University becomes first in Canada to offer waived tuition for Indigenous students
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courtesy of the University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo will waive tuition for students from certain bands.
WATERLOO, Ont.-The University of Waterloo in Ontario will become the first Canadian university to waive tuition starting this fall for students who are members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation or Six Nations of the Grand River.
In a press release, the university announced, "Indigenous students who are members of these bands (on whose traditional territory the University of Waterloo is situated) and who are pursuing studies in a graduate or undergraduate program at Waterloo are eligible for this waiver. This is part of Waterloo's active work toward reconciliation and is a response to the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission."
Besides the waived tuition for local First Nations students, the university is offering First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students from other Canadian provinces and territories to pay the same tuition as Ontario students. "In recognition of the Jay Treaty, Native American students from the continental U.S. are also eligible for Ontario domestic tuition instead of international student tuition," the university has announced.
While the University of Waterloo is the first Canadian university to take this step, others are following the trend begun by universities in the United States. The Kwantlen Polytechnic University will waive tuition for new and current students who are members of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Musqueam, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt, and Kwikwetlem First Nations, citing that education is "fundamental to reconciliation."
The announcement comes after the University of Waterloo in Ontario said it will waive tuition for students who are members of two local bands beginning this fall, making it the first university in Canada to do so. Some post-secondary schools in the U.S. already waive tuition for some Indigenous students, including the University of California, University of Arizona, and Oregon State.
KPU Chancellor Kwuntiltunaat, also known as Kim Baird, said the seven First Nations were selected because the university is on their traditional and ancestral lands. The tuition announcement coincided with the release of a framework called the KPU Pathway to Systemic Transformation, which seeks to address and reduce what it considers to be ongoing systemic colonialism, oppression and racism.
Other Canadian universities are working harder to be more accessible for First Nations students. The University of British Columbia (UBC) announced that their financial support for Indigenous students, including scholarships and bursaries, totalled $6.6 million last year. About 55 per cent of the 2,260 Indigenous students studying at UBC in 2022-23 received some form of financial support from the university.
Others, such as the University of the Fraser Valley provide some tuition-free courses and participate in the Indigenous global learning program, which gives Indigenous students a chance to experience international education abroad with most tuition fees and travel costs waived.
Some Indigenous students are eligible to receive federal support from their band to pay for their post-secondary education, including First Nations communities, Métis Associations, or community organizations.
