Student debt information misleading

This letter was published on the Montreal Gazette website on March 25, 2013

Christine Tausig Ford
Vice President
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

An important debate is taking place in Quebec and across Canada about the skills shortage. Unfortunately this debate often veers toward misinformed rhetoric, which clouds the real issues. 

Christopher Curtis’ post-budget story (Critics say Ottawa needs to start improving access to post-secondary education, March 21) does just that. Curtis repeats the erroneous statement that the average university graduate leaves campus with $28,000 in debt. It’s simply not true. 

In fact, 40 percent of university students graduate debt-free. Of those with debt, the average is $24,000. 

Thankfully, in this post-budget period, increased attention is being focused on where there are real shortages of qualified employees. As a recent CIBC study points out, most of the in-demand occupations in Canada – including those in health care, science and a variety of management positions – require a university degree.