40% drop in Canadian college enrolment raises concerns for Nigerians

Canada’s college enrolment among Nigerians and other international students has dropped by 40 percent for the 2025–2026 academic session, according to a Statistics Canada report.

This expert says it reflects the impact of tighter immigration policies, rising costs, and shifting study preferences. Before the tight immigration policies, between the academic years 2003-2004 and 2023-2024, the number of full-time international students in public post-secondary institutions in Canada increased eightfold.

However, after the federal government pumped the brakes with a student cap in January 2024, the numbers started to dwindle, data shows, falling by one-third. “While there was only a slight decline in the year 2024-2025 (three percent), college enrolment plummeted by 40 percent in 2025-2026. This marks a 42 percent decline in international student enrolment in colleges since 2023-2024,” the report indicates.

The report further revealed that international student enrolment in universities dropped 17 percent from 2023-2024 to 2025-2026, dropping to pre-pandemic (2019-2020) levels.

Ontario saw the steepest decline in international student enrolment, dropping six per cent in 2024-2025 and 36 percent in 2025-2026.

In 2023-2024, Ontario was home to six out of 10 international students in Canada. Last year, that share declined to 54 percent.

The purpose of the international student cap, which was introduced by the Justin Trudeau government and extended by the Mark Carney government, is to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada to below five per cent of the total population by the end of 2027.

This year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits, including 155,000 to newly arriving international students and 253,000 extensions for current and returning students.

This number is seven percent lower than the 2025 target of 437,000 and 16 percent lower than the 2024 target of 485,000, IRCC said in November.

In 2025, the Canadian government announced new immigration cap, slashing the total number of temporary foreign workers and international students’ visas to less than five percent of its population by 2027.

The government figures show a 64 percent year-on-year reduction in new study permits issued in 2025, as Canada welcomed fewer first-time international students than during the pandemic and the lowest total over the past decade.

According to IRCC data obtained by BorderPass, Canada approved approximately 73,800 new students in 2025, just 25 percent of its stated target of 305,900, wreaking havoc on institutions whose recruitment strategies were based on these aims.

In 2023, Canadian government issued 37,630 student visas to Nigerians, a substantial 133.7 percent jump, compared to the previous year in 2022.

But, under the new tightened plan, estimates show that the number of international students is expected to decrease to 305,900 annually from 2025 through 2027, while the Temporary Foreign Worker Programme will see a reduction, stabilising at 82,000 permits annually during the same period.

These reductions are part of Canada’s broader strategy to address domestic challenges, such as housing shortages and strained public services.

Ebuka Nnaji, an education consultant, attributed the drop to the policy change of Canada, that is, the stricter immigration rules and higher financial commitments (tuition fees and visas), coupled with the increasing cost of living, which he said has, over time, discouraged prospective students.

Theresa Afolabi, a Nigerian student in Europe, emphasised that she had to drop the idea of going to Canada when she discovered the travel restrictions, and the opportunities that are obtainable in other regions, such as post-study work opportunities.

Many Nigerian students are going to countries that offer them clearer pathways to permanent residency, such as Germany, Finland, or other European Union countries.

European destinations have absorbed the most Nigerian student interest, pivoting away from Canada and the USA.

China has seen a significant boost in interest from Nigerian students, as well as from Australia. Students are favouring European nations with lower tuition and higher affordability, such as France (40 percent surge in interest), Italy (33 percent surge), Belgium, and Germany.