Queen’s is receiving $104 million from the Ontario government to support undergraduate enrolment in STEM, health care, and education programs.
Announced by the University on Oct. 14, the allocation is part of a broader Ontario government investment in post-secondary education for “in-demand careers.” Announced in May 2026, the government committed $1.7 billion in funding.
The immediate investment will support 3,604 undergraduate seats, including the funding of 2,116 existing seats that previously received no provincial operating funding and 1,488 additional seats to be introduced by the end of the 2027-28 academic year.
In an interview with The Journal, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Matthew Evans explained how the funding will affect the University’s finances, enrolment plans, academic programming, and student services.
Funding addresses enrolment gap
Evans said Queen’s historically enrolled more students than the provincial government operating grants funded.
Under Ontario’s enrolment-based funding model, universities receive operating grants based on established levels of domestic student enrolment. While Queen’s continued receiving tuition revenue from students enrolled beyond its provincially funded seat allocation, it did not receive additional government operating funding for those students.
The funding for 2,116 existing seats addresses that gap, bringing the University’s provincial funding allocation in line with its undergraduate enrolment in 2024-25. Evans said enrolment has since increased slightly but didn’t specify how many students currently exceed the University’s funded allocation.
Evans said the University didn’t identify specific students or programs as unfunded but rather disperses the total funding among all students.
“We treat everyone as being slightly less funded than they would have been before,” he said. “It’s part of the financial problem that we’ve been having over the last few years.”
The remaining 1,488 seats represent an enrolment increase above the University’s 2024-25 levels with Queen’s aiming to reach that target by 2027-28, meaning some of those seats account for existing growth, while the remainder will accommodate further expansion.
Evans clarified the increase refers to total undergraduate enrolment across all years of study, rather than 1,488 additional first-year students.
STEM, health, and education programs receive funding
Of the 3,604 funded seats, 2,496 are allocated to STEM programs, 836 to education, and 272 to health programs.
Evans said the provincial government identified STEM, health, and education as priority areas for funding applications from Queen’s, restricting what programs could apply for the funding. He noted the province had additional priority areas that weren’t applicable to Queen’s.
The University invited eligible faculties to submit proposals outlining their enrolment expansion plans.
“We got 100 per cent of all the requests that we made for our undergraduate programs,” Evans said.
The University also submitted proposals for graduate enrolment expansion, but those weren’t approved.
Expansion raises questions about campus capacity
Increasing enrolment will also increase demand for classrooms, academic resources, and student support services.
Evans said individual faculties will determine how to spend the revenue associated with their enrolment growth, including whether to invest in staffing, facilities, or other resources.
He said the University is investing $4.7 million more in classroom renewal this year, bringing total spending to $6 million.
The investment was included in the University’s 2026-27 operating budget, before the province announced its $104 million funding. The University’s classroom renewal strategy includes accommodating enrolment growth, improving accessibility, and modernizing teaching spaces.
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The investment includes refurbishing classrooms in Jeffery Hall and planning to convert spaces in Ontario Hall into additional teaching spaces.
Student housing is another concern. Evans confirmed the University has plans for additional student housing on West Campus but warned that construction would take several years.
Alongside physical infrastructure improvements, Evans said there are plans for a new curriculum innovation unit intended to help faculties develop alternative approaches to teaching. Potential approaches include incorporating new technologies into teaching, using flipped classrooms — where students review instructional materials independently before applying what they’ve learned during class — and expanding experiential learning opportunities.
The unit will operate under the Office of the Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) and is expected to begin operating in early 2027.
Funding won’t reverse financial measures
Despite the additional funding, Evans said there are no changes to Queen’s financial measures, including hiring restrictions, department budget reductions, and academic restructuring plans.
He explained that although the investment increases the University’s revenue, rising operating costs will gradually reduce its financial benefit.
“It sounds like a lot of money, and it is a lot of money, but it will very quickly be overtaken by inflation,” Evans said. “It gives us breathing space and it makes life easier to some extent, but we will have to continue to be vigilant on finances.”
— With files from Rachel Wu
Tags
government funding, provincial government, Undergraduate enrolment
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