Rising American tuition fees could be a major reason why international students are choosing to study in Canada. With a US$5,000 tuition hike since 2012, international students are now than domestic students. For perspective, tuition for Americans only went up US$450. The United States has some of the best schools in North America but with the increasing price of education鈥斺�攊nternational students may be more inclined to submit their applications north of the border.
Changes in Student Populations
According to The Power of International Education鈥檚 , the number of enrolments from international students went up 1.5 percent over the 2017/18 school year. However, this includes OPT (Optional Practical Training) students, which are undergraduate students who are not newly-enroled students, but are currently pursuing a co-op-like term in their degree.
But this isn鈥檛 much of an enrolment rise from previous years. According to the Institute of International Education, international students enrolled as first-time undergraduates聽 in 2016/17. When you look at what domestic and international students paid for school between 1996 and 2016 the problem becomes clear. The ten-year study concludes that the gap between domestic and international students is becoming increasingly drastic.聽 International students鈥� fees increased by almost US$10,000.
North of the border, international student enrolment is聽 than it was in 2000, with more than 500,000 students expected to study in Canada by the end of 2018. Aside from Canada鈥檚 reputation as a multicultural country, lower tuition fees may be an added bonus for international applicants.聽The average tuition at Canadian universities over 2017/18 averages at C$25,180.
Looking for an alternative to US schools?聽!
How These Changes Affect The Economy
The opportunity to work in a host country after graduation is important to international students. This allows them to apply their learned skills within their field of study and build a career. In Canada, about 聽accepted are international students.
And this is great for Canada鈥檚 economy.聽 In 2017 alone, international students聽聽to Canada鈥檚 economy through tuition, accommodation and聽discretionary spending. This put education as the fourth largest export sector in Canada鈥檚 economy. As a cherry on top, Canada聽announced聽a new multi-year immigration plan that aims to welcome 350,000 foreign newcomers by 2021.
US President Trump鈥檚 immigration policies, along with his government’s , is making it harder for highly skilled immigrants to obtain a work visa鈥攐r even a permanent residency. This ultimately blocks future opportunities for international students who wish to stay and work in the US upon graduating. This isn鈥檛 good for the American economy. The , with 64.5 per cent of them working in computer-related occupations.
International students bring many benefits to academic institutions. However, if US tuition fees are too high, international students will look elsewhere.
Why are many international students choosing Canada as their study destination? Find out in this blog post!
