Media Advisory: Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance available for comment
after release of university tuition fee data

TORONTO, Sept. 15 /CNW/ - Representatives of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) will be available for comment tomorrow, September 16, after Statistics Canada releases university tuition fee averages for the 2010-11 academic year.

Students expect the data will confirm that Ontario undergraduate tuition fees remain the highest in Canada, increasing by 5% over last year to an estimated record-high of $6,200.

Students appreciate the Ontario government's ongoing investments in student financial assistance for those unable to afford these fees; however, students from high-income backgrounds are still more than twice as likely to attend university as students from low-income backgrounds. Furthermore, this gap has been increasing since 2002, according to the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

As advocates for an accessible post-secondary education system in Ontario, OUSA looks forward to working with the government to improve the affordability of higher education and to develop a holistic access and outreach strategy for students from underrepresented groups.

The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance represents the interests of over 140,000 professional and undergraduate, full- and part-time university students at seven Ontario institutions.

For further information:

or to arrange an interview, please contact Alvin Tedjo, OUSA Director of Communications & Public Relations, work: [phone], cell: [phone], email: [email protected]