Cambrian College enrolment increases by five per cent

Emma Boertjes of Kincardine is among the 4,713 full-time students attending Cambrian College this fall semester.

Sudbury -

Cambrian College said Tuesday it is having one of its strongest fall semesters ever, with 4,713 students enrolled in full-time studies, a five per cent increase compared to last year.

“COVID-19 has changed the post-secondary landscape, and these enrolment numbers show that students have given us a vote of confidence,” Bill Best, president of Cambrian College, said in a news release Tuesday touting the enrolment numbers.

“Students want to go to a school where the learning environment is positive, and where they can receive the education and hands-on training which is the hallmark of a college education. At Cambrian, we are confident we are providing that for all of our students.”

Renee Scott, Cambrian’s director of student success and recruitment, said in the release that attracting more students is a team effort.

“We have a talented and dedicated team of faculty, staff and recruiters who have been with our students every step of the way as they made the decision to choose Cambrian,” Scott said.

“I’m especially pleased to see growth in the number of new domestic students beginning their academic career here at Cambrian this September. We have put in a lot of hard work during this pandemic to meeting with students in innovative, virtual ways, encouraging them to move forward with their career ambitions.”

The number of students who identify as Indigenous has increased year-over-year, from 657 last September to 677 this semester.

Cambrian College’s international student enrolment has also grown, in terms of number and diversity. There are about 1,411 international students from 43 countries enrolled in full-time studies this semester. That is up from 1,158 full-time international students from 37 countries last September.

The growth can be explained by the easing of travel restrictions for fully vaccinated international students, improvements in how study permit applications are processed overseas, and a robust recruiting campaign.

“We have diversified our international community, with more students coming to us from countries such as Nepal, Nigeria, Colombia, Honduras, Chile, Vietnam, Philippines and China,” said Imad Al-Sukkari, director of Cambrian International.

“We’re certainly growing our reputation abroad as a place to come for a great education.”

One of the students attending Cambrian College this year is Emma Boertjes of Kincardine. She is a second-year student in the Medical Radiation Technology program.

“I chose Cambrian because of the medical radiation technology program," Boertjes said.

"It was a great opportunity for me. I also really like the size of the college and the community. It’s just right.”

After going completely virtual at the start of the pandemic, Cambrian’s main campus reopened in July 2020 to accommodate students and employees who needed to be on-site for hands-on learning.

Numerous COVID-19 safety protocols have been put in place to keep students, employees and visitors safe. Cambrian is also requiring all students, employees and visitors to provide proof of vaccination, or a valid exemption with regular rapid testing, as a condition for accessing campus.

Cambrian College offers more than 90 programs. For more information about Cambrian College or its programs, click here.