Study: International students in private colleges, 2021

Released: 2024-10-08

There were an estimated 16,610 international students enrolled at private colleges in Canada in 2021, a group that was highly concentrated in a small number of institutions. Most of these students were from India, and they largely studied in business or liberal arts programs.

The rising number of international students in Canada over the past decade has been a topic of great public interest. One of the questions raised about this phenomenon concerns the role of private colleges and the quality of education that international students receive there. For 2024, the number of international student permits has been capped at approximately 360,000. Following this change in policy, the provincial governments of Ontario and British Columbia have reduced the allocation of study permit applications for private postsecondary institutions.

Today, Statistics Canada is publishing a new study entitled, "International students in private colleges," which sheds light on the situation before these recent changes.

Less than 10% of international students attend private postsecondary institutions

Most international students in Canada attended a public university (53.2%) or a public college (37.6%) in 2021. Fewer than 1 in 10 international students (9.1%) attended a private postsecondary institution, of which 3.8% (16,610) attended a private college and 2.5% (11,160) attended a private university. The remaining share attended other types of private educational institutions.

International students accounted for 16.9% of all students enrolled at a private college. This share was larger in British Columbia (27.9%) and Quebec (26.2%), while in Ontario, it was the same as the Canadian average (16.9%). These three provinces accounted for almost all (99%) international students at private colleges.

International students at private colleges are highly concentrated in a small number of institutions

In 2021, the bulk of international students at private colleges were concentrated in about 20 institutions, where international students made up at least three-quarters (75%) of the student body. These institutions will be referred to as "internationally focused private colleges."

Nearly 8 in 10 international students at private colleges (79.1%) attended an internationally focused private college. These institutions tended to have a larger number of students on average than other private colleges, with a median size of 870 students. For private colleges overall, the median size was 130 students.

Business is the most common field of study for international students at private colleges

Over one-third (38.5%) of international students at private colleges studied in business in 2021. An additional 18.1% studied in a general program in the liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities. These two fields accounted for over half (56.6%) of international students at private colleges and nearly two-thirds (65.6%) of international students at internationally focused private colleges.

This was in sharp contrast to domestic students at private colleges, where one-fifth (20.3%) studied in business and less than 1% studied in the liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities.

The most common field of study among domestic students at private colleges was health, studied by 37.8% of these students, compared with less than 1 in 10 (9.4%) international students in private colleges.

International students make up a larger share of public college students in Ontario than in other provinces

In Ontario, international students accounted for more than one in five public college students (21.1%) in 2021, while in all other regions, they accounted for less than 11% of public college students.

In Ontario, some public colleges have partnerships with private colleges, which allow these private institutions to deliver some of those schools' programs. International students accounted for 27.5% of students enrolled at an Ontario public college with a private partnership, a higher share than for students enrolled at an Ontario public college without a private partnership (18.9%).

Overall, just over two-thirds (68.0%) of international students enrolled at a college in Canada in 2021 were enrolled at an Ontario public college. Of them, 23.2% were enrolled at an Ontario college that had a partnership with a private college, and 44.8% were enrolled at an Ontario college that did not have such a partnership.

India is the most common country of birth of international students at both private and public colleges

In 2021, 44.2% of all international students at private colleges were born in India. In the approximately 20 internationally focused private colleges identified in Canada, this proportion rose to just over half (50.6%) of international students.

In contrast, in private colleges other than these 20, about one in five international students (19.7%) were born in India. Other common countries and regions of birth were China (16.5%) and elsewhere in Eastern Asia (12.3%), as well as the Americas (14.8%).

Similarly, the majority (55.7%) of international students at public colleges were born in India. This pattern was driven by Ontario. Students born in India accounted for four in five international students (80.1%) at Ontario public colleges that had a partnership with a private college and over half (52.4%) of international students at Ontario colleges that did not have such a partnership. In comparison, students born in India accounted for 37.4% of international students at public colleges outside Ontario.

For more detailed information on international students, please see the full study, "International students in private colleges."

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The study, "International students in private colleges," is now available as part of the Education, Learning and Training Research Paper Series.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).