TRU sees enrolment dip

Thompson Rives University is seeing a decline in new international students during the 2024-25 academic year after changes to the federal international student permit process earlier this year.

Following an announcement in January that the number of international student permits would be cut by 35 percent across Canada and capped for two years, TRU has been working to maintain its international student headcount.

In a report going to the university’s senate on Monday, President Brett Fairbairn said TRU is on track to see a total of 29,500 students both in-person and online — marking a 0.5 per cent decrease compared to the previous year.

Fairbairn’s report states overall international student headcount is expected to decline by 6 per cent, but noted the full impact of the permit caps will take several years to be felt.

TRU saw 679 new international students for the fall semester. The report notes new enrolment this semester meets its strategic enrolment management target of 4,000.

“The numbers this term are buoyed by deferrals from previous recruitment cycles, and it may be difficult to achieve similar levels in Winter 2025 and beyond,” Fairbairn’s report said.

Last June, a similar report by Fairbairn said the university was expecting to see 4,200 international students this fall, which would mean a 400 student decrease from the winter semester and 225 fewer than the same time last year.

A portion of the reduction is due to institutional measures that were aimed at reducing the number of on-campus international students after the university saw a surge in international enrolment that surpassed its target by 600 students last semester.

Fairbairn’s report notes domestic applications are two per cent higher than last year and the number of domestic students is expected to grow due to increased conversion and retention rates. TRU’s Williams Lake campus, meanwhile, is on track to exceed last year’s enrolment by approximately 40 per cent.

TRU changes strategy

Revenue through course registrations and tuition rates has also been impacted, with international in-person registration dropping 16 per cent, domestic remaining flat and open learning registrations climbing six per cent.

“Canada’s changes to study permits, postgraduate work permits, and related rules have created considerable uncertainty among prospective international students abroad and have led to a sharp decline of about 45 per cent across the country,” Fairbairn said in his report.

In an effort to bolster enrolment, the report states TRU has prioritized recruiting from countries in Latin America and is exploring markets in mid and east Asia, regions that are “less sensitive” to the permit changes, especially around postgraduate work rights.

TRU has also increase recruitment activity at international high schools, is building infrastructure and resources to support high-demand fields, enhanced its scholarship offerings, expanded its communication strategies and develop partnerships for new recruitment channels

“This year, we are focusing a lot of effort on students who expressed an interest previously, especially those whose admission was deferred,” Fairbairn's report said.

“We have also been targeting recruitment efforts in countries where Canada has a high rate of approving study permits.”

Baihua Chadwick, TRU’s VP international, told the university's board of governors in March TRU would be pausing its diversification efforts to ensure it hits its strategic enrolment management target.

In February, TRU Provost and Vice-President Academic Gillian Balfour said the university was at risk of a major drop in International headcount if it didn't create "relevant and meaningful" graduate programming by 2026.

The university cited a projected 30 per cent drop in graduate enrolment this academic year as one of the reasons for repurposing its 10 graduate study rooms to office space in May.