Facts and Figures 2008
Financial Data
Commitment to Accessibility and Excellence
Demonstrating its own commitment to support deserving students, U of G has increased its spending on student assistance over the last decade by 338 per cent to $24.4 million in 2007/08. This dramatic increase in student financial assistance is delivered through a balanced program based on both need and merit.
Since 1997/98, the University’s financial assistance commitment has grown at a much faster rate than tuition fees. Over that period, average tuition fees per FTE student have increased by 35% while student assistance measured similarly has increased by 151%.
In addition to the scholarships and bursaries, the University provides more than $1.2M in assistance through the Work Study Program.
The University provides employment opportunities for nearly 3,400 of its students generating $25 million in salaries.
Commitment to Accessibility and Excellence
The University of Guelph commits a greater share of its operating expenditures to student financial assistance than the majority of its sister institutions across Canada. In the most recent Maclean’s Survey, Guelph dedicated 7.2% of its operating budget to scholarships and bursaries – well above the national average of 6.5%.
More Productive Use of Resources
Over the last decade, the University of Guelph has undergone extensive restructuring and consolidation of administrative functions. We can now boast that we are among the least costly universities in the province in terms of the percentage of institutional expenditures associated with the University’s major central administrative operations (e.g. executive offices, financial and administrative services, human resources, board and senate secretariat, investment management, space planning etc.) as defined by the Council of Ontario Financial Officers – Universities of Ontario.
Commitment to Enriching the University Experience and Fostering Success
The University of Guelph is the most residentially-intensive university in the Ontario university system with approximately 6,000 students living on campus. We are proud of our support programs to ease the transition from high school to university and continue through their university experience. The University offers a plethora of services to support its community within the community; services which a university with fewer on-campus residents, and in a larger urban centre, may not. According to the 2008 Maclean’s Survey, the University of Guelph committed significantly more of its operating budget to student services than the majority of its sister institutions across Canada.
Investing in Our Future
Since 1991/92, the University’s endowment fund has increased by 388 per cent, with nearly 60 per cent of the total endowment now generating revenue to fund student assistance programs.
