<p>It is no secret that McGill (and all Canadian universities) are underfunded. McGill Principal Monroe-Blum has said it many times. McGill principals have been saying it for at least thirty years. Yet McGill is still an excellent school, despite what 'econgrad' says on CC.</p>
<p>If you want to see an example of real underfunding, take a look at what is happening in Pennsylvania: Penn</a> State Live - Devastating appropriation cut advanced for Penn State
Penn State is facing a 52.4% cut in state funding starting in July. Other Pennsylvania public colleges are facing similar cuts. Tuition for in-state students at Penn State is currently $14,000 to $16,000/year, depending on program. </p>
<p>mcgill professors are less well paid on average than almost all canadian universities. How can that attract extremely good professors? It can’t.</p>
<p>Underfunding is a huge problem at mcgill and it needs to be reversed before the school can turn around.</p>
<p>“McGill’s academic salaries will increase by 3.65% beginning June 1, 2010 and 4.65% beginning June 1, 2011. Expect 2.5% salary growth from FY2013 and beyond.”</p>
<p>@monydad:</p>
<p>The tuition hike comments may have refered to the MBA program (but it’s not 70%, it’s more like 1,163%), a decision which will now cost McGill their Quebec funding for that program.</p>
<p>@Perpetual: The decrease in STATE funding for Penn State is over 50%. That is the funding that subsidizes the in-state tuition for Pennsylvania residents, currently the highest in the US at $14,000 to $16,000/year. It has been estimated that if the decrease in state funding is made up through a tuition increase for in-state residents, tuition will be $19,000 to $21,000 next year. There is a suggestion that Penn State should become a private university along the lines of Cornell, with certain schools (agriculture) getting small state subsidies. </p>
<p>It was my understanding that McGill was not claiming the provincial subsidy for its now “private” MBA. </p>
<p>I seldom agree with econgrad on anything except this: Qu</p>
<p>It is regrettable that PSU has to endure this reduction when government money is used to bail out speculators, but that is another discussion.</p>
<p>I partially agree with your comments on Quebec tuition, McGill needs to make up the budget shortfalls somehow. The problem with increasing the Quebec tuition, is that there isn’t really any free lunch, the difference is paid for by taxes.</p>
<p>Let’s say we have two students, one at UofT and one at McGill. Both graduate and get jobs locally paying C$ 50,000 per year. The McGill graduate in Quebec will pay an income tax of roughly 30%, whereas the Toronto grad in Ontario will pay about 24%. Therefore the McGill grad now pays $3000 more in taxes, seems awfully close to that difference between McGill’s tuition and the oft-mentioned “Canadian average” tuition.</p>
<p>I realize this argument overly simplifies things in a gross manner, but as a recent grad, your biggest concern beyond getting a job is probably paying your student debt. In the case of the Quebec graduate and (new) worker, it seems that debt is at least partially deferred to taxation post-graduation.</p>
<p>Once McGill charges the same as UofT or UBC, it will also experience a reverse effect where Quebec students might decide to study elsewhere, since there is now little financial incentive to do it in Quebec.</p>