Sheridan College is suspending 40 programs and conducting a comprehensive review of another 27 programs ahead of the upcoming international student permit cap.
On Tuesday, the college said the changes were implemented to ensure the school’s financial sustainability and to adapt to future policies.
“These changes are required for Sheridan to remain a financially sustainable and vibrant community in response to chronic underfunding, changing government policies, and social, technological, and economic disruption,” Sheridan College President and Vice Chancellor Janet Morrison said in a statement to Now Toronto.
“Sheridan will look different, but our commitment to learning, discovery and engagement remains the same,” she continued.
Earlier this year, the federal government announced it would be reducing the number of international students by approximately 300,000 over the next three years.
This year alone, the government said it would cut the study permit application intake from 485,000 in 2024 to 437,000 next year, where it will remain for 2026.
Read More
According to Morrison, enrollment projections show Sheridan College will have about 30 per cent fewer students in the coming years, leading to a loss of approximately $112 million in revenue in the next fiscal year. For this reason, the school has decided to reduce its expenses.
The school introduced cost-saving measures earlier this fiscal year through the reduction of administrative roles and finding efficiencies, however Morrison says more needed to be done as program suspensions became unavoidable.
This has forced the school to decrease its programming by 25 to 30 per cent. This includes programs under the Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design, Faculty of Applied Health & Community Studies, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Faculty of Applied Science & Technology, and the Pilon School of Business.
Sheridan College is currently home to over 40,000 students across its three campuses in Brampton, Mississauga, and Oakville.
Elsewhere in Canada, other colleges and universities including St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Mohawk College in Hamilton, and Algonquin College in Ottawa, have also experienced a huge loss in deficits amid the international student cap.
Last month, Seneca Polytechnic was forced to temporarily shutter its Markham campus at the end of the 2024 fall semester due to the new policy. Instead, it will be moving programs from its Markham campus to Seneca’s other campus locations, either at Newnham or York University, for the winter 2025 term. Currently, the school is uncertain when the Markham campus will reopen.
