Computer science tuition at Waterloo

[monkey]

The tuition cost per term for first-year computer science co-op at Waterloo (2008-9): $ 4047
The tuition cost per term for first-year Mathematics co-op at Waterloo (2008-9): $ 2408
The difference is $ 1639 per term and therefore $1639*2= $3278 for the first year

Now the strange part is that first-year computer science students take the EXACT same courses as first-year mathematics students. Why is there a large difference in the tuition we pay in the first year?


Note: Mathematics could include Applied mathematics, Acturial science, C and O, pure math and financial math (all of which declare their majors in the second year)

[Brightguy]

CS is a deregulated program, so basically Waterloo can charge what it wants. This also happens in CompMath. I asked the CM advisor about this he said it was just politics.

[Prabhakar Ragde]

Politics it is. CS tuition was deregulated and made differentially high at the height of the dot-com boom, and the administration is reluctant to give up the cash cow even though demand has gone way down and it arguably acts as a deterrent for these programs. The School of CS has no say in the matter.

[octopi]

What's to stop someone from registering in Math first year, and then transferring over second year?
If you keep your marks sufficiently high, I can't foresee any problems (but I'm also not a Waterloo student, so they may have different policies regarding changing majors)

[Tony]

octopi @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:05 am wrote:

What's to stop someone from registering in Math first year, and then transferring over second year?

The odd chance that the transfer doesn't go smoothly. It took me 2 years to change my majors, but it was from a different faculty and I wasn't in the best academic (although in non-marks matter) standing.

Doing first year Math, one is already in the right faculty and taking all the right courses. If one is confident in their marks and doesn't mind some extra administrative hassle, there's $3K to be saved.

[monkey]

Prabhakar Ragde @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:57 am wrote:

CS tuition was deregulated and made differentially high at the height of the dot-com boom

Why did this happen?

[endless]

monkey @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:57 pm wrote:

Prabhakar Ragde @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:57 am wrote:

CS tuition was deregulated and made differentially high at the height of the dot-com boom

Why did this happen?

supply and demand?

[monkey]

endless @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:10 pm wrote:

monkey @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:57 pm wrote:

Prabhakar Ragde @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:57 am wrote:

CS tuition was deregulated and made differentially high at the height of the dot-com boom

Why did this happen?

supply and demand?

Yea I guess. It's a shame it doesn't work both ways i.e. when the dot com bubble burst, they didn't lower tuition

[Tony]

They would lower it only if the demand was to fall below the capacity. As long as Waterloo fills all their CS seats, there's no incentive to drop the prices.

[monkey]

Tony @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:50 pm wrote:

They would lower it only if the demand was to fall below the capacity. As long as Waterloo fills all their CS seats, there's no incentive to drop the prices.

Right, that makes sense.
I should take an economics course so I don't seem like such an idiot when talking about these things. lol

[randint]

Thread revival:

Oh wow, that was 15 years ago? That is partially why I am not in CS

[crossley7]

5 years, not 15. And yeah it is nasty. Something I wasn't 100% aware when I entered. Though I doubt I would have gone the other way anyway with the risk of losing co-op or something along those lines.

[Tony]

Well since we are updating the thread anyway...

monkey @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 6:29 am wrote:

The tuition cost per term for first-year computer science co-op at Waterloo (2008-9): $ 4047

The co-op fees seem to be on a separate schedule, but a 2012-13 equivalent seems to be along the lines of $5620. Slightly cheaper than Engineering, way more than any other program.

[Nathan4102]

Do you pay $5620 per term of classes only? Or are your co-op terms included in this?

[DemonWasp]

You pay tuition only in terms where you attend classes (ie not co-op terms). However, co-op students pay a hefty fee with their tuition to fund the co-op program (about $1000/term, included in the $5620 amount above).