Mandigo explained that the preliminary budget for 2026-2027 will begin as soon as there is an approved operational budget by the Board of Governors. This takes around 12 months to finalize before being given its final approval by the board. The preliminary budget was first presented in October 2025, and was driven by predicted enrollments, both domestic and international, for the next fiscal year created with the help of UFV’s departmental deans, heads and directors in tandem with the Office of Registrar.
The budget is then adjusted with feedback from the UFV community that is kept in mind until March, when the last Budget Town Hall occurs before going to the Senate and the Board of Directors. Mandigo announced that because of the financial challenges being faced by Canadian universities tied to the international student cap and immigration policy changes, he wants to ensure UFV is navigating this situation with as much openness as possible.
“We’re committed to being able to share as much as we can, being transparent and doing this work with as much care and compassion as we can.”
Mandigo assured that finding ways to avoid cutting jobs at UFV remains a top priority. He added that finding a balanced approach to the budget while exploring opportunities to increase revenue where possible are important to help create a sustainable plan moving forward.
Mandigo mentioned that the provincial government will not be providing any additional funding, and that using the existing resources efficiently has become a top priority for UFV. Despite experiencing a $1.2 million increase in revenue from domestic students and fees, Mandigo shared that the $21.9 million deficit is tied directly to the decrease in international student enrolments, with less than 500 new international students forecasted to join UFV for 2026-2027.
“Clearly it’s the international tuition and fees where we are projecting that we will see a $21.9 million decrease in the amount of revenue that we’ll be able to generate.”
This deficit is due to the federal government implementing a 48 per cent decrease in the amount of Provincial Allocation Letters (PALs) UFV has been granted to offer to international students starting in 2026. They were only given a total of 928 PALs compared to last year’s approximately 1,800.
Mandigo shared some of the strategies being employed to help mitigate the deficit and close the gap in revenue and expenses. One of which is to make programs more sustainable by offering courses that align with the community’s wants and needs. The goal is to maximize the number of students that are enrolled for those classes as much as possible to combat the 12 per cent forecasted drop in overall course enrollment for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Mandigo mentioned that another cost reducting strategy is decreasing the amount of money invested in discretionary budgets, such as travel, furniture, memberships, sponsorships, special events, and more. They are also seeking to use on-campus resources and UFV’s facilities to the maximum instead of outsourcing spaces for events. Mandigo clarified that this reduction is necessary for long term sustainability.
“[This] doesn’t mean that we’re not doing these things anymore, because we still need to. The university still needs to do the business of a university, but [with] a lot more tightly controlled investigation around the necessity for some of these costs moving forward.”
Part of the uncertainties being faced by UFV are the possibility of layoffs. Mandigo disclosed that there are individuals who have been offered retirement or leaving the university through their voluntary departure program. To date, 41 people have been offered a voluntary departure program, out of which 20 have already accepted. The number of possible layoffs depends on the total number of people that willingly agree to depart the university. However, Mandigo confirmed the unfortunate truth that at least 40 layoffs are expected to occur across the university.
“The very last thing that we looked at was, unfortunately, the need to do layoffs. This was clearly not something that we … want to do, but [it’s] necessary to help us to achieve our budget.”
Mandigo affirmed that despite the challenges and uncertainties being faced by Canadian universities across British Columbia, UFV is perceived as being in a good financial position.
“I know it’s tough news today, but in the sector, we’re seen as being very stable, having good financial stewardship and fiscal sustainability.”
He reinforced that the university remains committed to working alongside its faculty association to achieve long term sustainability, and that all indications from UFV’s Board of Directors are of contentment with the plan.
