Canada's international student enrolment up 94% over past decade

A new national study on the state of international education in Canada reaffirms the country’s strengthened position as an international study destination. More than 265,000 international students were studying in Canada in 2012, representing an increase of 11% over the previous year and a remarkable 94% increase since 2001.

“Canada’s international student population comes from countries across the globe, but a few send far more students than others,” observes A World of Learning. “The top five source countries remained unchanged between 2011 and 2012; China, India, Korea, Saudi Arabia and the US, combined, continue to make up more than half of Canada’s international students.”

Students’ perspectives on study in Canada

A World of Learning includes findings from an annual CBIE survey of international students in Canada. The first such survey was conducted in 2012 and this year’s report includes results from the 2013 survey. This year’s survey drew responses from 1,509 students representing 25 institutions.

Of those, only about 300, or 20%, reported they had applied to countries other than Canada (for the most part, these students had also applied to institutions in the US, UK, or Australia). This represents a substantial decrease compared to the 2012 survey where 45% of respondents reported applying to countries other than Canada.

And it seems that students are happy with their choice as both the 2012 and 2013 surveys found a consistently high level of student satisfaction. “Nine out of ten respondents (91%) were either satisfied or very satisfied with their experience in Canada,” notes the report. “96% of students indicated they would definitely or probably recommend Canada as a study destination.”

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