‘No college will be spared’: International student cap bites in Ontario

Virtually a 12 months after the variety of international students coming to Canada was capped, leading to a drop of virtually 50 per cent for Ontario, schools within the province have began to make deep cuts because the sector goes by way of a “rebalancing.”

A number of schools have introduced large adjustments and suspended packages, blaming the strikes on the discount in worldwide college students, which they relied closely upon for funding.

Inner authorities paperwork obtained by World Information additionally lay out simply how dependent the sector was on worldwide college students — with extra overseas than home learners at schools final 12 months.

The identical paperwork present final 12 months that, on common, worldwide pupil tuition was the most important income for all the province’s public schools.

Confronted with layoffs and cuts, the federal government stated it remained assured in public schools — and their function in coaching graduates.

“We’re at the moment centered on ensuring that post-secondary packages get Ontario college students into rewarding careers that handle the province’s present and future labour market wants,” a spokesperson for Faculties and Universities Minister Nola Quinn stated in an announcement.

“Our post-secondary sector goes by way of a rebalancing proper now and a few tough selections are being made by our establishments to make sure they’re in a position to proceed delivering a world-class schooling right here for college kids.”

Paperwork obtained by World Information utilizing freedom of knowledge legal guidelines present that when Quinn was put accountable for schools in the summertime, he was briefed on simply how reliant the sector had been on college students from overseas.

A slidedeck offered to the minister when he was onboarded reveals nearly 60 per cent of scholars throughout the sector had been worldwide.

A complete of 160,000 home college students had been enrolled in 2023-24 — a three-per cent drop on the earlier 12 months. Worldwide college students made up 215,000, which marked a 43-per cent enhance from the earlier 12 months.

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Based on the doc, the overwhelming majority of these college students had been from India. Sixty-seven per cent of the scholars got here from India, 5 per cent from the Philippines and 5 per cent from Nepal.

The province identified that the inner figures for worldwide college students are unaudited, so may nonetheless be topic to alter.

In 2019, the Ford authorities lowered home tuition by 10 per cent after which capped it at that charge. For worldwide college students, the doc states, “there isn’t any coverage/limitation on worldwide pupil tuition charges.”

Because of this, final 12 months, 32 per cent of all school income got here from worldwide college students. That was in comparison with simply 11 per cent from home college students.

Some schools leant closely into the worldwide pupil market. The doc reveals the next had the best worldwide pupil enrollment in comparison with home:

• Northern (88 per cent worldwide)
• Lambton (85 per cent worldwide)
• Conestoga (77 per cent worldwide)
• Canadore and Cambrian (75 per cent worldwide)
• Niagara, Sault and Loyalist (72 per cent worldwide)

That, the inner paperwork offered to the minister admits, left schools weak to altering environments.

“Enrolment or spending adjustments (resembling worldwide pupil declines from the brand new federal cap) can create fiscal pressures,” one line defined.

Because the variety of worldwide college students attending schools in Ontario fell off a cliff this 12 months, so did the sector’s spending.

A latest report from the Monetary Accountability Workplace of Ontario discovered spending throughout the post-secondary sector — which incorporates universities — dropped by seven per cent within the first half of the 2024-25 12 months.

The most important motive for that drop was “decrease working spending by schools” which amounted to a drop of $752 million.

That lower in spending has been felt on varied campuses throughout Ontario.

Sheridan Faculty, one of many largest post-secondary schooling establishments within the province, suspended 40 packages in November. Seneca Faculty, one other main participant, is briefly closing its Markham, Ont., campus altogether due to an enrolment “decline.”

At Mohawk Faculty, 20 per cent of the executive employees had been let go and 16 packages had been suspended for 2025.

“The layoffs are associated to monetary challenges that had been introduced on by the adjustments to (the) worldwide pupil program,” a spokesperson for Mohawk Faculty stated.

One senior official working within the school system, granted anonymity to debate inside issues, advised World Information the closures and layoffs symbolize the start of an especially tough interval.

“The entire public school system seems to be shifting from a place of economic flexibility to considered one of uncertainty and constraint,” they stated.

“That’s why particular person schools are projecting deficits and making onerous decisions about campus and program closures. No school can be spared as a result of the entire sector is reaching a crucial tipping level.”

Ontario NDP MPP and critic for post-secondary schooling Peggy Sattler stated the drop in spending meant the federal government would take speedy motion.

“Our schools and universities are languishing whereas the federal government spends extra on beer and self-importance tasks than on postsecondary schooling,” she stated in an announcement.

“With out correct funding, extra school campuses and packages will shut, making it tougher to satisfy labor market calls for.”

The federal government stated it was “in fixed contact” with schools and universities “to make sure their long-term success and sustainability.”

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