Toronto’s Centennial College is suspending more than 40 programs for its 2025/2026 academic year, including some longstanding ones focused on 3D animation, digital visual effects and the TV & film business. 

Students already enrolled in these programs will still be able to graduate from them. But those who have applied to suspended programs will be contacted about alternate options. The full list of affected programs is available on Centennial’s website. 

Animation–3D, which has been offered at the college since 1996, is a two-year program that gives students training in animation, rigging and storyboarding, as well as access to studio tours and an unpaid work placement in the industry. 

Toronto’s Sheridan College similarly suspended 40 programs in November, including six in the animation, arts and design faculty. It’s expecting a 30% decrease in enrollment over the coming years.

Colleges and universities in Canada are experiencing financial stress, due in part to the federal government’s decision to cap the number of international students allowed into schools each year. International students in Canada pay four to five times more than domestic students in annual tuition fees on average—about US$28,612 (CDN$40,115) in 2024/2025, according to Stats Canada. 

“Like other colleges and universities, we are adapting to federal immigration policy changes that have had significant implications for our enrollments and finances within the current provincial funding and policy context,” said Craig Stephenson, president and CEO of Centennial College.  “After considering a broad range of factors—such as graduate employment, enrollment demographics and labour market alignment—we are suspending new intake for 49 full-time programs that were originally slated to accept new students across the summer 2025, fall 2025 and winter 2026 semesters. 

“We are doing what we must to position the college for long-term sustainability, so that we can keep producing job-ready graduates aligned with labor-market needs and continue to serve our communities. However, it doesn’t diminish the profound and regrettable impact program suspensions will have on our community as faculty and staff reductions will be unavoidable. We are proceeding with care as we work through what this means for our people.”