Uwindsor projects deficit, will `evaluate everything'
Foreign student cap, tuition freeze force search for new revenue streams
The University of Windsor is projecting a budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year due in part to the federal government's cap on international study permits and uncertainty surrounding a provincial review to protect students.
During Wednesday's annual State of the University address held at the CAW Student Centre, Uwindsor president Robert Gordon said the change in federal policy will mean a departure from a “business as usual” approach in order to identify new revenue opportunities.
Besides facing a cap on international students — Uwindsor has 700 international undergraduate students, who could be affected — the school is also waiting for direction from the provincial review and contending with a tuition freeze since 2018.
“Our intentions are to be able to balance our budget for '24-25,” said Gordon.
“But again, I think we have to do it in a different way than maybe we historically have. We're going to evaluate everything, and certainly make sure that we're identifying some short-term opportunities, but also longer term, as well.”
Gordon said the extent of the financial impact on university operations remains uncertain, although there will be more clarity once the province announces its recommendations, expected by the end of this month.
Last fall, the provincial government released the report of a blue-ribbon panel tasked with tackling concerns regarding fiscal stability in the post-secondary sector.
In regard to the main factors influencing the forecasted deficit, Gordon said it is “a combination of the federal announcement, coupled with the uncertainty of where the province is going to land with the recommendations from the blue-ribbon panel.”
In part to help address a growing housing affordability crisis, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a two-year nationwide international student cap last month. For some post-secondary institutions in Ontario, it could mean cutting up to 50 per cent of intake.
In the meantime, he said the university has formed a budget-balancing committee to identify shortterm and long-term solutions.
“We presented a balanced operating budget for 2023-24 of $345 million to the board of governors last spring,” said Gordon.
“That budget also emphasized the importance of agile financial planning to ensure readiness for unforeseen circumstances in the future — much like those we navigated during the past few years in dealing with the pandemic.”
Due to a provincial freeze on domestic tuition increases in effect since 2018, Gordon said the university is unable to raise those rates to offset the deficit.
However, he hopes the province will be more open to raising tuition looking ahead.
“We're hoping that there might be a positive response from the province to allow for some more flexibility on that,” said Gordon.
“Right now, we are having to explore a number of different options for how we balance our budget moving forward.”
Gordon said that a significant portion of the university's international student body is enrolled in graduate programs, so they will be spared from the federal cap which targets scholars at the undergraduate level.
The University of Windsor has almost 18,000 students from 106 countries, according to a press release from the school.
In 2023, the university enrolled more than 12,000 undergraduate students and nearly 6,000 graduate students.
International graduate students make up 25 per cent of the total student population. An additional eight per cent are domestic graduate students.
Domestic undergraduate students account for 62 per cent of the student body, while international undergraduate students comprise five per cent.
Gordon provided additional updates during the address, particularly regarding ongoing developments, including the new student residence being built on Sunset Avenue.
The University of Windsor and partner Tilbury Capital — a firsttime private-public partnership for the school — broke ground on the $60-million project last June, which will shift the dial on westend student housing. The six-storey, 150,000-square-foot residence is expected to open by the fall of 2025.
Gordon said housing will be a key discussion point in the upcoming Chancellor's Leadership Series in March.
In 2023, the university marked the one-year anniversary of the Toldo Lancer Centre. During its inaugural year, the sports centre had 600,000 visitors and earned an outstanding facility award from the National Intramural-recreational Sports Association.
Last year, the $38-million transformation to the interior and exterior of the Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law building was unveiled.
In December 2023, the university revealed its carbon neutrality master plan, which sets “aggressive targets” to reduce 2019 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and be completely carbon neutral by 2050.
Gordon said the university climbed 250 positions in the QS World University Rankings for sustainability. The University of Windsor now ranks 382 in the world out of 1,403 institutions.
A new partnership with the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario will enhance programming and support for newcomers. A budding collaboration with Greenshield will help improve the mental health of students and employees on campus. More opportunities for medical research will arise through a bilateral partnership with Windsor Regional Hospital.
Gordon said the university continues its strong partnerships with Stellantis and Invest Windsoressex to foster opportunities within the community.
“The achievements we celebrate today and the impact we have are a powerful testament to the strength of togetherness,” said Gordon.