Selkirk College has announced it will have a balanced budget for the coming academic year after cutting $9 million in jobs and programming.
The college's Board of Governors approved a $70.4-million budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The budget, which is required by law to be balanced, reflects lost revenues primarily due to decreases in international student enrolment.
Colleges across Canada are being forced to make cuts after the federal government announced reduced international student study permits in 2024.
Before the cuts began, there were about 760 international students enroled at Selkirk College. That number is projected to decrease by 55 per cent for the 2025-26 school year.
In addition to the reduction of study permits, several programs with high international student enrolment are no longer eligible for post-graduation work permits. The unlikelihood of being allowed to stay and work in Canada after graduation has reduced enrolment in these programs including hospitality, tourism and business.
To address the revenue gap, changes have been made to everything from spending restrictions to staff cuts and facility closures.
Workforce reductions of 43 full-time equivalent positions across all employee groups have taken place. This includes layoffs, contract non-renewals, early retirements, voluntary work reductions and decisions not to fill vacant positions.
Selkirk College has also closed its learning centres in Nakusp and Kaslo where it delivered Academic Upgrading and Development (AUD) programs and some short-term continuing education programs in the communities.
Over the past five years, the Kaslo Learning Centre averaged 12 full-time equivalent (FTE) students in AUD programs, while Nakusp averaged 13 FTEs in AUD.
"Despite the value these programs provide to the communities, the cost of delivering them is higher than other campuses and learning centres," Selkirk College said in an online statement explaining the closures.
While the college says it has not technically cancelled any programs, low enrolment has prompted the suspension of some programs including post-graduate diplomas in accounting, business management, culinary management, full-stack web development, gerontological nursing and hospitality management as well as diploma programs in culinary management and resort/hotel management.
On the bright side, the school says it is seeing positive trends in domestic student applications, including an eight-per-cent increase in accepted domestic students compared to June 2024. The college has 14 active wait lists, and several fall intakes of Industry and Trades Training, and the Environment and Geomatics program are nearing or have reached 100-per-cent capacity.
