Selkirk College to close one of its campuses in Nelson at end of academic year

VICTORIA — A college in southeastern B.C. is permanently closing a campus because of the financial effects of federal restrictions on international students.

Selkirk College says it will close one of its three campuses in Nelson, B.C., at the end of the current academic year to help make up a financial shortfall between $3 million and $4 million in 2026-27.

Board chair Amed Naqvi says the campus closure is a “difficult but necessary” step to ensure the survival of Selkirk College, after changes to federal immigration policy cut the number of international students that colleges can recruit.

Selkirk College says the number of full-time international students has dropped by about 32 per cent this academic year, leading to “an unprecedented and sudden drop in tuition revenues.”

The so-called Victoria Street Campus in Nelson can accommodate up to 33 students, and has been part of Selkirk College since 2006, when it absorbed the Kootenay School of the Arts first established in 1958.

The closure announced Friday on the college’s website is the latest measure by the institution to cut costs, following the closure of smaller learning centres in Kaslo and Nakusp in the spring of 2025.

Selkirk College is among several post-secondary institutions across B.C. that have laid off staff and cut programming because of federal changes to international student enrolment.

These restrictions have led to a loss of $9 million in revenue for the 2025-26 fiscal year for Selkirk College.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2025.