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University of Regina sees increased enrolment for the first day of classes

Preliminary enrolment numbers at the University of Regina show a 1.7 percent increase in the number of students enrolled for the first day of classes compared to the same time last year.

Preliminary enrolment numbers at the University of Regina show a 1.7 percent increase in the number of students enrolled for the first day of classes compared to the same time last year.

Currently 16,754 students are registered for classes at University of Regina campuses and federated colleges, an increase of 286 over last year. It is important to note that the University’s official enrolment for the 2020-21 academic year, which is based on our census date at the end of the fourth week of classes, will be released in early October.

“If student enrolment remains at this level by the Fall Census Date, we will have experienced twelve consecutive years of growth,” said Dr. Thomas Chase, Interim President and Vice-Chancellor. “This would be a remarkable achievement considering we are in the midst of a pandemic that has created so much uncertainty in the world, including for students and their families.

“This success is a testament to the value people place on a University of Regina education, and to the tremendous dedication of our faculty and staff who have successfully transitioned the University to primarily online/remote teaching and learning for the Fall term. Their commitment to our mission of providing high-quality and accessible education, influential research, creative endeavours, and meaningful scholarly experiences has been unwavering throughout this pandemic.”

Students are currently registered for 167,398 credit hours, which is up by 1,973 credit hours (1.2 percent) from last year and an increase of 6.9 percent over the comparable date in Fall 2018.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect on some specific aspects of our enrolment. Currently we are seeing a small reduction in first-term (new) domestic students and a much larger (over 50%) decrease in first-term (new) international students. These reductions were largely offset by increases in continuing students, leaving us with approximately 3% overall growth in domestic students and an approximately 4% overall decrease in international students.

One of the key strengths of the University of Regina has been the outstanding growth in enrolment of international students in recent years. In 2019-20, international students comprised almost 20 percent of the University student population.

These students bring diversity, different world views, and unique perspectives that add to the strength of our University and community. In many cases, international students live and work in Saskatchewan permanently after graduation, supporting the growth of our province and economy.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions on international travel, a decrease in international student enrolment was generally predicted by all post-secondary institutions world-wide.

The University anticipates that the reduction in first-term domestic and international students is due to the restrictions and impacts of the pandemic, and is therefore temporary. We are optimistic that first-term student enrolment will rebound next year.

A more detailed analysis of student enrolment will be available in early October based on our census date enrolment as of the end of the fourth week of classes.