Saskatchewan’s two largest universities are grappling with dwindling enrolment in part due to a cap on international students allowed to enter the country.
According to the University of Regina, there were 3,843 total undergraduate international students in fall 2024, compared to 3,200 in fall 2023. In winter 2025, there were 3,644 total international undergraduate students, compared to 3,564 in winter 2024.
The striking difference comes when you look at the number of newly admitted students.
In winter 2024, there were 958 new students. A year later that number dropped to 393.
“The university is concerned that, although our overall number of undergraduate international students has not declined, the number of incoming international students is not keeping pace with the number of continuing students who will soon finish their programs, which will result in a decline in our international students in future years,” the U of R said in a statement.
“The university is considering the implications of a reduction in international student enrolment and is continuing to work with federal and provincial agencies to mitigate potentially negative impacts.”
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Enrolment at the University of Saskatchewan is also down.
“International student enrolment across all levels of study at the University of Saskatchewan went down by approximately 500 students for the 2024-25 year,” the university said in a statement.
Enrolment among both new and continuing undergraduate international students is down approximately 22 per cent.
“This decrease was not surprising given that it is this group of international undergraduates most significantly impacted by the intake caps and the new proof of finance requirements implemented by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in 2024,” the statement reads.
“We saw a much smaller decline for international graduate students this past year and we anticipate this decline will be more substantial for the 2025-26 academic year with the implementation of an intake cap for graduate students and the continued negative impact on Canada’s reputation as a study destination.”
The U of S has forecasted approximately $10 million in lost revenue due to the decline of international student enrolment.
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