BU board approves $73.71 budget for 2026-27

Brandon University’s board of governors approved the 2026-27 budget during its June meeting on Saturday, earmarking $73.71 million in operating expenses for the next academic year.

The $73, 714,283 budget reflects a growth of over $3.7 million in expenses from last year’s approved budget.

The budget projects total operating revenues of $71,820,847 and total operating expenses of $73,714,283, resulting in a projected operating deficit of $1.9 million. However, the university’s overall consolidated budget remains balanced, largely due to positive financial results from the Brandon University Foundation.

The budget also includes a four per cent increase in domestic tuition fees, the maximum permitted by the provincial government, and a six per cent increase in international tuition fees.

Board chair Kevan Sumner said the operating deficit remains a concern.

“We’re happy we have a balanced budget that we got to where we are, but we know there’s a lot of work ahead to make sure that we can continue balancing budgets into the future,” Sumner told the Sun after the meeting.

Sumner said the university will focus on areas where it has greater control, including increasing domestic enrolment, improving student retention and strengthening community support through fundraising.

“We have a pretty good indication from the province on where provincial funding is going to be over the next few years, so that really puts the onus on us to pursue the funding where there is some measure of control for us,” he said.

Undergraduate enrolment is projected to increase by seven per cent among Indigenous domestic students and five per cent among other domestic students. At the same time, overall international enrolment is expected to decline by 13.5 per cent because of continuing federal study permit restrictions, reducing tuition revenue by an estimated $456,000.

Sumner said attracting more high school graduates to Brandon University and retaining students who may otherwise transfer to other institutions will be key strategies moving forward. He also pointed to research opportunities and continued support from donors as important components in addressing future budget challenges.

The budget proposes an additional $3.12 million in salaries and benefits compared with the 2025-26 budget, reflecting negotiated wage increases, position replacements, leaves and staffing additions. Salaries and benefits continue to represent the university’s largest expense.

“There’s no hiring freeze in place,” the chair said. “We just need to continue to be careful and intentional as we fill positions going into the future.”

On international enrolment, Sumner said the university has been less affected than some institutions because it has not relied as heavily on international students for revenue.

“We certainly want to continue welcoming international students — they’re an important part of our campus community — but it’s sort of out of our hands in terms of what we can do to recruit more international students,” he said.

Looking ahead, Sumner said the university plans to engage faculty, staff, students, deans and department heads more directly in future budget discussions in hopes of finding creative solutions to the institution’s structural deficit.

“We are looking at changing the way we work internally in future years, in terms of engaging with our campus community,” he said. “The hope is that can help better inform future budgets and help find creative solutions to things like the structural deficit.”

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