While the 2020-2021 academic year has forced students to continue their education at home because of the pandemic, Canadian universities are anticipating to welcome more international students this fall.
Post-secondary educational institutions are now reporting increased interest among students to study overseas amid the present-day uncertainty of the country’s post-pandemic recovery.
Key Takeaways:
- Canada will welcome an increased number of international student enrollments this fall.
- Most Canadian universities reported an increase in international student enrollment.
- Canadian universities took additional measures to make the journey of international students to the country easier.
In 2017-2018, Statistics Canada estimated nearly 40 percent of all tuition were paid by international students, providing educational institutions in Canada with almost $4 billion in revenue.
With this projection of more international students opting to travel to Canada to pursue their education, it is encouraging for the universities from coast to coast since they have been increasingly dependent on international student tuition in the previous months.
Most Canadian universities have marked a significant increase in their international student enrollment. At the University of Saskatchewan, for example, the undergraduate direct-entry programs increased by about 40 percent in early July compared to the same period last year.
The university is expecting that by the end of the academic year, it will exceed pre-pandemic levels of both new and returning international students, according to Alison Pickrell, assistant vice provost, strategic enrollment management.
York University, as another example, also recorded a “modest” increase in its international student enrollment from 5,224 to 6,831 for the summer classes.
Such trends in international student enrollment support the data from Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The government department has received nearly 100,000 study permit applications from January to April of this year.
To encourage international students to come to Canada as their study destination, universities have taken additional measures such as airport reception service, provision of quarantine spaces, and vaccination requirements for the students.
Read more:
- Canada Remains Top Study Destination Among Int’l Students
- Int’l Student Population in Canada Becoming Less Diverse—Study
- IRCC Expands SDS to 7 New Countries
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