Fleming College faces a significant drop in revenue

At the end of March, Ontario told its colleges and universities how many international students each will be allowed to admit in 2024 under the new federal international student visa cap.

There was no public announcement, and each institution’s allotment is confidential. But there is no hiding the fact that Ontario’s colleges, especially its rural ones, have been hardest hit by the changes. The Toronto Star reported Fleming as one of 13 of the hardest hit colleges by this new reality.

In Fleming’s case, our quota significantly reduces the number of international students we can welcome to our home campuses in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. It effectively shuts the door on any new international student admissions this fall at our midtown Toronto campus, which we operate in a public-private partnership (PPP) with Global University Systems (GUS) Canada. The same goes for all rural colleges that operate satellite campuses in the GTA. We are all still absorbing the shock.

The change will also cause shock waves in Ontario’s economy. Fleming’s Toronto campus draws international students into programs who fill crucial labour shortages, including personal support workers — the people who care for our aging parents.

They are all top-notch programs. Their curriculum was developed by

Fleming. The courses are delivered, and students are evaluated, based upon our requirements, with strict quality control systems in place. Those students may be taught in Toronto by our GUS Canada partner, but they are held to Fleming’s standards for admission and graduation, and Fleming issues their diplomas. As college president, I am proud to sign them.

It’s currently unclear whether the restrictions on PPPs can be relaxed for 2025. I certainly hope federal and provincial officials will quickly come to understand the value these arrangements provide. In the meantime, Fleming must play the hand it’s been dealt.

All told, the changes add up to a cut of roughly one-third of our total budget compared to last year. Here in Ontario, where provincial grants to colleges have shrunk by 25 per cent in the last decade and are by far the lowest in Canada, those international tuition dollars will be difficult, if not impossible, to replace. They allowed Fleming to invest in programs and facilities at our home campus and support more industries in our home region and across the province.

These new financial constraints will impact Fleming’s operations, but we won’t be deterred from our mission. Fleming College is an integral part of our community and our region here in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Fleming will continue to deliver quality programs that meet the needs of our local economy, and we will remain a champion of our region as a great place to live, learn, work and grow.