Housing key for universities escaping international student cuts
University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier will not see foreign enrolment declines
The region’s universities believe first-year housing guarantees and other wraparound supports for international students helped play a role in the province’s decision to maintain its international enrolments.
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities announced its long-awaited framework for a 50 per cent cap on international enrolment at postsecondary institutions last week, introducing a formula that won’t allow new international enrolment to exceed 55 per cent of first-year domestic enrolment from 2023 at any institution, outside of high-demand programs.
Other than Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, all public universities in the province — including the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University — will see its numbers unchanged from 2023, with colleges taking the bulk of the cuts.
At Waterloo, federal data shows the school was approved for just over 1,700 student visa permits last year.
Laurier had about 400 permits approved.
“We have been responsible supporters of international students with broad wraparound supports including a first-year housing guarantee and we appreciate that the provincial government recognized this with their allocation of permits,” said Rebecca Elming, spokesperson for Waterloo.
While schools have attempted to ramp up international enrolment numbers to offset costs, Waterloo has seen its numbers decline in recent years.
Between 2022 and 2023, federal government approvals for student visas dropped by more than 100.
“We remain concerned that the
visa cap implementation, combined with ongoing forces such as geopolitical tensions, has had a detrimental effect on our ability to attract students in the future,” said Elming.
“We will continue to work with all levels of government to ensure that international students have the high-quality experience of Waterloo that is our hallmark, and that benefits Ontario and Canada.”
Concerns are similar at other universities; many had planned on continuing to grow international enrolment to offset a tuition freeze set by the Doug Ford government in 2019.
The freeze, which also came with an initial 10 per cent reduction, is expected to remain in place until at least 2027.
“The decision to cap international undergraduate allocations at 2023 levels will restrict the ability for universities to modestly increase enrolment, which will exacerbate financial pressures on the sector,” Steve Orsini, president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities, said in a statement.
At least eight universities are still forecasting operating deficits in 2023/24 for a combined total of $152 million, the council revealed in March. At least 12 universities are projecting operating deficits in 2024/25 for a combined total of $293 million.
Waterloo is currently projecting a deficit of nearly $75 million for the upcoming fiscal year.
Laurier has yet to signal its budget forecast but is coming off a year where it initially forecasted a deficit of about $11 million, before announcing in January it was able to mitigate some of the costs due to austerity measures.
In response to the latest provincial budget announcement, Orsini said universities in the province are at a breaking point, and many will have no choice but to scale back on the programs, services and supports they offer.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with the provincial government to support the success of international students,” Orsini said. “By working together, we can ensure that Ontario remains a welcoming and competitive destination for global talent.”
While universities play a major role in international enrolment, much of the attention locally has been on Conestoga College, which was singled out by the ministry as having the largest expected decline compared to 2023, along with public colleges with private college partnerships.
Conestoga had more than 30,000 student visas approved by the federal government in 2023, and now expects that number to decline by more than half this year.
Without an exact number available, expectations are that Conestoga’s international enrolment will be somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 in 2024.
The reduction will still likely see the college accept more international students than any other institution in the province this year; no college or university will be allowed to exceed its 2023 numbers, and Seneca College in Toronto had the second-most student visas approved in 2023, with just under 11,000.
International enrolment has been growing at Laurier in recent years, but the numbers have been minuscule compared to others in the sector, jumping from about 260 in 2022 to about 400 in 2023.
Since Thursday’s provincial announcement, staff at Laurier have been working with prospective international students to lock down their spots for the upcoming semester.
Despite the freeze, Laurier said it intends to continue growing its international enrolment, once provincial policy permits.
The current cap is only expected to last for two years.
“Laurier’s goal is to grow the number of international students while ensuring international student growth is sustainable, ethical, and aligned with the student experience the university is known for,” it said in a statement.