International student enrolments in Canada up 11%

International student enrolments at postsecondary institutions in Canada rose by more than 11 per cent between 2013-14 and 2014-15, according to recent figures from the country’s statistics agency.

The increase – up from a 2.5 per cent increase the previous year – meant that overseas students accounted for more than 10 per cent of total enrolments in the country in the 2014-15 academic year, according to Statistics Canada.

The dramatic growth occurred shortly after the Canadian government unveiled an ambitious plan to nearly double the number of international students to 450,000 in 2022.

China accounted for almost a third (30 per cent) of the number of new international students in the country in 2014-15, more than any other nation, followed by India (9 per cent) and France (8 per cent).

The majority of overseas students attended universities in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

However, total enrolments in Canadian colleges and universities increased by only 0.3 per cent to just over 2 million between 2013-14 and 2014-15, down from a growth of 1.2 per cent the previous year. 

For the second consecutive academic year, the largest increase in the number of enrolments in 2014-15 was in the field of architecture, engineering and related technologies.

About six in 10 enrolments were in programmes at the bachelor level or above at universities and degree-granting colleges.

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com