Indigenous enrolment up 12.5% at Brandon U

BRANDON — Brandon University has recorded a 12.5 per cent increase in enrolment by Indigenous students from last year.

The latest numbers bring the total count to 570 and follow the trend in which Indigenous students have become one of the fastest-growing demographics at BU.

The students are primarily from Brandon, followed by Winnipeg, The Pas, Dauphin and Thompson, and the university has received more applications from high schools in communities with larger Indigenous populations.

Meanwhile, domestic, non-Indigenous enrolment had modest gains overall while international student numbers fell.

The growth in Indigenous enrolment is partly the result of a concerted effort by the university to build stronger relationships with Indigenous communities across Manitoba, dean of students Katie Whelpton said Tuesday.

She said a new Indigenous recruitment and transition officer position has been created.

“She visits First Nations communities, works with education counsellors in those communities, and also works with the students to help choose courses and ease that move to university life,” Whelpton said.

“The province’s K-12 education system is helping more Indigenous students reach graduation and eventually pursue post-secondary education.”

BU has witnessed strong gains in Indigenous student enrolment since the 2023-24 academic year.

Applications from students who identify as Indigenous shot up by 29 per cent in 2023, the highest number in half a decade.

Numbers were up 4.4 per cent in 2024-25, with about 15 per cent of the total student population self-declared as Indigenous, the BU website says.

The university had a major surge in 2025-26 as total Indigenous enrolment increased by 14 per cent to 529 students. First-time Indigenous student registration spiked by nearly 24 per cent (145 new students). By fall 2025, Indigenous learners made up nearly 17 per cent of the total student body.

The university’s 2026-27 budget projections say undergraduate enrolment among Indigenous domestic students is expected to grow by an additional seven per cent.

BU’s international student numbers continue to reflect changes affecting international student recruitment across Canada.

As of Sept. 1, the total international student head count was down 14.3 per cent, though the university had 57 first-time international students compared with 45 at the same point last year.

The decline is expected as larger cohorts of international students graduate and federal changes limit the number of new international students the university can welcome, said BU spokesperson Grant Hamilton.

“Of the 49 first-time international students registered as of Aug. 15, 18 were from Nigeria, while no other country had more than four students at that point,” Hamilton said.

He said the Sept. 1 international numbers are preliminary and are expected to change as more students register.

As of Sept. 1, BU had 570 Indigenous students and 254 international students.

“Both numbers should grow significantly as more students register in the early weeks of the term,” Hamilton said.

Overall, the university’s head count was up 3.9 per cent compared with Sept. 1, 2025. Domestic, non-Indigenous student enrolment increased 4.5 per cent.

— Brandon Sun