British Columbia is launching an independent review of the post-secondary education system.
Jessie Sunner, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, said Tuesday that institutions are facing serious financial challenges , worsened by the federal government’s move to slash international student study permits. She also pointed to declining domestic enrollment and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These unprecedented times in the public post-secondary sector requires decisive and measured and holistic action as a response,” said Sunner.
She said the review will be led by Don Avison, former B.C. deputy minister and former board chair of Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Aveson’s report and recommendations are expected by March 15, 2026.
“The review presents an opportunity to look at both near- and longer-term sustainability issues in post-secondary education and training,” said Avison in a statement. “I welcome the opportunity to consider how best to address the challenges that lie ahead.”
In January 2022, the federal government dramatically cut the number of international student visas allotted to each province.
Sunner said since then, B.C. institutions have seen a 70 per cent decrease in international student visas. The province said the decline in international student tuition represents a $300 million annual loss.
The federal government released plans earlier this month for further reductions in international students, saying just 150,000 new visas will be permitted in each of the next three years. Data in the latest federal immigration report show that would mark a more than 50 per cent reduction from 2024 levels.
Sunner said she met with the Federal Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab last month, where she voiced concerns that student visa and immigration levels need to be stable and predictable, and that B.C. wants more say in the decision-making process.
Many institutions have been scrambling to make up for revenue losses through hiring freezes, expanding class sizes, program cuts and other measures.
The B.C. Federation of Students (BCFS) says 80 programs across the province have been paused, suspended or cancelled, mainly due to the drop in revenue from international students.
However, BCFS said the province has not stepped in to help fill those gaps. The group notes public funding made up 68 per cent of institutional revenue in 2000 but now accounts for only 40 per cent.
In 2021 and 2022, the province began a broad review of its public funding model for post-secondary model, consulting with dozens of stakeholders. That review was never completed, and the province said major changes to the economic landscape have rendered the findings outdated.
BCFS Secretary-Treasurer Cole Reinbold said Tuesday she’s glad to see the province acknowledge the financial challenges facing public institutions.
“Students have warned for years that over reliance on international tuition and decades of stagnant operating grants would lead to this kind of crisis,” she said.
Reinbold expressed concern that the government might raise tuition as part of its solution.
The release from the province said the review will look at ways to “deliver programs more effectively within existing budgets,” implying significant public funding increases aren’t in the cards.
“That means the that government is considering asking students, working families and people trying to break out of poverty to pay more while refusing to commit to new public funding,” said Reinbold.
Currently, B.C. has a two per cent cap on annual tuition increases for public institutions.
The province said domestic tuition revenue has remained largely unchanged over the past 10 years due to stagnant or declining enrolment.
Reinbold said the decline in domestic enrollment, even as B.C.’s population continues to rise, shows how the affordability crisis is increasing barriers to post-secondary education.
“You can’t efficiency your way out of a funding crisis,” she said. “At some point, government has to fund the system that it so says that it depends on.”
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