Pursuing a university education is supposed to be an enriching experience, both intellectually and in more practical, economic terms. Surveys show that over their lifetimes, university graduates have significantly higher incomes and lower rates of unemployment than non-graduates. Doctors, dentists and lawyers are consistently among the highest paid professionals, and expanding high-tech companies are desperate to find graduates trained in engineering and computer science.

Not all degrees bring direct reward, of course, and increasingly, a university education leaves graduates with something quite different -- a crushing debt. With tuition fees rising, government financial assistance for students shrinking and large numbers of unemployed people competing for summer jobs, students are having to apply for large loans to finance their education.

"Some students have accumulated debts amounting to as much as $50,000 or even $80,000," says Anna Kruzynski, a graduate student in social work. Although her mother has been able to provide financial support, Kruzynski nonetheless owes some $10,000 -- and considers herself fortunate.

Last fall, she took part in a protest on campus where students built a "debt wall," with each brick detailing the indebtedness of individual students. Protestors also lived in tents erected outside the James Administration Building for four days, during which students throughout the country demonstrated against tuition increases.

While tuition, which is regulated by each provincial government, is still relatively low in Canada, families have much less disposable income to cover it. A recent study by Statistics Canada showed that tuition had risen 115% since 1980, while the average family income had grown by only 1% in terms of real purchasing power. The study also estimated that a four-year undergraduate degree program could cost as much as $50,000 for a student not living at home.

Judy Stymest, director of Student Aid and the International Student Adviser's Office at McGill, says that about 6,000 students -- just under a third of undergraduates enrolled -- have had to seek some form of financial assistance. While the University is working hard to raise more money for scholarships, government aid is often available only in the form of loans. Stymest says it's hard to know if students leave McGill due to financial difficulty. "But before things reach that point, we make every effort to explore with them ways that they can at least finish the current semester."

Where appropriate, students are advised to take workshops on budget planning. "Some students are away from home for the first time and are not sure how to manage a budget," says Stymest. Another option is the work-study program, started at McGill four years ago, which provided jobs for some 500 students last year.

Providing quality education at an affordable price is a problem for all post-secondary institutions. Unfortunately, many students are sinking into debt while they, governments and universities try to come up with a solution.