'This is going sideways fast': How Dalhousie scrapped a program's 63% tuition hike

In May, master of architecture students at Dalhousie University were set to discuss what to do about a 63 per cent tuition increase they didn't see coming.

At the same time, university officials scrambled to contain the impending fallout.

Under provincial rules, tuition for a Nova Scotia undergraduate student is capped at a two per cent increase. But the rule does not apply to tuition for graduate students.

While the planned increase for the master of architecture program was approved internally on March 26 — and would have increased tuition by about $10,000 per year on average — students did not learn about the hike until they received their student statements in late April.

The planned increase even surprised faculty. "Unfortunately, this is as much news to us as it is to you," wrote James Forren, the director of the school of architecture, in a May 2 email to students.

While the Halifax university backtracked on the increase, documents obtained by CBC News through an access-to-information request reveal Dalhousie was worried about potential negative media coverage and the possibility of losing students.

The records also show the university is eyeing a "significant" future tuition hike for international students enrolled in the master of architecture and master of planning programs.

On Thursday, May 2, Bobbi Bowering, the director of finance and administration for the faculty of architecture and planning, wrote in an email to other officials that they wanted "to avoid a public relations nightmare."

"This is going sideways fast with some inappropriate and inaccurate information being broadly circulated to the students," she said.

Later that night, Jennifer Murray, the university's chief of staff and executive director of the provost office, looped in a university public relations officer about the "fluid situation."

University worried about negative media coverage

The planned tuition increase "is receiving negative attention from a few faculty members and now students," she wrote. "There is a possibility they would push this to the media."

She noted the program was set to start in four days and that the university was considering rolling back the increase.

That same day, Graham Gagnon, the dean of the faculty of architecture and planning, notified the university's president and another official about the situation. He said they were aiming to resolve the situation by midday Friday.

'A bit of an uproar,' says dean

That target date also corresponded with the planned student meeting, which was to take place at noon Friday.

"[As] a result there is a bit of an uproar occurring in the program," Gagnon wrote. "A staff member and faculty member (Steve Parcell) are also contributing to the excitement."

Parcell had previously written an email to the university's student accounts department, noting that students were shocked by the planned increase. He said some students "are ready to decline their admission … because they can no longer afford it."

Forty-four minutes before the May 3 student meeting, Parcell sent an email to the master of architecture students on behalf of Gagnon, announcing the planned 63 per cent tuition increase wasn't going ahead.

Instead, tuition would only rise by two per cent, "affirming our commitment to affordability, accessibility and the holistic well-being of our students, families and the entire architecture community."

It's unclear why the university wanted to hike the tuition so drastically. In one email from Gagnon sent to some school officials on April 30, he wrote the university's budget "is increasingly being driven by student tuition as the government has effectively cut their contribution to the university."

The university's 2023-24 financial statement says it received $233 million from the province. This was up from $229 million in 2022-23 and $226 million a year before.

How university determines tuition

Gagnon said the university routinely reviews tuition by looking at things such as program spending against revenue, tuition competitiveness with other Canadian universities and cost-of-living adjustments.

A May 3 email from the university's assistant vice-president of financial services to some school officials offers a more precise explanation. "Graham can provide more details, but my understanding is that it is a market adjustment to bring the fees in line with other comparable programs," she wrote.

Big tuition increase eyed for some international students

A May 21 email from Gagnon suggests the university is now looking at increasing international student tuition for students enrolled in the master of architecture and master of planning programs. The email says that could take effect in fall 2025, but would need to be communicated this fall.

"We are particularly interested in seeing a more significant rate increase applied to international students only," Gagnon wrote to two university officials. "Bobbi [Bowering] and I would welcome an opportunity to determine how we could do this."

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