Slim pickings in course calendars

As cash-strapped Ontario universities lay off contract instructors and cut courses, many students are being left stranded with few electives and bare-bones schedules.  

“I’m not getting to take a lot of the classes I wanted to take — things that were interesting to me. … They cut all the courses I was interested in,” said Zoey Purves, a third-year psychology student at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. “I wanted to take a music minor, but half the classes I want to take aren’t even offered, so I probably won’t do it in the end.” 

Like many universities, Queen’s is struggling to balance its books. The university projects an operating budget deficit of $34.3 million for 2024-25. A provincial tuition cut in 2019, a tuition freeze since that time, and the recent decrease in foreign student visas have cost Queen’s — and universities across Ontario — hundreds of millions of dollars in lost potential revenue.  

Recent data from Statistics Canada shows that, between 2020 and 2024, Ontario’s population increased by 9.5 per cent, from 14.7 million to 16.1 million. Provincial funding for universities didn’t keep pace, increasing by just 6.7 per cent, from $4.2 billion to $4.6 billion, over that time period. 

Carleton University recently announced that its operating deficit for the 2024-2025 academic year would be more than the $26 million it had originally projected. The university said the increased deficit was due to the federally-imposed cap on international student visas, resulting in a 55 per cent reduction in first-year undergraduate international student enrolment.  

Clara de Oliveira Borba, a fourth-year political science student at Carleton University, said many of the courses offered for her minor, environmental and climate humanities, were cut from the calendar. “Of around 20 courses that I could choose from, less than half were offered in the fall semester,” de Oliveira Borba explained.  

“University is already a stressful challenge, but a student shouldn’t have to worry if the courses they need to fulfill their degree will be offered or not,” she added. “Navigating that feeling of uncertainty is really disheartening and unmotivating.”