By Elizabeth Francisco, MSM staff writer
At a glance
- Became an MSM partner in 2016
- Within 24 months, international students grew to make up two-thirds of the student population
- The first energy self-sufficient campus in North America
- Increased the local economy of Cape Breton Island for the first time in 20 years
- MSM’s dedicated global/in-country office and admissions outreach helped them tap into Indian students, a leading market
From declining enrollment to tripling their international students in just under five years, Cape Breton University (CBU) has emerged as a model for reinvigorating not just its campus community but also the local economy.
Formerly known as University College of Cape Breton, CBU is the only postsecondary degree-granting institution on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It serves more than 5,500 full-time and part-time students from 40 different countries.
CBU offers a comprehensive set of liberal arts, science, business, health and professional programs. It is also the first energy self-sufficient campus in North America.
Up until the past half decade, student enrollments were dropping at the public institution, largely due to the aging local population. With partners like MSM and the growth ambitions of the Honorable David Dingwall, a former federal health minister and CBU President since 2017, the institution managed to turn itself around and become one of the biggest success stories in international education in Canada, if not worldwide.
Passing the 50% Foreign Student Threshold
In 2016, MSM began to build CBU’s global/in-country office and provide admissions support to help them boost international student recruitment in India, already a high-growth market then. From there, MSM has delivered a 390% annual average increase in international students to the institution.
The original goal of CBU involved increasing international student enrollment to 3,500 students. Yet under the leadership of Dingwall, they far exceeded that objective and now have roughly 5,500 students.
Within 24 months, international students tripled and became the “super-majority,” making up two-thirds of all students. This made CBU the first institution in Canada to surpass the 50 percent foreign-student ratio threshold. Not even those with the highest foreign student population could reach that mark, with most institutions within the 30 percent range.
CBU made waves as it grew its undergraduate population by more than 44 percent between school years 2017 and 2018, the largest in Nova Scotia. From under 800 students in 2016, they accepted over 3,400 in 2019.
“This growth is consistent with our expectations and the work we’ve done in international markets. The focus has been, and remains to be, on providing the necessary academic and support services to enhance the student learning experience,” Victor Tomiczek, Manager for Enrollment Services (International), told The PIE.
Its development also allowed CBU to increase its budget by 37 percent, helping create new programs and improve local facilities.