BC budget committee recommends creation of upfront grants program

In its report on budget consultations, BC's Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services recommends the province establish a system of upfront, needs-based grants to ensure success for students at all socioeconomic levels. The committee also suggests lowering student-loan interest rates to the same national ranking as provincial tuition fees -- i.e. middle of the pack. Other recommendations include reviewing the application of accounting standards to colleges and universities, compiling a BC-wide inventory of current and future PSE infrastructure maintenance needs, continuing to fund graduate seats and supporting a BC graduate fellowship program, and recommitting to the MOU the province signed with Simon Fraser University in 2006 to double the size of SFU's Surrey campus from 2,500 to 5,000 full-time equivalent students. CFS-BC News Release | Report on the Budget 2012 Consultations