1st-year enrolment at Sudbury's Laurentian University down 33%

Enrolment of first-year students at Sudbury's Laurentian University dropped by about 33 per cent this fall compared to the same period last year, although universities provincewide have seen a slight rise in newcomers, according to the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC). 

Enrolment numbers published Wednesday by OUAC show Laurentian had 1,024 new students this year, compared to 1,531 in the fall of 2020.

Domestic enrolment, from recent Ontario high school graduates starting at Laurentian, was down 32.6 per cent compared to last year, while enrolment from international and mature students was down 33.8 per cent.

Across Ontario, first-year enrolment among high school graduates was up one per cent, compared to the same period last year, while mature student and international enrolment was down 0.6 per cent.

At the high end, Sault Ste. Marie's Algoma University saw a 26.3 per cent increase in first-year enrolment of high school graduates, while the Université de Hearst, which has a small number of students, saw a 70 per cent decrease.

Laurentian's steep decline follows the announcement in February that the university had filed for insolvency. It became the first public university in Canada to file for creditor protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), allowing it to operate while dealing with its financial situation.

In April, the Sudbury institution cut more than 30 programs to reduce its operating expenses. More than 100 faculty and staff members were also terminated.

In an affidavit to the Ontario Superior Court in August, Laurentian president Robert Haché said the university was forecasting a 30 per cent decline in first-year students. 

In an interview with the CBC earlier this month, Haché said filing for creditor protection was the only option available.

"While it was an extremely difficult decision to make, it was literally the only decision possible for the university," Haché said at the time. "We simply had no alternative at that time but to take the route that we did. Otherwise, we quite literally would have had to close the doors of the university."  

He added the cuts to programs have made it possible for Laurentian to focus on a smaller number of programs "that are in high demand for our students."

"And in fact, with our more focused programming, we will actually have more resources to invest in those programs that students actually want because we have had to close those programs where there was very limited demand."

Student decline a 'symptom' of hard time

Eric Chappell, president of Laurentian's Students' General Association, which represents the university's English-speaking undergraduate students, said the steep decline in first-year enrolment reflects the difficult period the university experienced earlier this year.

"I think it's a symptom of where we were in the conversation last spring," he said. "If you think of high school students when they apply, when they accept their offers, the majority of that time is in the first three months of which we were going through this process where Laurentian was going through some really challenging conversations. There was a lot of doubt out there."

Chappell said he believes Laurentian's first-year enrolment numbers would be much better if new students were making those important decisions today.

"I'm looking at our welcome week event and we've had great turnouts, and the life on campus has come back, but I'm not sure that everyone thought that it would come back as strong as it has." 

Chappell said the university expected a decline in first-year enrolment, and has planned for that. Overall enrolment, when counting the entire student body, is down around 10 per cent, he said.