Based on this government of Ontario’s announcement, it may now be harder for international students to get accepted at 13 public colleges across the province.
According to a recent Toronto Star article, the following public colleges (presented in no particular order) will see a decline in international student enrollment this year:
- Cambrian
- Canadore
- Conestoga
- Fanshawe
- Georgian
- Lambton
- Loyalist
- Niagara
- Northern
- Sault
- Sir Sandford Fleming
- St. Clair
- St. Lawrence
Discover your options to study in Canada
How might this impact international students?
Although it is unclear exactly how much of a decline in enrollment each of the above colleges will see, it is worth noting that five of these colleges appeared on a recent list of the top 10 institutions by study permits approved for international students in 2023.
Note: The following data was taken from a CBC News article published in February 2024. This data was gathered using a access to information request for publicly available data.
| College | Number of Approved Study Permits in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Conestoga (Ontario) | 30,395 |
| University Canada West (British Columbia) | 13,913 |
| Fanshawe (Ontario) | 11,706 |
| Niagara (Ontario) | 11,199 |
| Seneca (Ontario) | 11,042 |
| Lambton (Ontario) | 9,639 |
| Centennial (Ontario) | 9,529 |
| Algoma University (Ontario) | 9,329 |
| Sheridan (Ontario) | 9,211 |
| Fleming (Ontario) | 8,849 |
Note: St. Clair College in Windsor (#11: 7,849 approved study permits), Georgian College* (#13: 7,064 permits approved) and Sudbury’s Cambrian College (#15: 6,441 permits) rounded out the top 15 schools on this 2023 list.
*Georgian College has seven campuses across Ontario, with its main campus being in Barrie
International students in Canada still have options, especially outside Ontario
It is important to know that some schools in Ontario – Canada’s largest international student and newcomer destination province – will be seeing a decline in international student enrollment.
This is because, as a prospective international student coming to Canada, it may be more difficult to be accepted at a post-secondary institution that will be experiencing decreased levels of international student enrollment.
However, it is equally important to remain aware of the fact that international students can also pursue further education elsewhere in Ontario or any of Canada’s other provinces and territories.
In fact, according to an April 5 announcement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), five Canadian regions – Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut – will even be seeing an increase in their study permit allocations for 2024.
Alberta: 40,894 study permits allocated in 2024 (no top-up) – a 10% increase from 2023
Newfoundland and Labrador: 2,365 study permits (pre-top up) allocated in 2024 (top-up of 788 additional permits) – a 10% increase from 2023 (pre-top up)
Yukon: 417 study permits allocated in 2024 (no top-up) – a 205% increase from 2023
Northwest Territories: 333 study permits allocated in 2024 (no top-up) – an increase of 4900% from 2023
Nunavut: 333 study permits allocated in 2024 (no top-up) – an increase of 6567% from 2023
Note: On April 5, IRCC announced each province and territory’s final study permit allocations for 2024. For more details, click here.
Discover your options to study in Canada