TORONTO — Certainly one of Ontario’s largest faculties is suspending dozens of packages within the newest spherical of cuts at post-secondary establishments because the federal authorities reduces the variety of worldwide college students in Canada.
TORONTO — Certainly one of Ontario’s largest faculties is suspending dozens of packages within the newest spherical of cuts at post-secondary establishments because the federal authorities reduces the variety of worldwide college students in Canada.
Toronto’s Centennial School stated 49 full-time packages won’t settle for new college students within the 2025-26 tutorial 12 months, together with 16 packages in its enterprise college, 14 packages in its media college and 7 packages in its engineering college.
It stated the modifications won’t affect college students who’re at the moment enrolled in these packages and they’ll be capable to graduate.
School president and CEO Craig Stephenson stated the establishment is adapting to modifications within the federal authorities’s immigration coverage that led to a giant drop in worldwide pupil enrolments, which considerably impacted the college’s monetary standing.
The faculty anticipates new worldwide enrolments will decline by 43 per cent within the present tutorial 12 months, leading to a lack of practically 5,000 worldwide college students in comparison with the 2023-24 tutorial 12 months.
“We’re adapting to federal immigration coverage modifications which have had vital implications for our enrolments and funds throughout the present provincial funding and coverage context,” Stephenson stated in an announcement.
“As we proceed to teach college students for profession success on this new actuality, we’re adjusting our full-time tutorial program choices following a complete, evidence-based evaluate.”
Stephenson stated job cuts are “unavoidable” amid this system suspensions however the school is making these modifications to make sure its long-term sustainability.
Centennial School’s announcement comes as faculties and universities throughout the nation face program and staffing cuts after Ottawa’s resolution early final 12 months to slash the variety of worldwide pupil permits, with Ontario seeing its allotment reduce in half.
The federal authorities introduced final September that it might additional cut back the cap for this 12 months to 437,000 permits, down from the 2024 goal of 485,000. Ottawa’s plan means some 300,000 fewer worldwide examine permits will likely be issued over the following few years.
Ontario faculties which have introduced program cuts in current months embrace Algonquin School, which stated it was planning to shut its campus in Perth, Ont., by the tip of August 2026 because of “unprecedented” monetary challenges.
Algonquin School president and CEO Claude Brulé stated in a message to the college group on Jan. 9 the establishment is projecting a $32 million loss in income within the 2024-25 fiscal 12 months and it is anticipating a deficit of $60 million for 2025-26 and $96 million for 2026-27 if no measures had been taken to mitigate the finances crunch.
“That is a particularly troublesome resolution that isn’t taken frivolously and is a direct results of the monetary challenges we face,” he stated.
Brulé stated the school can also be conducting a full evaluate of its packages, administrative and assist companies to focus assets on its core operations.
“These are essentially the most difficult fiscal occasions within the school’s historical past. I perceive how morale is being negatively impacted and workers and learners could also be feeling involved and anxious as they await updates,” he stated.
Sheridan School stated in November it was suspending 40 packages together with some in utilized science and know-how, enterprise and animation, however that present college students would nonetheless be capable to graduate. Seneca Polytechnic has quickly shuttered its Markham, Ont., campus north of Toronto due to an anticipated decline in pupil inhabitants.
The president of Centennial School stated the college will proceed to supply 128 full-time packages and admit new college students, with the potential for reintroducing the suspended packages “sooner or later.”
Ontario’s post-secondary establishments, particularly faculties, turned more and more to worldwide college students after the provincial authorities reduce home tuition by 10 per cent in 2019 and froze it there. The province stated final 12 months it might maintain these tuition charges frozen however introduced a further $1.3 billion in funding for post-secondary establishments over three years.
Many Ontario faculties and universities stated they had been operating deficits and the province’s top-up is about half of what they wanted.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 22, 2025.
Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
