The University of Windsor Board of Governors has approved the 2025/26 operating budget — a plan that acknowledges the financial realities facing higher education while reinforcing the institution’s commitment to sustainability, accountability, and academic excellence.
The University of Windsor Board of Governors has approved the institution’s fiscal 2025/26 operating budget, a plan that reflects both the ongoing challenges in higher education and a commitment to long-term sustainability.
“The University is facing serious financial pressures, but we are navigating them with resolve, accountability, and a focus on reimagining the future,” said President Rob Gordon.
The University entered the 2025/26 budget planning cycle facing a projected tuition revenue shortfall of more than $30 million, following a $14 million shortfall the previous year. This decline was largely driven by significant sector-wide decreases in international enrolment, compounded by frozen domestic tuition rates and rising operational costs.
The operating budget outlines the efficiency optimization measures that were implemented across campus, including personnel reductions, hiring and salary freezes, voluntary retirements and early severance programs, and operational restructuring.
These efforts helped mitigate the projected base deficit to approximately $9 million. Strategic one-time funding from the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence, and Securities (MCURES) further reduced it to $4.6 million, or 1.4% of the budget — closing the gap as much as possible within the limitations of external factors, contractual obligations, and efficiency costs.
“We have had to make extremely difficult decisions, but they were necessary to protect our academic mission and uphold our strategic commitments,” Gordon said. “As we move forward, we must continue to change. The challenges facing our University and institutions across Canada are not temporary. We must adapt to the evolving economic, political and social realities.”
Gordon expressed confidence in the University community, saying, “The COVID-19 global pandemic presented unprecedented obstacles, but we came together and found a way through it. We can do so again by focusing on our collective strength and shared goals.”
The 2025/26 operating budget, which was approved during the Board’s April 22 meeting, will be posted on the Finance Department’s web page.