University Tuitions in Canada and the United States

The University of Toronto is the largest university in North America (70,000 students) and one of the top 20 universities in the world¹ [The World University Rankings 2011-2012]. It ranks near the top among the group of very large public universities [World University Rankings].

The University of Toronto is a public university. A large percentage of its operating budget comes directly from the provincial government. In that sense, it is comparable to many of the large state schools in the United States. When we're judging ourselves,² we use a list of nine American state schools of comparable size and quality.

Tuition costs have been in the news in Canada recently since there have been vocal student protests in Quebec over government plans to raise tuition costs in Quebec schools. The combination of tuition and fees will increase from $2,890 per year to $4,700 per year over a five year phase-in period.

What is the average cost of tuition plus fees at the University of Toronto and how does this compare with similar American schools? President David Naylor gives us the answer on his website where he discusses the problem of student debt in Canada and the United States [Student Debt Redux].

If you're an American, consider sending your children to a Canadian university. You'll save a lot of money and there's an added bonus—we get to show them what a real "socialist" country looks like.

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Note: One of the signs in the protest says, "Marx is dead, God is dead, and I don't feel so good."

1. There are many problems with these ranking but the bottom line is that the University of Toronto is a pretty good university as judged by outsiders.

2. Which we do obsessively every few months.