O, Canada! The search for real college values leads north of the border

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Sept, 1998 by Marc L. Schulhof

The school has 21,000 students--about 1,200 from the U.S. Tuition ranges from $5,600 to $6,200, depending on the program. Room and board, either on- or off-campus, runs about $3,400 to $4,300. Grand total? A maximum of $10,500 per year.

* University of British Columbia (www.ubc.ca), in Vancouver, is a scenic drive from Seattle and a quick flight from anywhere on the West Coast. The school's 33,500 students have the great outdoors right at their doorsteps.

Some of UBC's many innovative offerings include a cooperative work-study arrangement for engineering students and a bachelor of commerce degree that introduces undergraduates to concepts rarely found outside an MBA classroom.

Tuition for U.S. students at UBC varies by program, from around $9,400 for the liberal arts to $11,600 for the applied sciences. Room and board costs anywhere from $2,900 to $5,600.

* University of Guelph (www.uoguelph.ca) boasts a college-town setting and the serenity of a rural location--but in close proximity to the bustle of Toronto. With 10,500 students, it prides itself on a strong research focus. But undergraduates may choose from among almost 80 majors, from landscape architecture to veterinary medicine. The campus includes a 400-plus-acre arboretum. Annual tuition is approximately $7,000; room and board ranges from $3,400 to $4,500.

* University of Toronto (www.utoronto.ca), with 39,000 full-time students and 14,000 part-timers, is the biggest university in Canada. The school offers 300 undergraduate programs. Off-campus, too, students can choose from a huge variety of activities. Toronto is known for its theater district, its big-city, cosmopolitan feel, and its cleanliness and safety. U.S. students pay about $5,400 to $7,500 in tuition. Add $4,000 for room and board.

* University of Windsor (www.uwindsor.ca). The 10,500 students here can see the Detroit skyline from campus. U.S. students pay only $3,500 in tuition, far less than at nearby Wayne State University ($7,400 in-state, $16,500 out-of-state) or the University of Michigan ($6,062 in-state, $18,884 out-of-state). The school had only seven U.S. undergraduates last year, but is trying to drum up more interest through a marketing program that targets midwestern high school students. Room and board costs about $4,200.