How shrinking international enrolment is triggering a financial avalanche at Ontario colleges

Ontario’s public colleges are confronting a financial crisis as international student numbers decline sharply, a situation that threatens to reshape postsecondary education across the province. Reports prepared for the Ontario government by consulting firms KPMG and Deloitte , and obtained by The Globe and Mail , outline the steep revenue losses facing two colleges in particular: Loyalist College in Belleville and Northern College in Timmins. Between 2025 and 2030, Loyalist could see revenues fall by up to 60%, while Northern’s income may drop by roughly 35% if decisive measures are not taken. For years, Ontario colleges have leaned heavily on international student fees to bridge funding gaps. Provincial funding for postsecondary institutions has declined over the past decade, w