More than 80 per cent of Canadian colleges and universities have announced their fall pandemic plans. In September 2020, students were adjusting to a virtual return to campus, while only a few cohorts across the country attended small in-person classes where infection rates were low and facilities could accommodate social distancing, or where degree requirements left few alternatives (think clinical nursing programs). Just four per cent of colleges and universities nationwide delivered classes in-person as post-secondary institutions tried to strike a balance between keeping students and staff safe while moving higher learning forward in the middle of a global pandemic.

CourseCompare.ca tracked the steps of more than 150 of Canada’s top colleges and universities as they transformed campuses to adhere to the recommendations of health officials, grappled with the logistics of moving entire programs online, and confronted lost revenues from non-academic activities, events and residences — all while trying to remain financially viable. Meanwhile, schools prepared for the worst as governments shutdown borders to international students who, by some estimates, would have accounted for more than half of all student fees paid in 2020-2021.

As part of our continuing coverage, we are monitoring the evolving landscape as it develops for colleges and universities in 2021-2022. Concerns over student safety haven’t abated, but the conversation has taken on optimistic, although no less urgent, new dimensions. Will unvaccinated students returning to campus be required to get a vaccine? Will international students be subject to special quarantine requirements? What role should online and hybrid learning continue to play in keeping students safe? And are these evolving models for delivering higher education here to stay?

Here are some highlights of current trends we’re seeing across the country, which we will be updating regularly throughout the summer:

CANADA

An average 48.4 per cent of post-secondary schools in the country will deliver programs in-person this fall, while 30.1 per cent have chosen to continue with a hybrid model. Just 4.6 per cent of schools in Canada are offering courses predominantly if not entirely online — the same percentage that offered in-person classes last year. Roughly 17 per cent have yet to officially announce their plans.

By comparison, going into September 2020, just four per cent of schools planned to offer in-person courses, 40 per cent announced they would switch to hybrid learning, and 53 per cent were moving most if not all their courses online.

So far, only Seneca College will require students attending in-person classes to be vaccinated, while following institutions have made vaccination mandatory for students living in residence:

• Trent University
• University of Toronto
• Fanshawe College
• Ryerson University
• York University
• Fleming College
• Durham College
• Ontario Tech University

More more than a dozen others universities have introduced vaccination campaigns, mobile clinics or paid leave policies for staff and new and returning students in the fall (see “Will vaccines be required?” below for more details).

The interactive table below shows schools’ plans for September 2021. It includes summaries of schools’ safety and vaccination policies, along with direct links to the latest news, FAQs and COVID-19 student resources at each school. Further below, additional tables are available by province.

Will vaccines be required?

Health and safety protocols recommended by health authorities in each region will continue to be top of mind for all institutions. Health screening and education procedures, approved by provincial or territorial governments, will be in place. Masking, physical distancing requirements and mandatory self-screening, as well as enhanced cleaning, will be the new reality on campuses.

But increasing Canadian vaccination rates have raised a controversial new question: Should COVID-19 vaccinations be mandatory on campuses this fall?

As Dianne Rinehart reported for CourseCompare, a number of U.S. colleges have made, or are planning to make, vaccination a requirement for students returning in September. Others, are using a carrot approach, holding on-campus vaccination blitzes or dangling incentives in front of student to get the vaccine.

In Canada, Trent, Western, the University of Toronto, Fanshawe College, Ryerson University, Durham College, and Ontario Tech University were among the first to require first-dose vaccinations, but only for students living in residence. Durham and Ontario Tech also require students to have scheduled their second dose. Only Seneca College has so far announced students attending in-person classes will need to be vaccinated.

Generally, students will need to be vaccinated within 14 days of arriving on campus, and institutions will help students book appointments locally. The exception to this rule is Ryerson University, which “recommends” students get their first dose at least 14 days before their move-in date.

“Requiring vaccines for students living in residence will be an important way to ensure that we avoid residence outbreaks and are able to offer our residence students the transformative on-campus experiences students have learned to expect from Trent,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor of Trent University in a June news release.

In a move publicly endorsed by the Middlesex-London Health Unit, Western University will also require students living in residence to have at least one dose of an approved vaccine. The University will set up vaccination clinics on campus, giving students who arrive in London, Ont., without a shot 14 days to get vaccinated.

On June 8, the University of Toronto was the third institution to announce that students will need a first shot prior to moving into residence. The University will help students access vaccines, subject to supply.

At Lethbridge University, vaccinated students will be entered into a contest to win free tuition. Nine students will have their tuition paid by the University in 2021, while others will win gift cards and prizes. A draw will take place September 10.

Similarly, Assiniboine Community College is offering students who can prove they’ve been vaccinated a chance to win free tuition for the 2021-2022 academic year, with $100 book store gift cards available to runners up.

Other schools, like the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Northern British Columbia, are offering staff paid leave to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, Brock University and Vancouver Community College were among the first to announce that on-campus vaccine clinics would be available to students and faculty.

“Without enough vaccine supply, a mandate wouldn’t really make much sense and would be unfair to those who are willing, but unable to be vaccinated,” said Maxwell Smith, co-director of the Health Ethics, Law and Policy Lab at Western University in a May interview with CourseCompare.

That’s not to say it would be unethical to require a vaccination for students to be on campus if there was enough supply available, says the assistant professor who is also an associate member of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy.

“We know that Canadian universities and colleges have been able to offer educational offerings online over the past year,” he says. “Consequently, vaccination mandates should not deny students education opportunities, but may change the modality in which they receive those education opportunities.”

In addition, he points out that vaccination mandates “do not force people to get vaccinated, nor do they usually come with criminal sanctions in cases of non-compliance.”

Instead, they impose conditions on those who are not vaccinated. For example, students could be barred from attending classes in person through registration holds or refused rooms in residences. In rare cases, they could face expulsion.

International student enrollment

Many Canadian colleges and universities rely on international student enrolment and the high tuition it represents to remain financially viable.

Last year, Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., suspended admissions for 17 of its courses, citing low demand. The University went on to file for creditor protection in 2021 for reasons many attribute to a failure of governance — by Laurentian’s administrators and the Ontario Government. But reports suggest low enrollment from high-paying international students was a contributing factor. Dalhousie University in Halifax, N.S., said in June 2020 that it expected a decline of up to $37.8 million in tuition revenue and another $12 million in other losses. July 2020 projections at the University of British Columbia showed the University could lose $77 million in international student fees. In aggregate, some speculated Canadian universities could lose billions, not millions, due to COVID-19.

New preliminary data from Universities Canada show a decrease in international student enrollment at Canadian universities for the fall of 2021, but also that higher education performed better overall than expected.

More than 1.4 million domestic students enrolled in Canadian universities in 2021, representing 2 per cent overall growth (more than 22,000 additional students). This is consistent with the rate of growth over the past five years. First-year enrollment dropped 4.6 per cent, but universities did see an increase in part-time enrollment of 4.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, 205,000 international students enrolled in full-time studies at Canadian universities. This is a decrease of about 2.1 per cent, compared to an average 10 per cent growth over the past 5 years. Fifty-one institutions saw a decline in international student enrollment. Of those, 26 institutions lost more than 10 per cent of their international students, and 14 institutions lost more than 20 per cent of their international students compared to last year.

Universities are optimistic these numbers will continue to rise, hoping the current backlog at visa centres is quickly addressed and that study permits for international students will be delivered on time.

ONTARIO

Provincial highlights: 35.8 per cent of classes will be held in-person; 37.7 per cent will be hybrid; four per cent will be online. Twenty-two per cent of schools are yet to formally announce their intentions.

The Ontario Government reduced tuition by 10 per cent in January 2019 and at the time the province indicated it would remain frozen until 2021. Universities such as Lakehead University and Windsor University increased international tuition by between 5 and 15 per cent, causing concern for students from abroad, some of whom stayed in the country when COVID-19 hit and may not have had a chance to work throughout much of 2020.

BRITISH COLUMBIA 

Provincial highlights: 76.9 per cent of classes will be in-person; 11.5 per cent will be hybrid; zero per cent will be fully online. Eleven per cent of schools have yet to announce their plans for the fall.

The province had one of the lowest average tuition increases for international students last year at three per cent.

ALBERTA 

Provincial highlights: 56.3 per cent of classes will be held in person; 44.4 per cent will be hybrid; 11 per cent will be online; and 22.2 per cent have yet to announce their decision.

Universities and colleges in Alberta announced tuition increases in 2020, but these are not related to COVID-19. As of Jan. 1, 2020, post-secondary schools in Alberta were allowed to raise tuition by seven per cent, up to 10 per cent over the next three years. The current government cancelled a five-year freeze on tuition in the fall of 2019. Changes also included cutting $225 million in education and tuition tax credits over the next three years and increasing interest on student loans.

MANITOBA

Provincial highlights: 22.2 per cent of classes will be held in person; 33 per cent hybrid; 11 per cent in person.

The University of Manitoba will offer predominantly online delivery with reduced class sizes.

Red River College of Applied Arts, Science and Technology will welcome no more than 40 per cent of its student population on campus. The school will provide a phased approach; from August 31 to December 31 there will be no more than 40 per cent of campus population by campus/building. Some blended delivery for targeted academic programs will begin as well. All in-person learning will be augmented by hybrid, online learning tools.

The Canadian Mennonite University will provide on-campus living and in-person classes in the fall. It claims to be the only “fully accredited Manitoba university to do so.”

NOVA SCOTIA

Fall 2021 data for Nova Scotia is coming soon. The following information reflects colleges’ and universities’ plans for the fall of 2020.

Provincial highlights: 45 per cent of classes will be online; 45 per cent hybrid course delivery; 10 per cent in person.

Dalhousie University has moved to a virtual environment and has launched Together@Dal to connect upper-year students with cohorts of new students in their area of study and a new student life app will be launched.

Cape Breton University is closed to the public and courses are being provided online only, while St. Francis Xavier University is offering a mix of online and classroom learning this fall with 72 per cent of undergraduate courses offered in-person.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Our fall 2021 data for New Brunswick is coming soon. The following information reflects colleges’ and universities’ plans for the fall of 2020. 

Provincial highlights:  25 per cent of classes will be online; 58 per cent hybrid course delivery; 8 per cent in person. One school has yet to formally announce its opening plans for the fall. 

QUEBEC

Our fall 2021 data for Quebec is coming soon. The following information reflects colleges’ and universities’ plans for the fall of 2020. 

Most of Quebec’s universities and CÉGEP junior colleges plan to offer their courses online.

There are a few exceptions such as the Université de Sherbrooke which will be turning to outdoor venues from September to October to provide an alternative learning environment.

“The Univesité de Sherbrooke plans to hold face-to-face educational activities in the fall term, to allow as many students as possible to do as many activities and experiences as possible on campus,” says Isabelle Huard, a media-relations officer with Université de Sherbrooke.

Huard says between 40 to 100 per cent of the baccalaureate programs will be in-person for the fall term, depending on the program. The school has acquired additional facilities to accommodate the plan, including churches.

In addition to planning outdoor classes, some courses will be given at the Cultural Centre and in churches in Sherbrooke. Twelve outdoor sites that can accommodate between 16 and 100 students each are located on the main campus. These will be grassy spaces, at the campus open-air theatre and along the edges of pavilions, including the School of Music.

“If everything goes as planned, and as long as the weather permits, outdoor classes will be offered during the months of September and October. Perhaps also in the spring of 2021, depending on the evolution of the pandemic,” says Huard.

In 2018-2019, the Université de Sherbrooke welcomed 2,648 international students from 102 countries and territories. Huard says it is unclear at this point how many of the 400 international students who were offered the opportunity to start with distance learning from their home country for the fall session will avail themselves of the offer, or postpone admission.

“We have a total of 31,727 students. On average, we welcome nearly 1,000 new foreign students per year. With the travel restrictions currently in place, unfortunately, we do not expect to receive many of them,” she says.

Bishop’s University indicates in-person classes will be held “in classrooms which will respect the physical distancing guidelines of the public health authorities.”