A recent analysis by Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) economists Rachel Battaglia and Abbey Xu indicates that the financial return on investment (ROI) of pursuing a postsecondary education has diminished in recent years, as median employment income growth has fallen behind the growth of tuition fees. RBC states that graduates in fields such as architecture, engineering, and related sciences have seen the greatest erosion in the ROI of their tuition, though engineering still holds one of the highest median incomes for undergraduate degree holders. Battaglia and Xu note that provincial tuition caps could improve the ROI of higher education in the future for domestic students, while international students—who are exempt from these caps—may continue to face more challenging circumstances.
