Letter to the editor: University is solid investment
The following letter to the editor was published in the Windsor Star, August 13, 2014.
By Christine Tausig Ford, vice-president, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Carolyn Thompson’s piece, Higher education leads to higher student debt, Aug. 7, is misleading and unhelpful to students trying to make informed decisions about their futures.
Over the last decade, governments and universities have taken measures to offset the costs of education for students who are most in need. That means that in Canada, 40% of university students graduate totally debt-free. Of those with debt, 30 percent owe less than $12,000. Average student debt today is less than it was in 2000.
The data continues to show that a university education is a solid investment. Even in the face of economic uncertainty, the demand for university-educated employees is growing. Between May 2008 and May 2014, more than twice as many net new jobs were created for university graduates than for college and trades graduates combined (878,000 and 437,000 respectively).
A university degree is a path to prosperity. And this fall one million Canadians will head to campuses across the country to follow that path.
About Universities Canada
Universities Canada is the voice of Canada’s universities at home and abroad, advancing higher education, research and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians.
Media contact:
Lisa Wallace
Assistant Director, Communications
Universities Canada
[email protected]
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