Carleton University says it is projecting a significant increase in its operating deficit in the 2024-25 academic year as a result of the reduction in the number of international students being let into the province. A letter to "all members of the Carleton community", signed by L. Pauline Rankin, provost and vice-president of Academics, and Angela Marcotte, interim vice-president of finance and administration, said the university has seen international enrolment drop dramatically after following new federal caps.
"The impact of the federally-imposed cap on international undergraduate student visas has been dramatic, resulting in a 55 per cent reduction in first-year undergraduate international student enrolment. Simultaneously, we experienced a 35 per cent reduction of incoming international graduate students," the letter read. The 10 per cent domestic tuition cut and freeze in Ontario was also mentioned as having a "destabilizing effect" on Carleton's financial health.
"At the beginning of the 2024-25 fiscal year, it was estimated that Carleton’s operating budget deficit would be $26 million...
Due to these additional external factors, our projected operating deficit is now significantly higher and current financial forecasting suggests that it will continue to increase without serious intervention,” read the letter. It comes as Algonquin College made a similar announcement, saying reduced international enrolment is leading to an expected revenue shortfall of $32 millio.
