“ The challenges we face right now are plenty, but the international students [cap] is impacting us greater than the provincial money,” said Steve Orsini, president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities.
Published May 22, 2025 at 7:59pm
Toronto Metropolitan University 20230426 Students make their way around the renamed Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), formerly known as Ryerson University in Toronto on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Ontario’s postsecondary institutions are heading into choppy waters, but some hope lies ahead on a summer review.
According to the 2025 provincial budget, expenses in the postsecondary sector will fall from $14.2 billion in 2024 to $1.3 billion this year and next, then drop again to $12.8 billion by 2027.
Because of the federal cap on international students, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) projects a $600 million revenue loss for the sector in 2025–26 alone.
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