Despite a decrease in applications, McGill University kept enrolment stable this year, admitting more Quebec students and using scholarships to offset tuition hikes for students from other provinces.
But the university says it must scale back the “unsustainable” scholarship program — and warns new provincial and federal immigration measures and Quebec francization rules could affect student intake next year.
The university received 37,568 applications this year, an eight-per-cent drop compared with the previous year, according to statistics provided to The Gazette on Tuesday.
But the number of students admitted — 7,180 — represented a seven-per-cent increase.
“The quality of applicants at McGill was very high, enabling it to make more offers without compromising its entrance standards,” the university said.
The biggest jump in admissions — eight per cent — was among Quebec students. These students now represent 53 per cent of undergraduate students, up from 51 per cent two years ago.
Last year, the Legault government increased annual tuition for students from other provinces by 33 per cent, to $12,000. It was part of an effort to boost funding to French universities and reduce the number of non-French-speaking students in Quebec.
English universities said the move made them less competitive with schools in other provinces and would scare off students from the rest of Canada.
In response to the hike, McGill introduced the Canada Award, a $3,000-per-year scholarship that offset the tuition hike for Canadian students from outside Quebec.
The award helped. McGill saw a seven-per-cent increase in out-of-province admissions this year.
Students who received the award in 2024-25 will continue to get $3,000 annually for their four-year degrees.
But the program will be less generous for out-of-province students as of next year.
The Canada Award has so far cost the university $4 million.
“That cost is unsustainable as the university is projecting an operational deficit of $12 million this fiscal year,” McGill said.
Starting next year, the award will be “needs-based and merit-based” and will only cover the $3,000 difference in tuition for the first year of study.”
The university said it does not know “how this will affect applications and admissions from that group of students next year, but it adds an element of uncertainty.”
In addition, “the impacts of the different immigration measures recently announced by both the governments of Canada and Quebec and the francization measures anticipated for 2025-26 are not known.”
As of fall 2025, the provincial government will require 80 per cent of students from outside Quebec studying in the province to reach an intermediate level of French by the time they graduate. Universities will face financial penalties if the target isn’t met.
There are currently no French requirements in Quebec universities.
McGill’s overall student population rose slightly in 2024.
It’s now 39,920, up from 39,380 last year.
Quebecers make up 48.5 per cent of students, while those from the rest of Canada represent 22.6 per cent and international students 28.9 per cent. The proportion of students from Quebec is up, while out-of-province students are virtually unchanged and international students are down slightly.