Centennial College suspending 49 programs as international enrolment declines

Toronto's Centennial College says it's suspending a substantial number of programs as it deals with the fallout of the federal government's cap on international study permits.

The college is putting 49 programs on hold, representing a roughly 28 per cent reduction from its previous offering of 177 programs.

A post on the school's website outlines the list of suspended programs, which includes areas of study like fashion business and management, tourism, construction project management, journalism and advanced television and film.

Current students enrolled in those programs will still have the opportunity to graduate, according to the post.

College President Craig Stephenson announced the move in a letter to staff Tuesday, noting that "difficult decisions for staff reductions are inevitable" with officials expecting new international student enrolments to decline by 43 per cent in the school's current cycle from the summer of 2024 through winter of 2025.

WATCH | Centennial students react to the news:

Students react as Centennial College suspends nearly 50 programs

7 hours ago

Duration 2:59

Centennial College is putting 49 programs on hold as it continues to deal with the fallout of declining international enrollment. CBC’s Clara Pasieka has reaction from students.

"That's a loss of nearly 5,000 new international students," he wrote. "That figure just needs absorbing for a moment — 43 per cent. That represents nearly half our previous international student intake.

"And when you consider this decline is compounded by the domestic funding challenges our sector continues to face, that loss constitutes not only a huge blow to our financial stability, but also a huge blow to our program offerings, because the demand to sustain them at current levels, even with domestic student interest, is simply no longer there."

Centennial is only the latest post-secondary institution to face major financial challenges from Ottawa's crackdown on international study permits, which aimed to reduce the number of new student visas by more than a third in 2024.

Last September, the federal government announced it would slash the number of visas it issues by another 10 per cent. The new target for 2025 and 2026 will be 437,000 permits. In 2024, the target was 485,000 permits.

Deciding how to divvy up the allocation of permits among post-secondary institutions is up to the provincial government, which announced last March that colleges would face the biggest drop in their international student numbers. 

WATCH | What education changes might mean for Canada's reputation: 

Colleges and universities ring financial alarm over foreign student caps

2 months ago

Duration 2:09

Post-secondary institutions say they are projected to lose hundreds of millions of dollars with new international student caps they warn jobs and student programs could be at risk if governments don’t boost funding.

The Ford government's 2024 budget revealed that Ontario's colleges will lose out on $3.1 billion in revenue over the next two years from the expected drop in international student enrolment.

In his letter, Stephenson also said that a program suspension is not the same as a closure, and programs could be reintroduced at any point.

"However, during the suspension period, and as we assess the federal government landscape and student demand, suspended programs will be further reviewed and while some may be reintroduced and/or undergo modifications, others may likely face permanent closure," he wrote.