International student enrolments at Canadian public colleges and universities, 2017/2018

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Release date: February 19, 2020
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Infographic: International student enrolments at Canadian public colleges and universities, 2017/2018
Description: International student enrolments at Canadian public colleges and universities, 2017/2018

International student enrolments at Canadian public colleges and universities, 2017/2018

296,469 international students were enrolled in Canadian public colleges and universities in the 2017/2018 academic year. This represented 14% of all enrolments.

International students were from 225 countries.

2% of international students were enrolled in offshore campuses or in distance learning programs offered by Canadian postsecondary institutions.

Top countries of citizenship among international students

  • China – 28%
  • India – 23%
  • France – 7%
  • United States – 4%
  • South Korea – 2%
  • Nigeria – 2%
  • Viet Nam – 2%
  • Rest of the World – 32%

Over 80% of international students enrolled at Canadian public postsecondary institutions chose to study in Ontario, British Columbia or Quebec.


Enrolments and proportion of international students by province Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 1. The information is grouped by Province (appearing as row headers), Enrolments and Percent (appearing as column headers).
Province Enrolments Percent
Ontario 140,115 47%
British Columbia 58,971 20%
Quebec 48,570 16%
Alberta 18,798 6%
Manitoba 8,841 3%
Nova Scotia 8,457 3%
Saskatchewan 5,514 2%
New Brunswick 3,198 1%
Newfoundland and Labrador 2,865 1%
Prince Edward Island 1,131 <1%

More men than women among international students

  • 158,454 men
  • 137,055 women

Majority of international students in a bachelor-level program or higher

  • College diploma and lower – 33%
  • Bachelor program or equivalent and higher – 67%

The top three fields of study for international students
Men

  • Business, management and public administration – 28%
  • Architecture, engineering and related technologies – 25%
  • Mathematics, computer and information sciences – 12%

Women

  • Business, management and public administration – 30%
  • Social and behavioural sciences, and law – 14%
  • Humanities – 13%

Notes: International students includes those international students with study permit/student visa, with other visa status, non-Canadians with no visa status, refugees, and non-Canadians with status unknown. There were no international students enrolled in postsecondary institutions in the territories in the 2017/2018 academic year.
Source: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS), 2017/2018.

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Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2020

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

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