Ontario Allocates 2026 International Student Spots Primarily to Public Institutions

Ontario’s post-secondary institutions will see a significant shift in the allocation of international student application spots for 2026. According to the provincial Post-Secondary Education Minister, Nolan Quinn, almost all available spots will be designated for public colleges and universities. This decision comes alongside a substantial reduction in the overall number of applications approved by the federal government, raising concerns among educational leaders about its long-term impact on the province’s economy and talent development.

The federal government has allocated 104,780 provincial attestation letters (PALs) to Ontario, which translate into a maximum of 70,074 actual study permits. This marks a dramatic 42 percent decrease from the previous year. Public institutions will receive 96 percent of these spots, while private universities and language schools will only get 4 percent. Quinn emphasized the government’s commitment to building a skilled workforce that meets job market needs, stating, “Now more than ever, our government is focused on building a dynamic, highly skilled workforce that will protect and drive our economy.”

The impact of these changes is already evident. For the year 2025, Ontario received 181,590 PALs with a cap of 116,740 permits, while in 2024, the figures were 235,000 PALs and a target of 141,000 permits. The Council of Ontario Universities estimates that it will receive about 24,600 applications for 2026, down from 36,725 the previous year. Its president and CEO, Steve Orsini, warned that continued reductions will limit Ontario’s ability to develop talent, weaken research and innovation capacity, and exacerbate existing financial pressures.

The financial ramifications are significant, as Ontario’s post-secondary institutions have already reported losses exceeding $4.6 billion in revenues due to the high tuition rates associated with international students. Maureen Adamson, president and CEO of Colleges Ontario, indicated that the current allocation policy is detrimental to the financial sustainability of colleges that are already under severe economic strain. “Simply put, we have now gone beyond our worst-case scenario projections in revenue decline,” Adamson stated, underscoring the precarious nature of future sustainability for these institutions.

As the provincial government reviews the funding formula for post-secondary schools, there are calls for greater equity in the distribution of international student spots. Meti Basiri, co-founder of ApplyBoard, noted that public colleges should receive more allocations than universities, particularly as they offer essential health support services and trades programs that are costly to operate. He echoed the sentiment that the sector is facing a demand issue, with many institutions struggling to fill their allocated spots in recent years due to fluctuating interest in studying in Canada.

According to the federal Immigration Department, between January and October of this year, 103,480 new international students arrived in Canada, a stark decline from 293,125 in 2024. This drop is attributed to newly imposed study permit caps and changes in regulations concerning post-graduation work permits aimed at managing the growth of temporary residents.

Research associate Lisa Brunner from UBC’s Centre for Migration Studies emphasized that the PAL allocation process has received little scrutiny until now. With federal targets being reduced, she predicts that PALs will become a more limited commodity. “If institutions can meet their PAL applications in the next few years, then provincial decisions about the PAL allocation process will become very important,” Brunner added.

As Ontario’s educational landscape adapts to these new realities, the long-term consequences for both students and institutions remain to be seen. The government’s focus on tightening international student admissions will undoubtedly shape the province’s workforce and economic prospects in the years to come.