A significant projected loss of student tuition revenue has led Olds College to announce a series of program intake suspensions.
Dalin Bullock, Interim Vice-President of Academics, says Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) changes have restricted students from obtaining post-graduate work permits in some of the Olds College’s programs creating a decline in enrolment. He adds, as a result, they are suspending the intake of three program areas.
Bullock notes the programs are Hospitality and Tourism Management (Certificate, Diploma, Post-Diploma Certificate), Craft Beverage and Brewery Operations (Diploma), as well as Agriculture Technology Integration (Post-Diploma Certificate). He says “it’s never easy and it’s very regrettable that we’ve had to make these decisions but these programs are programs that had a high number of international students in them and so when those students’ applications stopped, these were the programs that definitely had lower enrolment numbers not large enough to be able to warrant offering the programs.” He points out “it has also impacted the number of students who will take in business programs here in Olds and in Edmonton.”
The changes by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plus a decline of operational grant funding from the provincial government in the last several years mean that Olds College of Agriculture and Technology is looking at about $5.1 million less in the 2025-2026 budget when it comes to student tuition revenue, according to a media release from OC.
Bullock says “students that have a second year, will be able to continue their studies without any negative impacts to them. So we want to ensure that students that are here, and that have been enroled in the programs will be able to graduate from those programs without any disruption to their studies.”
