BU aids hike in Indigenous enrolment

If education paves the road to success, it’s a path that increasingly leads to Brandon University for Indigenous students.

The school announced this week that it has a 12.5 per cent increase from last year as of Sept. 1, which is an outstanding achievement for everyone involved, with about 17 per cent of the total student population self-declared as Indigenous, the BU website says.

Indigenous is defined as Métis, Inuit, First Nation status and First Nation non-status.

The latest numbers bring the total count to 570 with Brandon, Winnipeg, The Pas, Dauphin and Thompson driving the rise as the university sees increased applications from high schools in communities with larger Indigenous populations. BU does not conduct its final enrolment census until Nov. 1, so that number is likely to change.

The growth didn’t happen by accident.

Brandon University appointed a new Indigenous recruitment and transition officer position within student services, providing a full-time staff member dedicated to Indigenous student outreach.

“She visits First Nations communities, works with education counsellors in those communities, and also works with the students to help choose courses and ease that move to university life,” Brandon University dean of students Katie Whelpton said in a story that appeared in Wednesday’s edition of The Brandon Sun.

Numbers were up 4.4 per cent in 2024-25, and the university saw a major surge in 2025-26 as total Indigenous enrolment increased by 14 per cent to 529 students. That included the 145 first-time Indigenous students. Statistics Canada found that in 2024, 16 per cent of Indigenous peoples held a university degree, compared to 36 per cent of the overall population.

There are more Indigenous adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher since 2016, but the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations has still widened across the country.

This is the kind of outreach that can help change that statistic.

The increase comes at a good time for the school. Fewer international students are attending the school due to federal changes affecting international student recruitment across Canada in 2024. Coupled with the graduation of students who arrived before the changes were made, the numbers are plunging.

As of Sept. 1, the total international student head count was down 14.3 per cent, though the university had 57 first-time international students compared with 45 at the same point last year, representing a 26.7 per cent increase.

As of Sept. 1, BU had 254 international students.

Still, BU’s current overall head count is about four per cent higher, which is above the three per cent increase in overall enrolment by the fall census that the university considers a strong number.

Brandon University has traditionally done an excellent job of recruiting and catering to rural students looking for a more intimate learning experience than the larger schools provide, and this is a nice indication it’s an approach they continue to value.

Above and beyond the certificate on the wall, a university education has been linked to higher life satisfaction, lower unemployment rates, bigger paycheques and better outcomes for future generations.

It’s nice to hear more Indigenous folks sharing that journey.