BU sees 23% drop in international students

International student enrolment at Brandon University has dropped by more than 23 per cent this fall, based on the university’s preliminary numbers.

At the same time, Indigenous and local enrolments at BU have shown strong growth.

BU’s Sept. 1 snapshot shows overall enrolment holding steady, up slightly by 0.7 per cent to 3,117 students. First-time students rose by 3.1 per cent to 739.

But the total international student numbers continue to decline as larger cohorts from past years graduate, BU spokesperson Grant Hamilton told the Sun on Friday.

“We are welcoming about 100 fewer international students this year — 321 compared to 421 last year,” he said.

“A decline was expected and part of our planning, as larger cohorts from past years graduate out, but we are also seeing fewer graduate-level international students.”

That national trend has also been felt at Assiniboine Community College, where new international student enrolment is projected to fall by as much as 70 per cent this fall, a sharp decline administrators say is tied to federal policy changes introduced over the past 18 months.

At the undergraduate level, BU admitted 40 first-time international students this fall, essentially “flat” compared to 41 last year. But Hamilton noted that overall international enrolment has been trending downward, in line with changes to federal study permit policies.

Ottawa’s policy changes are a “blunt instrument” that failed to consider regional needs, Manitoba’s Advanced Education Minister Renée Cable told the Sun.

“We’ve really gone to bat for international students,” she said. “They add to the social fabric, to our local workforce and to the diversity of campuses. It’s really unfortunate what has happened.”

Cable said she hears stories every day about the impact international students make in the province, from filling workforce shortages to building community ties. “They are exactly the kind of people we want to stay, to work and raise families here,” she said.

Despite the decline in international students, BU is celebrating strong gains in Indigenous student enrolment.

Numbers are up 14 per cent to 529 students, with first-time Indigenous enrolments surging nearly 24 per cent to 145. Indigenous students now make up almost 17 per cent of BU’s student population, with nearly one in five new students identifying as Indigenous.

“This is a point of pride,” Hamilton said. “It aligns with our vision of being Canada’s finest regional university, and we plan to highlight this growth for Truth and Reconciliation Day.”

Local enrolments are also rising. BU welcomed 403 new students from Brandon this year, compared with 351 in 2023 and 330 in 2022.

Hamilton said the September figures are preliminary, adding that BU will not finalize its numbers until November, after late registrations and course changes are complete.

“There are always variances as late-coming students arrive and register, or as others choose a different path than BU and leave,” Hamilton said. “But there are many positive trends overall.”

Cable said the province will continue to “push” the federal government on behalf of international students.

“While doing what we can to support encouraging more international students to consider Manitoba, I know that every institution is doing what they can to ensure that they’re providing a welcoming environment for them,” she said. “There are many opportunities for international students. But we’ll continue to fight.”

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