Budget sustainability

Meeting the moment Planning for the future in uncertain times

Post-secondary institutions across the country are having to think hard about their operations amid declining enrolment, particularly international student enrolment. At TRU, we view this as an opportunity to meet the moment, consider the TRU we want to be in the face of real change, real financial challenges. We look forward to our TRU community embracing this opportunity with us and will update this page regularly.

Enrolment context

Federal policy changes have capped the number of international students coming into Canada and changed entry and post-graduate work permit requirements. As a result, international student interest in Canada is dropping sharply.

TRU will start feeling this impact of fewer new international students in the winter term (January 2025).

Additionally, interest from domestic students has dropped in recent years, and there is declining demand for in-person courses.

What it means for TRU

A sharp decline in international student interest means TRU will not be able to achieve a stable on-campus population of 4,000 international students for the next several years, a goal of the university’s Strategic Enrolment Management Plan. Given the current context, TRU anticipates international student numbers to be several hundred less than 4,000.

Some programs will be impacted more than others due to this decline in enrolment, including our post-baccalaureate diplomas.

Such a significant change in international student interest means a significant loss in tuition revenues, and budget deficits if TRU does nothing.

Meeting the moment What TRU can do

This is a time for TRU to lean into and lead the challenge that faces us. Rather than focusing only on restraint, we want to set TRU up for future stability. This means exploring and developing new programs, as well as rethinking and redeveloping existing ones. This will help us attract new students, making up for some of the losses in revenue. The exciting progress towards developing a Wildfire Studies program at TRU is an example.

We are also revamping domestic and international recruitment strategies.

These on their own, however, won’t be enough. It’s important we also manage growth in other areas of our university operations. TRU will monitor this closely through the course of the budget year.

University budget 101

TRU’s annual operating budget supports the academic mission – think classrooms, labs, library, academic and wellness supports, and the people in them.

Universities in BC are required to balance their budgets.

Primary revenues sources are

• Student tuition and fees – fees are collected from domestic and international students
• Provincial government grants – TRU receives funds from the province for domestic undergraduate courses, as well as trades programs
• Federal government grants – these funds are typically for research activities
• Ancillary services – these encompass fees for student housing, food services and parking
• Other – various sources of revenue including donations and investment income

Information is based on financial projections as of June 30 (first quarter of fiscal year 2024-25) and subject to change.

Information is based on financial projections as of June 30 (first quarter of fiscal year 2024-25) and subject to change.

Information is based on financial projections as of June 30 (first quarter of fiscal year 2024-25) and subject to change.