A19 – Tuition and Fees

Originator: Vice-President, Academic
Approver: Senior Academic Committee
Effective: February 6, 2017
Replaces: New

1. Preamble

Red River College Polytechnic strives to be open and transparent in setting tuition fees. In setting tuition and fees, the College seeks to balance program and administrative needs with those of students, while also focusing on being fiscally responsible and keeping tuition and fees in alignment with those of the local and national marketplace.

2. Policy

2.1

The Executive Director, Community and Student Services or designate, in consultation with the Controller, shall develop procedures to annually recommend tuition and fees to the Board of Governors for approval. The procedures shall ensure that stakeholders such as Red River College Polytechnic academic and administrative units, the Students’ Association, and the community will be consulted prior to sending a fee recommendation to the Board of Governors for approval. The current procedures are attached to this Policy.

2.2

In recommending tuition fees, the following principles shall be recognized:

1. Funding of post-secondary education is a shared responsibility between government, Red River College Polytechnic, students and the community;
2. Tuition and fees are an essential source of revenue for Red River College Polytechnic and a key to its financial stability and sustainability;
3. Tuition and fees should be predictable and communicated in a timely manner so as to enable students and Red River College Polytechnic to plan their finances;
4. Tuition and fees should be set so as to balance access to education with quality of education.
5. The College should be accountable to its students for the level of tuition and fees and the quality of services provided;
6. Tuition and fees will be determined in a transparent manner;
7. Differential tuition fees may be set by the College for different programs. In determining differential tuition fees, the College shall consider:
   • the type of program
   • the cost of delivering the program
   • earning potential of graduates of the program
   • demand for the program in industry and by students
   • the market rate of tuition for the program
   • Red River College Polytechnic’s accessibility goals
   • whether there is government funding or not
   • available funding sources
   • level of industry support
   • such other criteria that the College may deem relevant.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, International (visa) student tuition and fees shall consider the competitive market rates in Manitoba and across Canada, the cost of offering the applicable programs and services, and the needs of Red River College Polytechnic’s overall accessibility and internationalization goals. Tuition and fees for international students will be set to ensure that all costs are recovered and the sustainability of the College is supported.

2.3

When determining the recommended tuition and fees, the College will examine the following:

1. Whether there are viable initiatives the College could undertake to contain or reduce costs that are in line with the principles listed above, including but not limited to the reallocation or more efficient use of recourses;
2. The impact of new revenue sources, new costs and inflation on the College;
3. The impact of anticipated government grants for the forthcoming year;
4. Desired new initiatives or changes that will improve the learning environment or provide new learning opportunities for students;
5. The viability or market need of existing programs;
6. The anticipated level of tuition in other Colleges both in Manitoba and across Canada;
7. Comparisons of the College’s revenue and expenses with the revenue and expenses of other comparable institutions;
8. Such other information as may be relevant to assist the fair determination of tuition and compulsory fees.

3. Responsibilities

3.1

The Executive Director, Community & Student Services or designate, in consultation with the Controller, is responsible for developing procedures to determine tuition and fee recommendations to the Board of Governors that are aligned with the principles of this policy and ensure that tuition and fee recommendations are sent to the Board of Governors in a timely manner with adequate background information in support thereof.

3.2

All College employees have a duty to conduct themselves in a manner that furthers the aims of this policy, including the exercise of prudent financial stewardship that leads to predictable and sustainable tuition and compulsory fees.

Related Policy and Legislation

The Red River College Polytechnic Act C.C.S.M. C. R31
The Advanced Education Administration Act C.C.S.M. c A6.3

A11 – International Education
A22 – Academic Standards
C5 – Donation Acceptance
C6 – Third Party Advertising on Campus
F5 – Commercial Partnerships
F6 – Operating Reserve Fund
S1 – Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities