Recently, 2020-21 tuition details were posted to the website. I write today to clarify a few details with respect to that, and provide a rationale for the recent Senate decision to forgo a reading week in the upcoming fall term.

Tuition and fee setting in the current situation

Our response to the pandemic has required changes to many aspects of University operations and academic delivery. This includes our budget process and student fee setting.

As a result, we have delayed approval of the full University budget until October. Normally, student fees are approved as part of the annual budget, however it is not possible to delay approving student fees: some students need an official approved fee as part of their request for a student loan and, generally, students need to know their fees to plan their financial affairs.

Tuition 2020-21

On July 3, the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents approved a tuition increase for the 2020-21 academic year of 4.5 per cent for incoming Canadian students and 2.0 per cent for international students. As per Mount Allision’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Province of New Brunswick, New Brunswick students that started prior to September 2019 will continue to receive a discount so that their tuition will increase by two per cent.

We know the University will have increased costs, irrespective of increased costs due to the pandemic, and, like other universities in Atlantic Canada there is an increase to tuition.

Financial aid will continue to be available to those students who require it, with a plan to increase available funds by at least $400,000.

Details about tuition and fees can be found at: https://www.mta.ca/Registrars_Office/Tuition_and_fees/Tuition___fees/

Fall Reading Break

The University Senate recently reviewed the fall academic calendar and voted to eliminate the Fall 2020 Reading Week. This means the fall term will be completed one week earlier. The final exam period will begin on Dec. 4 and finish by Dec. 12.

This decision was made as a means to deal with continuing uncertainty around travel as well as the possibility of a second wave of COVID during the fall. While the four Atlantic governments recently relaxed travel restrictions for residents of Atlantic provinces travelling within the region, the need to self-isolate still exists for students travelling to New Brunswick from outside Atlantic Canada. Many students may also have to self-isolate during the 2020 holiday break and thus it was felt to be beneficial that the break to be as long as possible.

We know that there have been a lot of changes and that the Fall term will be different than any other we have experienced collectively. As a reminder, a range of information pertaining to the Fall term is posted on our website at https://www.mta.ca/fall2020/. This information will continue to be updated on a regular basis.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jean-Paul Boudreau

President and Vice-Chancellor
Mount Allison University