i will be attending confed this fall. after all my research it was the best choice. according to the tuition information in the next step booklet they sent me it will cost just under $8K for CPL with float endorsement and 200+ hours.
sault program (not sioux) is a three year program and the cost is very similar to confed. the only thing is you pay for a third year. all the flying is subsidized by the government though. you recieve CPL w/ MIFR and most likely 200+ hours.
seneca college has decided to make their flight program an associated degree. not quite a college diploma, not quite a university degree. it costs around $3K per semester for ten semesters. so yes it is rather expensive it is still a better deal then your average flight school simply because you get an applied science degree out of it. whether that makes you more marketable as a pilot is questionable... especially for your first few years in the business. i believe you get a CPL w/ MIFR and most likely 200+ hours too.
i think seneca still gets subsidies from the government for the flying portion of your training (i could be wrong).
i chose confed for several different reasons... the most important of which was the tuition fees and number of years in the program. another reason is that they start the flight training in the first semester... in fact it is required of you to solo by the end of the first semester. i also like that the program is geared towards bush flying. for most that don't take the instructor route bush flying is usually where you end up.
as for MIFR they do teach you all the ground schooling for the endorsement. they just don't have the aircraft to complete the flying portion. again for most you will most likely not need it for several years anyway... at which point the IFR would have expired.
btw.. when did you apply?
i applied back in january and i thought my grades were pretty good.. especially sinice i already had a college diploma. i was put on the waiting list for three weeks before they sent me an offer of admissions.
it's a tough program to get into because there are a limited number of spaces (around 65). i was told that only half that number actually make it through the first semester let alone complete the course and graduate.
good luck... and hope to see you there this fall.