INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES ATTRACTING THE BEST AND

HRIGEN1REV9 (VOL I) PAGE VII UNITED NATIONS HRI INTERNATIONAL
  INTERNATIONAL PILOT STUDY ON THE EVALUATION OF
  COMMITTEE ASSISTANCE DEPARTMENT INTERNATIONAL & ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

0 Rag031e International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Advisory
0 – HIGHLEVEL GLOBAL THEMATIC MEETING ON INTERNATIONAL
12 INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND FISCAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

International Students at Canadian Universities

International Students at Canadian Universities


Attracting the best and brightest international students to our campuses has been an on-going issue of importance for AUCC and a central component of Canadian universities’ internationalization strategies. The presence of these students enhances the learning and research environments at our institutions and further equips universities to play a central role in Canada’s economic recovery and long-term competitiveness and prosperity.



Why are international students important to Canada?


Attracting top-flight international students from the growing worldwide pool of talent, has several benefits for Canada whether they choose to return home upon graduation or put their expertise and knowledge to work in Canada:

They bring diverse perspectives, expertise and skills to Canadian university classrooms and labs and contribute to creating global, 21st century institutions of higher education and research in communities across Canada.


When international students graduate from Canadian universities and return to their countries of origin, many become business, governmental, academic and cultural leaders, creating international networks that strengthen Canada’s economic, diplomatic and scientific ties abroad;


When international students choose to stay in Canada after graduation, they bring significant economic and societal benefits to Canada as a source of highly qualified people for the skilled labour market.


These benefits are in addition to the obvious immediate economic impact of international students on campuses in many communities across Canada. International students contribute approximately $6.5 billion annually to our economy through tuition fees, other fees, books, room and board, transportation and discretionary spending.

Over the longer term, in Canadian communities hit hard by the economic downturn that have relied on traditional economic sectors, international students and their host institutions can be drivers for new knowledge-based activities and industries.



Are other countries engaged in this global race for talent?


While most forecasts estimate that the number of students who will pursue their postsecondary degrees abroad will continue to increase for the foreseeable future, competition for this pool of talent will also grow. Many governments in OECD countries are looking at international student recruitment policies and initiatives as a means of “engaging the world through knowledge” as well as attracting the necessary human capital to remain competitive in the global economy.

Some examples include the traditional recruiting countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia whose governments are continuing strong investments in recruitment initiatives.

The U.K. government has reinvested in the promotion of its Education UK brand with approximately £27 million ($50 million Cdn) over two years through the Prime Minister’s Initiative (This is in addition to core funding for the British Council, its main promotion organization.).


In Australia, the government has increased funding for marketing activities to approx. $20 million Cdn per year for its main education promotion organization – Australian Education International.


With the arrival of the Obama administration, the United States is entering into an era of renewed emphasis on higher education and research, which will further heighten its advantage as a destination of choice for top-flight students.


Are other countries doing better than Canada in international student recruitment?


The number of full-time international students at Canadian universities had been growing for some time but has slowed in the last few years at the current level of 70,000. Other key competitor countries, in the mean time, have been successfully growing their numbers in international student recruitment.


A comparison with the U.K. and Australia in market share of Indian and Chinese university students is instructive. Canadian universities have been dedicating more of their marketing and recruitment resources to India and indeed, enrolment of Indian students has been growing to the current level of 2,800. This number, nevertheless, represents tremendous unrealized potential when compared to the recruitment numbers of universities in competitor countries: Australia (28,000) and the U.K (27,000).


Likewise, enrolment of students from China in Canadian universities – the number one source country – has been steadily growing to approximately 15,000. This however is considerably fewer than Australia with approximately 51,000 and the U.K. with 49,000.


What are Canadian universities currently doing to attract more international students?


International students currently represent 7 percent of fulltime undergraduate enrolment and 18 percent at the graduate level. AUCC research indicates that Canadian universities have both the capacity and the desire to increase numbers of international students. As part of this effort to tap into the pool of global talent, Canada’s universities have been dedicating more resources to international student recruitment activities through marketing and promotion abroad as well as more recruitment missions. Many universities have set targets towards a more global campus such as increasing the enrolment percentage of international students and achieving greater numbers of international partnerships in exchange, joint programming and research.

AUCC research also points to increased institutional support for the recruitment of graduate students. For example, the number of institutions offering scholarships especially targeted to international graduate students has grown to 62 percent, a 24% increase from 2000-2006.


What is the federal government current’s investment in international student recruitment?


Over the past two years, the federal government has introduced some initiatives aimed at improving the marketing of Canadian higher education: DFAIT’s Edu-Canada branding initiative, developed with provincial governments, and related funding of $2 million over two years for marketing in select markets; improvements to key immigration policies; and the creation of the new Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships have all been well received by the university community.


Still, to leverage the efforts by universities and maximize government investments to date, a concerted effort from both government and the universities is needed to ensure Canada can effectively compete for the best and brightest in the international market and to make Canada a destination of choice, recognized for its excellence.


What is AUCC recommending?


AUCC recommends that the federal government invest in an international student recruitment strategy, including targeted marketing activities that promote the excellence of Canada’s universities to potential students abroad. An appropriate level of investment would be $20 million per year for five years. The main activities to be carried out as part of the recruitment strategy include: enhanced web presence; media and advertising campaigns to roll out the new Edu-Canada brand; promotion of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and new immigration measures such as the post-graduate work permit program; dedicated personnel on the ground abroad to carry out marketing activities; the organization of fairs and outreach events for target countries; and tailored campaigns with a focus on the university sector.


14 8BXXXE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION RADIOCOMMUNICATION STUDY
14 NOVEMBER 2005 PATRINA BUCHANAN PROJECT MANAGER INTERNATIONAL
2 ITSDOC6 INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION COLLABORATION ON


Tags: attracting the, as attracting, attracting, canadian, students, international, universities