How much of the university bill is tuition?

Earlier in the week, Maclean’s On Campus wrote about the debate over how the bill for universities should be split between private students and public taxpayers. Figures showed that 55 per cent of the total cost is funded by governments, while tuition covers only 20 per cent. A few people questioned in the comments section whether taxpayers really foot that much of the bill.

Yesterday, Statistics Canada reported roughly the same spread between public and private. On average, public sources accounted for 61 per cent of total university revenues in 2008-09, while only 22 per cent was covered by tuition and student fees.

But their numbers also showed that the balance between public and private funding varies widely between provinces, which may account for some of the confusion. For example, in Ontario and Nova Scotia, students are footing a lot more of the cost.

Here are the provinces, listed from the place where student tuition makes up the biggest share of revenue, to the place where it makes up the smallest share.

1. Nova Scotia – 31 per cent

2. Ontario – 30 per cent

3. New Brunswick – 28 per cent

4. British Columbia – 25 per cent

5. Prince Edward Island – 18 per cent

6. Manitoba – 17 per cent

7. Alberta – 15 per cent

8. Saskatchewan – 14 per cent

9. Quebec – 13 per cent

10. Newfoundland and Labrador – 12 per cent