Tuition rebates provided to Durham College students who have withdrawn

Oshawa, ON – Durham College (DC) announced today that tuition refunds are being processed for over 1,186 full-time post-secondary students who have withdrawn from their programs as a result of the province-wide faculty strike.

“Durham College, like other colleges, was committed to supporting students who didn’t feel they could complete their studies because of the duration of the strike,” said DC president Don Lovisa. “Many students were looking to return for a fresh start and we are continuing to work with them to help them to be successful in their college education.”

The final numbers for student withdrawals were officially released today. Across the province, about 90 per cent of full-time post-secondary college students have chosen to continue in their programs.

“At Durham College, almost 89 per cent of students are continuing their studies and we are pleased that they made the choice to work with faculty and the college in their semester completion,” Lovisa said. “We will ensure they get a complete education that provides them with the professional and technical expertise to pursue their career goals or plans to continue their studies.”

During the strike, colleges began working on relief funding for eligible students who were affected by the strike. The criteria for applying for the Student Strike Relief Fund has been emailed to students and shared on the college’s website. DC is continuing to work with all eligible applications to ensure students receive any assistance they require.

DC will work with the province to try to ensure the financial losses do not impact the high quality of the programs and services for which we are known.

-30-

About Durham College

At Durham College (DC), the student experience comes first. With campuses in Oshawa and Whitby and a learning site in Pickering, the college offers more than 12,000 full-time post-secondary and apprenticeship students access to more than 140 full-time and eight apprenticeship programs in a number of different disciplines, enabling them to develop the skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market. The college is also set to launch its first four-year degree program, the Honours Bachelor of Health Care Technology Management, in September 2018.

The Oshawa campus features the state-of-the art Student Services building and will soon feature the Centre for Collaborative Education, a legacy project tied to DC’s 50th anniversary in 2017. The new facility will bring together local, Indigenous and global communities, providing a new home for several of the college’s most innovative and ground-breaking programs.

The Whitby campus features the award-winning W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, which includes Bistro ’67, a full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a retail store featuring food prepared by students in the college’s culinary programs.

For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000.