___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ variance relative to plan. All types of graduate programs recorded moderately lower levels of enrolment this year, with a students and most research master’s students receive a minimum funding package – and beginning in Fall 2025 all doctoral students in the funded cohort receive at least $40,000. These funding packages are provided to international students as well, who represent 30% of doctoral students and 10% of those in research master’s programs. decline in international enrolment in the master’s programs weighing on the overall results.
In 2025 the Federal Government extended its PAL policy to include graduate students (they will be exempted in 2026). This, along with study permit processing delays, seems to have had an impact on enrolments. Total graduate international FTEs declined 515 compared to Fall 2024, reaching their lowest level since Fall 2021. The decline was concentrated in professional master’s programs (-477 or -15%), while doctoral stream master’s also moved lower (-42 or -14%). Domestic enrolment in the master’s programs (both professional and research-based) increased this year, marking the second consecutive gain and providing a partial offset to the miss on international enrolment.
Students in professional master’s (PMAS) programs represented 49% of graduate enrolments in 2025-26, which is up from 33% in 2007-08 when the Government started its previous graduate expansion program. This growth reflects the University’s response to growing demand for high-skill and leadership expertise, and students looking to elevate their careers. Examples of PMAS programs include the MBA, Master of Teaching and Master of Education, Master of Information, and Master of Engineering – which together make up 50% of all professional master’s enrolments.
Some of these programs are designed around working professionals with more flexible delivery models and registration patterns, and as such part-time students account for about 11% of all PMAS enrolments. Enrolments at the master’s level are relatively nimble because of their one- or two-year program lengths – i.e. missed intakes one year do not create long-term cohort challenges; by contrast, longer doctoral programs have more inertia, and enrolments are typically not as variable. This year, total enrolment in doctoral programs decreased by 91 FTEs (-1.1%) with domestic enrolment declining by 104 FTEs (-1.9%). International enrolment increased slightly by 13 FTEs.
Increasing graduate enrolment and the share of graduate enrolment across all three campuses has been a strategic priority of the University for almost two decades, to bring it closer in line with our international peers. Despite the slight decrease in enrolment this year, graduate enrolments have increased 69% (8,300 FTEs) since 2007-08. All three campuses have recorded strong growth. At the St. George campus, graduate students account for about 31% of total student enrolment this year, which is up from 26% in 2007-08. The proportion of graduate students at UTM and UTSC is lower (5% and 3%, respectively), but is more than double their respective enrolments in 2007-08.
Overall, across the University, graduate students account for 23% of total enrolment. It is important to note that despite the differing results in domestic enrolment across all graduate programs, U of T continues to claim all available graduate funding from the Province. More than half of graduate students are enrolled in doctoral- stream programs, which includes both doctoral (39% of graduate enrolment) and research master’s programs (13%). Nearly all (93%) of these students are enrolled in full-time studies and provide a significant contribution to the University’s overall research mission and top global research ranking.
To help support their full-time study and research, all doctoral Enrolment Report 2025-26 11 University of Toronto