From 2010-2019, the number of international students at Canadian public post-secondary institutions increased from 142,200 to 388,800. Now, over 800,000 international students study at all levels in Canada. This surge raised concerns about the impact on domestic enrolment. However, a Statistics Canada study showed a positive relationship between domestic and international enrolment. The study focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Business, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (BHASE) programs. It found that increased international enrolment did not affect domestic enrolment at the institution level. However, a positive correlation was seen in STEM and BHASE courses: as international enrollment rose, so did domestic enrollment. This was stronger for BHASE programs in post-secondary non-tertiary and short-cycle tertiary programs. No correlation was found at the graduate level within STEM programs, but a positive correlation was seen in BHASE graduate programs.
