Enrolment numbers rising at Sask Polytechnic

Saskatchewan Polytechnic is experiencing a surge in enrolment, thanks in large part to a rapidly growing number of international students.

In a release Wednesday, the school said 11,463 students were enrolled for the fall term, a 27 per cent increase over the previous year’s fall semester. That total also represents a 10-year high for Sask Polytech.

The release said international enrolment rose by 60 per cent over the previous year, reaching 3,199.

As well, the number of Indigenous students at the school rose by seven per cent from the previous fall, reversing a trend of three straight years of declining fall enrolment.

According to the school, growth has been seen across all of its training levels, including a 23-per-cent increase in certificate, diploma and degree programs.

“We are incredibly proud of the significant growth in enrolment,” Dr. Larry Rosia, Sask Polytech’s president and CEO, said in the release.

“This increase not only demonstrates the quality of education we provide, but also reflects our faculty and staff’s dedication to Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s mission of inspiring success in every learning journey. Thank you to students for choosing Sask Polytech to meet their educational and career goals.”

Sask Polytech has campuses in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon.

In September, the school and the provincial government announced Sask Polytech was moving its Saskatoon campuses to a new facility on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan.

At the time, Sask Polytech said the move would “transform an existing network of 11 decentralized, outdated buildings into a revitalized complex that offers modern, technology-rich learning for students and greater opportunities for applied research and investment.”

Also in September, the technical school revealed it would be adding more training seats for medical laboratory technologists and medical radiologic technologists in the province.

Other post-secondary institutions in Saskatchewan also have reported increases in enrolment for the fall.

According to the University of Saskatchewan, the number of students taking classes was up by almost three per cent compared to the first day of fall classes in 2022.

That included a six-per-cent increase in international student enrolment and a 1.8 per cent hike in the number of self-declared Indigenous students. The number of new students on campus rose by nine per cent from the previous year.

The University of Regina also reported improving enrolment numbers, with a record 16,860 students registered for classes in the fall semester — up 893 students from the fall semester of 2022.

The university said 2,337 of the students registered for the fall semester self-identified as First Nations, Metis or Inuit. There also were 4,148 international students enrolled in classes at the school.

Of the U of R’s total enrolment for the fall, 3,564 were new students.