entrance award program so that eligible students entering in 2006-07 may receive an award that is renewable into their fourth year. These awards range between $750 and $3000 per year.

Medical School Tuition

The cost of tuition for first-year medical students will increase by $1,155 to $15,600. Second and third year students of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine will see a tuition increase of $577 to $15,022.

Despite the increase, McMaster will still provide the least expensive medical education in Ontario. A McMaster medical education will now cost $45,800 for the three-year (33-consecutive month) program. That compares to a cost of $64,828 at the University of Toronto; $59,404 at the University of Western Ontario; $56,000 at the University of Ottawa and $54,000 at Queen's University. These programs are all four years long.

McMaster consistently provides bursary support for a substantial portion of its medical students with financial need. For the current 2005/06 school year, 70% or 305 of the students of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine received bursaries. More than $2,664,300 was distributed among the medical students, with the average totaling $8,326.

Generous benefactors continue to contribute to the bursaries for medical students at McMaster. In the past year large contributions to the bursary fund have been received from Scotiabank, the estate of Burlington businessman Daniel Giannini and the Ronald K. Fraser Foundation of Hamilton.

For more information on McMaster tuition and supplementary fees for Fall/Winter 2006/07 please visit the Student Accounts website at www.mcmaster.ca/bms/finance/student/.