University of Guelph prepares for influx of first-year students

The University of Guelph is expanding services at the school as enrolment soars.

More than 7,000 new students are expected to become Gryphons this September.

The school is facing backlash to the enrolment boom as some first-year students are having trouble finding a suitable place to live after being put on a residence waitlist.

The university said the increase in enrolment was necessary as the school faces significant financial pressures.

“While planning for expanded enrolment began last fall, the university has added more supports in recent weeks after a late surge in student acceptances resulted in more first-year students looking for a spot in residence and a higher overall yield rate—a term the university uses to describe the ratio of acceptances to offers,” Provost and academic Vice President Gwen Chapman said via a news release.

Expanded services

The expanded services will impact course sizes, meal plans, and library services.

The university said some course and section sizes will be increased and new class sections will be added to accommodate the growing student population. Students who need certain courses as part of their program will be given priority access to ensure they meet the requirements to progress through their studies.

The university will also be offering different off-campus meal plan options for students who are commuting or living off-campus. They said for the first time, first-year students who commute will have the option to purchase an on-campus meal plan. More details about the meal plan changes are expected next month.

Additional staff will be hired to assist with student health care, mental support, and accessibility services and the McLaughlin Library is also expected to bring on more staff members to bolster research and accessibility services.

The news release also addressed the issue some students have had finding housing for the school year. The release said the university is planning to expedite plans to increase housing on university-owned land, but further details on what that will entail will not be released until the fall. Meanwhile, the school is also adding staff to help with one-on-one advising meetings involving students and their parents searching for off-campus housing. The university is also planning to host information sessions to help students still struggling to find a place to live off-campus.

For many frustrated families, the additional housing supports may come too late as some people who reached out to CTV News said they were not told of residence issues until early June, or in some cases, after the June 3 deadline to accept an offer at another university.

Chapman previously confirmed that incoming first-year students were told of the waitlist possibility only after they accepted and paid their residence deposit.

“We recognize that people are frustrated and upset. We are doing our best to get as many students into residence as we can, and then provide other supports where we can for those students who don't get into residence,” Chapman said last month. “We have specific programs for incoming first-year students who live off campus so that they can get those connections, get the supports and the social connections that students would get through residence.”

More information on the expanded programs and services can be found on the University of Guelph’s website.

With reporting from Jeff Pickel