Cambrian College says administration is recommending the intake of new students into “several programs” be suspended for the fall term beginning this September.
A brief statement issued by the college Friday afternoon said the matter will be dealt with at the April 23 meeting of Cambrian College’s board of governors.
When asked what “several programs” means, a spokesperson for the college said no further details will be provided until the meeting.
The suspension of intakes of new students into programs is a regular part of academic management on a term-by-term basis, said a written statement from the college.
Projected low enrolment for these programs is driving this decision.
In recent years, international student numbers have seen explosive growth at Canadian post-secondary institutions, including Cambrian College, bolstering their revenues.
Cambrian College posted a record $41 million surplus for its 2023-2024 financial year.
However, the federal government has curtailed foreign student permits over the past year.
“Most of the programs in question rely heavily on international student enrolment,” said the statement from Cambrian.
“Most are not eligible for post-graduate work permits, as a result of federal policy changes. Furthermore, there is not enough domestic enrolment to warrant a new intake at this time.
“It is encouraging to remember that our overall enrolment remains strong. We experienced an increase in domestic enrolment this past year and our projections for domestic enrolment for the upcoming year remain positive.”
Several colleges in Ontario have been announcing program suspensions due to the situation with international students in recent months, including Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie.
Sudbury.com reached out to Neil Shyminsky, president of OPSEU Local 655, which represents professors at Cambrian College.
He said he’s also unable to offer any more details than what has been shared by Cambrian to date, as “a lot of the information that's been shared with me to this point is confidential.”
Shyminsky said he can say that “we've been given assurances that the college will make efforts to maintain as many positions as possible.
“But beyond that, I can just say people are worried. They're worried across the province. The scale of the announcements coming out of other colleges has been pretty dire.
“So I'm not surprised it eventually made its way up here too. Like funding is a problem everywhere.”
Shyminsky said that with domestic tuition fees having been frozen in Ontario for years, and with the loss of international students, colleges are operating on shoestring budgets.
“Anybody who wants to call up their MPP or write an email to the premier, their support is appreciated,” he said.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.