By Victoria Surla
Budget cuts remain in effect at George Brown College as the school continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 on international admissions rates for the Fall 2020 semester.
The drop in international tuition revenue has been significant, according to John Porter, director of college admissions and international student services at George Brown College.
“Under the circumstances, it isn’t so bad, really, but [international enrolment] is 17 per cent lower than we had originally planned for Fall 2020 based on previous intakes,” Porter says.
With domestic rates also down by 15 per cent, Porter says the college must begin getting used to their new normal. Budgetary adjustments include restrictions being placed on the hiring of new faculty members, the complete elimination of work-related travel, and the discontinuation of regular projects, according to Porter.
At the moment, much still remains uncertain. There are currently around 5,100 registered international students at the school, but those numbers could continue to plummet until the withdrawal deadline on day 10 of the semester, according to Porter.
“George Brown is fiscally responsible over many years and has taken many steps to ensure that there is continued financial stability for the college,” says Porter.
Porter says he recognizes how difficult these times are financially on students trying to pay for school.
“We have lowered the [tuition] deposits and put payment plans in place. We do know, we understand, and we definitely empathize with international students because everybody is in financially difficult situations right now,” said Porter.
Some GBC students, however, do not feel as though the college is offering enough support.
“The one thing I am not okay with is that the college is charging us full tuition costs when we are not even able to access the campus recreational facilities or even order from the library without delivery,” says Matías Varela, a returning international GBC student currently residing in Toronto.
“It’s a lot of hands-on experience that we miss out on through remote learning. I don’t understand how tuition costs can remain the same when so many resources have been taken away from us [due to COVID-19].”
Porter, however, insists the current costs of tuition are still necessary to run the programs.
“We want to ensure that the students are getting the same skills and experience that they need to be successful in their careers. But the costs of delivering the programs, like faculty, instruction, assessment, administration, and support services, all of that we have to continue online and pay the staff… so the [tuition] fees have not really gone down,” says Porter.
In terms of further attracting international enrolment as remote learning continues, this involves implementing the best possible online learning strategies, according to Porter.
“We have to make sure that the remote program delivery is the best that we can make it and we have to continue to do our best to provide optimal student services and support,” Porter says.
“I think there is definitely going to be a lot of learning from both the GBC point of view and the staff point of view.”
