International
Unethical practices by Private Colleges in British Columbia
Overview
Private colleges in British Columbia, Canada, are being accused of unethical practices by One Voice Canada, a non-profit organization assisting vulnerable international students. Vancouver Career College and Granville College have been identified as institutions with issues, including misleading students and making it difficult for them to obtain refunds. For instance, one student at Granville College withdrew 10 days after beginning her program and received only 10-minute classes, but was offered only a $900 refund despite having paid $11,000.
“Complaints of Unethical Business Practices at Private Colleges in British Columbia”
Vancouver Career College has also been accused of making it hard for students to get refunds, with one student required to pay nearly $10,000 after withdrawing from a six-month program. However, the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB), which is part of the Ministry of Advanced Education, found in June 2022 that Vancouver Career College had misled the student regarding instruction time. As a result, the student was not required to pay the fees demanded by the college.
“International student accuses college of offering only 10-minute classes in hospitality program”
According to immigration consultant and policy analyst Earl Blaney, refund requests from international students are increasing due to misleading expectations from education agents, declining education quality, and immigration processing issues. He argued that penalising students for requesting refunds through making it difficult to access them or levying excessive penalties was misguided, as students were not to blame. The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills has acknowledged the allegations raised against Vancouver Career College and Granville College and is working to ensure that the government can respond quickly if private institutions promote substandard education to students.