Canada Surpasses the U.S. as Top Study Destination of Choice for Indian Students in 2020

U.S. enrollment sees decrease of 4 percent: IIE-IC3 joint report

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 29: Canada saw a 431 per cent growth in international student enrollment from India in five years, increasing 161,351 students from 2015 to 2020, says a joint report by the IC3 Movement and the International Institute of Education (IIE) titled “International Student Mobility Flows and COVID-19 Realities”.

The rapid growth in Canada is evident when compared with the United States. The United States also saw an increase in the total number of students from India. However, the increase of 60,236 students only resulted in a 45 per cent growth, signalling that over the past five years, students from India enrolled at higher education institutions in Canada in greater numbers and a much faster rate than in the United States. In 2020, Canada surpassed the United States and became the leading host of students from India pursuing higher education.

The number of Indian students in the United States declined for the first time in seven years, decreasing by 4 per cent in 2019/2020, driven primarily by declines in Indian graduate students and those pursuing Optional Practical Training.

The flow of international students crossing borders to pursue educational opportunities has been significantly affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic, causing higher education systems worldwide to consider the context and realities of global academic mobility before and after the health crisis. The joint paper by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and IC3 analyze significant international student mobility trends before the COVID‐19 pandemic, the role of host countries in offering academic opportunities to international students, and the increased competitiveness among countries to attract international students. The report provides an overview of the global mobility flows to and from major world regions in the 2019/2020 academic year and considers the effects of COVID‐19 on global student mobility and how the pandemic has comparatively affected international students and the countries that serve as their hosts.

Vivek Mansukhani, Head, IIE India, said, “The challenges of the pandemic will create opportunities for a breakthrough in international education. Higher education institutions worldwide are working hard to provide options for international students, including hybrid instruction models and other options for study. Their efforts to support international students and maintain a welcome environment through increased communications, mental health and well-being services, financial support, and other actions will prove incredibly important in the years to come. The focus will shift to ensure that knowledge furthers happiness and peace, helps us appreciate the reality of interconnectedness and cultivates our dormant human potential to the fullest.”

You can read the full report here.

About IC3 Movement

The IC3 (short form for International Career and College Counseling) Movement, with its mission to bring counseling in every school, is at its core, dedicated to helping young people across the globe find career paths through education that will lead to fulfilled happy and productive lives. Comprising four key, volunteer-driven initiatives — the Annual IC3 Conference, IC3 Regional Forums, IC3 Live, and the IC3 Institute — the IC3 Movement aims to empower every school to run a robust, fully functioning career and college counseling department.

About IIE (Institute of International Education)

IIE has been a world leader in international education since 1919. IIE works to build more peaceful and equitable societies by advancing scholarship, building economies and promoting access to opportunity. As a not-for-profit with 18 offices and affiliates worldwide, IIE collaborates with a range of corporate, government and foundation partners across the globe to design and manage scholarship, study abroad, workforce training and leadership development programs. For more information, visit www.iie.org.