Western to feel financial impact of departing Saudi students

Western University will be financially impacted by the departure of more than 130 international students from Saudi Arabia, said officials.

"We're still trying to sort out what the absolute dollar value is," said Julie McMullin, Vice-Provost, International at Western. "Certainly, we are going to experience a financial loss."

However, more international students than expected have registered for the fall semester, which will help offset the financial hit from the Saudi students' departure, added McMullin.

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As part of its ongoing diplomatic dispute with Ottawa, Saudi Arabia has ordered more than 8,000 of its students to leave Canada by the end of the month, and to continue their studies elsewhere. That includes 131 students at Western, most of them in the medical and engineering fields. 

Departing students have raised concerns about how their credits will be recognized by other institutions, their diplomas, and how to continue their studies in different parts of the world. 

As part of its efforts to make the transition as seamless as possible, Western has created a website for affected students "if they would like to receive resources such as legal support in breaking leases, psychological support, and, of course, there's academic counselling," explained McMullin.

Approximately three percent of the 4,500 international students at Western are from Saudi Arabia. 

"Our message is that Western cares. We will do whatever we can to support students through this transition," said McMullin.