Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) admin needs to show a sense of pride in Queen’s Arts and Sciences before they can flaunt their programs internationally.
In March 2020, Queen’s projected a $26.1 million deficit, and since then, it’s felt like the University’s finances have never fully recovered. Financial pressures, partly caused by chronic underfunding from the Ford government, have impacted nearly every corner of Queen’s, but no faculty has felt these strains as much as the FAS. Due to these financial challenges, the school needs to stop relying on international students to help lift FAS out of its hole and focus on domestic student learning and success.
FAS is facing budget cuts, hiring freezes, course cuts and growing class sizes with less support than ever before. As Queen’s prepared for its Bicentennial Vision, the consultation process revealed low morale and faculty burnout, as well as concerns about increasing the number of international students with such limited support. Many recommend more responsible spending by the Board of Trustees and Queen’s Management, and some suggested focusing on expanding learning for current students.
The FAS administration and committees’ most exciting “solution” to its financial challenges is to increase international student enrollment, despite the federal government’s opposing intentions outlined in the 2025 Federal Budget. With a 49 per cent cut to student permits, resulting in fewer new spaces for international students at Queen’s and directly contradicting FAS’s plan.
Therefore, rather than focusing outwards, Queen’s admin must increasingly focus inwards, specifically on Canadian students, who are essential to the University yet seem to be constantly overlooked. 94 per cent of the universities’ operating revenue comes from students in the form of tuition and grants. ArtSci needs to invest in Canadian students, before it can look to extend its reach internationally.
In the 2026 QS World University Rankings—a global university ranking system—Queen’s ranked 191st, while the ArtSci international tuition fees sit at a whopping $57,123.36. Université catholique de Louvain tied with Queen’s for the 191st spot, and has an average international student fee of about $17,700 CAD per year. Additionally, the average international tuition fee for undergraduate students in Canada is $36,100 per year.
Queen’s is sitting at the high end of international fees, but is just cracking the top 200 universities internationally. The price and low ranking don’t align, which puts Queen’s at a disadvantage. Alongside continued cuts to ArtSci programs and reduced student visas, it’s hard to imagine many international students jumping at the opportunity to enroll in the dying faculty.
To illustrate this point, Queen’s International student enrolment has been consistently dropping. According to the 2025-26 Budget report international student enrollment dropped 15 per cent between 2024 and 25. The budget also doesn’t project a large enrollment increase, and they don’t expect enrolment to reach 2022-23 levels.
Despite these facts, FAS administrators are spending thousands of dollars on international trips to engage possible international students.
In fall 2025, board meetings and town halls revealed an ongoing lack of transparency between admin and staff regarding financial issues and solutions. I’ve witnessed FAS leaders fail to answer questions on travel, personnel, and consulting expenses.
Staff question the goal of boosting international enrollment, citing concerns about student quality, language barriers, and inadequate support for students arriving from abroad.
As an ArtSci student, these meetings and conflicts can be disheartening. Concerns about student learning go unspoken, while staff only seem to worry about research impacts, and the administration discourages any real dialogue.
FAS needs to lose the corporate antics and return to focusing on student learning and academic excellence. Without domestic students, who make up roughly 90 per cent of the student body, the University wouldn’t survive, yet they’re often over looked.
As the new year begins, the FAS administration needs to show a renewed commitment to students and learning, recognizing that investing in the growth of domestic students is a true long-term investment in the University’s future.
Lilly Meechan is a third-year Political Studies student and The Journal’s Assistant News Editor
Tags
domestic students, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FAS, international students
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