REGINA — A steep drop in international students is hitting the University of Regina, as officials warn Canada’s reputation abroad has taken a major hit.
The U of R’s 2026 winter headcount shows a near 23 per cent drop-off in international students enroled between 2024 and 2026.
“As we've expressed in many venues, it's really concerning,” said U of R president Dr. Jeff Keshen.
Federal changes to capping international students caused the drop-off, but Keshen said Canada’s reputation overseas has been very significantly damaged based on his time travelling abroad.
“There's no consistency. IRCC [Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada] is processing the rejection rates of student applicants, [which] are extraordinarily high in some countries, or 90 per cent plus [in] some of our markets that we have attracted people to Saskatchewan.”
Keshen said uncertainty around studying in Canada is prompting agencies to advise international students to consider other countries.
“The agents that work overseas to try and convince students to come to Canada, they [don’t] employ in Canada anymore as much as they used to, because why would I do that. I don't get paid unless the student actually gets to go over there. So I'll work and try to get them to go to Australia or New Zealand.”
For New Zealand, its “Going for Growth" plan aims to double its international sector by 2034.
As students choose other countries, Keshen said Canadian schools are beginning to raise concerns.
“How much damage has been done reputationally to Canada. How long will this take to come back?”
Keshen admitted universities have relied heavily on international student income for the past few years, calling it a “reflection of a larger structural issue” that exists with post-secondary education systems.
Attracting domestic
On a positive note, enrolment for non-international students at the U of R has increased from 2025 to 2026 for domestic students (2.8 per cent) and Indigenous students (2.7 per cent).
Keshen said the university tries to showcase itself to students across the province.
“We try to bring the U of R to show that we're a wonderful place to take your education, undergraduate education, and graduate education.”
Recently, the U of R revealed its 10-year strategic plan, which includes focusing more on its strengths than appeasing everyone.
“You want to institutionally stress those which stand out on the national and international stage because they will attract highly skilled researchers, they will attract more research money. You have to set yourself apart in some ways.”
While the university aims to attract more locals, Keshen said Regina’s slow population surge will make this challenging.
“We're not a community and environment that's growing like other cities in Canada. Our catchment area has a finite ability to increase that [domestic] number, but it's always going to be marginal.”
Many young Canadians are also facing economic pressures, which Keshen said means universities aren’t an option.
Tuition increase looming
Keshen said the U of R has presented a three per cent tuition increase for domestic students, but didn’t specify tuition increases for international or education levels.
“We're being very mindful and careful about the fact that we want to minimize the impact upon students and our employees, and they are critical."
As part of the budget, Keshen said the university has proposed a five per cent cut to its base budget.
The U of R will also run a deficit this year, aiming to rebalance its budget in three years.
“We'll have to clear it off with time, but we want to give this time to respond thoughtfully. There will be churn within our institution, people retiring, and then, of course, try to reposition those people," he said
The U of R ran a similar plan to re-balance the budget during COVID-19 in three years, which saw fast results since international enrolment skyrocketed afterwards.
