Selkirk College is experiencing a reduction in international student enrolment. (Submitted)
Enrolment numbers through Selkirk College's fall enrolment of the 2025-26 academic year show a significant drop in international students has been partially offset by an increase in domestic students.
The enrolment decline follows a decision made by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to cut the number of international students that post-secondary institutions can admit. The cuts were first introduced in 2023, but were further reduced last year. IRCC also introduced new restrictions on post-graduate work permit applications.
These cuts have drastically affected international student enrolment at the college. New international student enrolment dropped by 32 per cent this year with 190 fewer students enrolling than the previous year. Total international enrolment this year was 425 compared to 615 last year.
Before the federal cuts began, there were about 760 international students and about 450 employees at the college.
Post-graduate programming in areas such as business administration and hospitality and tourism were hit the hardest as they are no longer eligible for post-graduate work permits.
The college says it has not cancelled any of these programs at this point, but it has suspended some intakes.
Earlier in 2025, the college projected a 60-to-85-per-cent reduction in international students over the next few years and $9 million in lost revenue. In a recent interview with the Nelson Star, Selkirk president Maggie Matear said they are currently anticipating a $3-4 million budget shortfall.
With the expected enrolment reductions in view, Selkirk College began laying off faculty and staff in February 2025 and offering early retirement or voluntary severance options.
In April, Selkirk College announced it would be closing its Kaslo and Nakusp learning centres, which had seen an average enrolment of just 12-13 students in academic upgrading and development programs.
In October, the college announced it would also close its Kootenay Studio Arts program in Nelson at the end of the academic year. The KSA campus includes the ceramics, textile arts, blacksmithing and metal arts programs. Ten full- and part-time positions will be lost as a result of the closure.
The average enrolment of those programs has been 25. Matear said the small numbers and high instructor-student ratio make the programs unaffordable.
The college says it will save approximately $615,000 per year by closing Kootenay Studio Arts, which doesn't include other savings on indirect costs such as IT support and maintenance.
To combat the reduction in international enrolment, the college incorporated efforts to increase domestic students in its most recent strategic plans.
Those efforts have begun to pay off with domestic enrolment increasing by 170 students compared to 2024-25. Domestic enrolment for the current year is 1,346 compared to 1,175 last year.
"We're encouraged by the growth in domestic enrolment," says Brier Albano, associate vice-president, student success. "Students across our region are recognizing that our programs and transfer pathways lead to the kinds of careers they want."
These enrolment numbers reflect intakes from April through October. Final annual totals will include winter intakes and be released in the spring.