International student enrolment in postsecondary education programs prior to COVID-19

This article discusses the share of postsecondary enrolments that are international by program of study and source country. Given the ongoing uncertainties around the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic, including the new public health restrictions imposed on international travel and physical distancing guidelines affecting classroom structures, the share of enrolments in various academic programs that are international is of high relevance at the moment. As Canadian universities and colleges face uncertainty with regards to whether or not in-person classes can be resumed for the 2020 fall term, they are examining and building plans for all scenarios ranging from partial to full online learning, including the potential of having no international students on campus. However, not all areas of study are equally amenable to online learning. In particular, those programs requiring hands-on experience, such as laboratory or studio/recital work, work placements, or residencies, will likely face more challenges to transform into online formats. While this study found that most of these programs do not rank very high in international student enrolment, many do still rely on these sources to a substantial degree. If international demand does decline this year, this could create delayed demand among international students that may result in compensatory enrolment in the following years, creating more competition for available space even for Canadian residents.

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