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