Move-in day arrives for thousands of college and university students

Post-secondary schools report a boom in student enrolment.

Move-in day has arrived for thousands of university and college students across the region, complete with nerves, excitement and plenty of fresh faces.

Lakehead University reports a rise in student enrollment from last year. It’s Orillia campus will have roughly 2,300 students, with around 9,300 attending the across the province.

According to Chris Glover, associate vice-president of administration, the university is experiencing incremental growth, although the numbers are still pending for international students.

“The students have to have their visa before they can register for courses, so as those are being processed, we won’t know until later into the semester where those numbers are finalized,” he said.

Meanwhile, Georgian College in Barrie is preparing for a different reality. Despite strong domestic enrollment, with an 8.2 per cent increase in new domestic students and a 16.7 per cent increase in returning domestic students, the college is facing a significant decline in international enrollment, down by rougly 2,100 students. As a result, Georgian College has approved a deficit budget of $13 million.

“We’ve got domestic enrollment that’s strong ... but on the flip side, we’re down significantly on international enrollment,” said Kevin Weaver, president of Georgian College.

To mitigate the financial impact, the college is implementing organizational changes and efficiency improvements. While some programs have been cut, others are being expanded, and the college plans to proceed with its downtown expansion.

Orientation activities will continue at Georgian College for the rest of the week, with move-in day taking place this weekend and classes starting on Tuesday. Lakehead University’s classes are also set to begin on Tuesday.