UNBC budget should be unaffected by dropping international student numbers

UNBC isn’t projecting any cuts in relation to dropping international student enrolment.

In January, the Federal Government announced they would be cutting back international student permits by 35 per cent over the next two years.

According to Dr. Geoff Payne, several post-secondary institutions across the province are facing some challenges related to international student enrolment.

“It’s a complex sort of ecosystem, and I won’t get into the specifics of what other institutions are facing, but here at UNBC, I can say we are not in those similar positions,” Payne said.

“International student numbers at UNBC have continued to go up. We’ve tried to ensure the number stays within a range at around 20 odd per cent at the undergrad level, so we can ensure that we have the right services to provide an outstanding experience for our international students coming.”

Payne said there’s approximately 3,500 students at UNBC, about 600 of those are international students.

“For UNBC’s perspective, we’re much, much lower compared to some of our comparator institutions, and so we’re still seeing some of that growth,” he said.

“But in terms of how international student and international student tuition impacts the operating here at UNBC, we are not in a position that I can see, we’re going through our budget discussions right now, but I don’t see us in a position where it’s going to impact us to what we’re seeing at some of the other institutions.”