Enrolment up at New Brunswick universities, says Association of Atlantic Universities

After a drop in 2020, it appears enrolment at New Brunswick universities has generally bounced back in 2021.

Preliminary numbers released by the Association of Atlantic Universities show an overall full time enrolment increase of 3.2 per cent for New Brunswick universities.

This came one year after full time enrolment at the province's four universities fell by 0.9 per cent.

Peter Halpin, the association's executive director, said this year's numbers show last year's decline was entirely related to the COVID-19 pandemic and not evidence of a downward trend.

"Learning online was great and it worked for many, however students like to be on campus," said Halpin. 

"They like to live in residence for a year or two. They like to be involved in extracurricular activities. It's very much of a 'coming of life' experience. So there was a real strong desire among students to return, and it's reflected in the numbers."

For most New Brunswick universities, the only negative number was a drop in part-time students.

Overall, universities saw their part-time enrolment decline by 14.1 per cent.

But Halpin said those numbers should be interpreted positively as students returning to full-time studies after a break during COVID.

"I'm certain that many students ... and their families talk about it 'Well, gee, it looks like the whole academic year is going to be online. I'm not so sure how I'm going to adapt to that. So maybe I'll take two or three courses and get a part time job'," said Halpin.

International students

Another positive, and potentially surprising, trend was an uptick in the number of international students enrolling at New Brunswick universities.

The number of full-time visa students at provincial universities has gone up on average 30 per cent from last year.

"Universities have shown themselves to be the best source of new immigrants to the region and to the province," said Halpin.

"We also know from our research among international students that around 65 per cent or more would like to stay following their graduation. That's a real positive outcome for the province and for the universities."

Khaleem Shaik, a fourth year international student at UNB, said he's seen an increase in international students at the university.

He attributes some of the increase to the difficulty some international students had in taking classes remotely in vastly different time zones.

"I've heard stories from my friends telling me that they wake up at like 2:00 a.m. for our 10 a.m. class," said Shaik. 

Still, it wasn't exactly easy for international students to come to New Brunswick with restrictions around COVID-19 still in place.

Shaik helped returning students navigate the restrictions, including dealing with isolation and getting vaccines.

He said some students had to be vaccinated twice because vaccines they received in their home countries were not recognized in Canada.

STU suffers setback

One New Brunswick university did see a decline in numbers.

St. Thomas University in Fredericton saw its full time enrolment fall by seven per cent.

This is not a new trend.

Since 2012 enrolment at STU has fallen every school year except for 2018.

In 2012 the number of full-time students stood at 2,491. This year, it's 1,765.

Jeffrey Carleton, spokesperson for STU, conceded overall enrolment has gone down, but said some context is needed in the numbers.

He said unlike the University of New Brunswick or the University of Moncton, STU is a liberal arts university, so it has fewer faculties than bigger universities.

He said while overall enrolment is down, STU's share of arts students has remained stable.

"St. Thomas has consistently had a share of about 10 or 11 per cent of all liberal arts students in Maritime Canada," said Carleton. 

"We're the largest liberal arts enrolment in New Brunswick, larger than UNB, larger than Mount A. And we're the third largest in Maritime Canada, just after Dalhousie and St. Mary's,"

He said part of the decline can be attributed to a general decline in arts enrolment at universities nationwide.

And while UNB, located steps away from STU, also has a Faculty of Arts, Carleton says STU continues to have a place in Fredericton.

"It's small, it's intimate, it's student focused. It's a teaching university. The professors know their students," said Carleton.

"If St. Thomas University weren't here; the students who come to Fredericton would simply not come to Fredericton because they wouldn't get that STU experience."