Feds to blame for costly drop in international students: Brandon University president

International applications for first-time students have plummeted nearly 60 per cent at Brandon University, and its president is blaming federal policies capping the number of students allowed to study in Canada.

David Docherty says the number of international freshmen admitted to the university plunged to 54 in 2024 from 195 in 2023.

"The word is out in the international community for students … that Canada is no longer as welcoming as it was," Docherty said. "That's why we're seeing the dramatic decrease."

International enrolment is expected to decline even more in the fall semester after applications for first-time students fell to 1,238 in 2024 from 2,831 in 2023, a plunge of 56 per cent.

International students pay about 3½ times more than domestic students, and their declining enrolment is straining the budget and hurting students, Docherty says.

While the federal government can't tell the university whom they can accept, they can limit the number of international students allowed in Canada. That means international enrolment is being hit on multiple fronts, Docherty says.

A decision from Canada's immigration minister placed tight caps limiting student permits to 437,000 in 2025 and 2026, down from 485,000 permits in 2024, which was already a 47 per cent decrease compared with 2023.

At the same time prospective students now have to show they have access to $20,635 in the bank instead of $10,000. 

Stability needed

Janine Campbell, international student representative on the university's governance team, says she already noticess the difference: she says here's less diversity and cultural vibrancy on her campus of 3,200.

The third-year student says potential scholars are opting to study in other countries because Canada no longer seems like a welcoming place.

"It wouldn't be your first choice," said Campbell, who hails from Jamaica. "They're not able to either afford it, or they don't want to go through the longer process of getting a study permit. It's just kind of sad to see."

Campbell has a friend back home who couldn't afford to jump through the hoops to study in Brandon.

In the past international students usually comprised about 15 per cent of the campus population.

However, the university saw the number of international students enrolled fall to 447 in 2024 from 527 in 2023  

The university is not alone in facing impacts from dwindling international student number, Docherty says. That's why they're working with Universities Canada to push the federal government to allow more students to study in the country.

Docherty says the university is being punished for issues in other parts of the country, including southwestern Ontario, that have seen a surge in the international student population.

He wants to see Manitoba post-secondary schools granted most-favoured institution status so the province as a whole gets greater access to international students.