BC’s International Student 30% Cap Allows BC Universities to Expand their Enrollments
I just finished reading an article about BC’s international student cap with a deceptive headline, “British Columbia’s new guidelines will limit international student enrolment”. And while further in the article, they clarified that 25 of British Columbia’s institutions are below the 30% cap, the headline did its damage.
So, what is really happening in British Columbia, regarding international student limitations? What is true? What does the BC government say?
BC Sets a 30% cap on International Student Enrollments
This means out of the total student population for each public DLI institution, 30% of these students can be international students. As the article did state, 25 institutions operate with an international student population under the cap. So, the truth of the matter is that institutions can increase their international student enrollments.
The chart below shows the current international student enrollment percentages for 7 BC university and colleges, including the popular UBC. Statistics were taken from the institutions’ websites to make this graph. UNBC, the University of Victoria and North Island College leave plenty of room for international student enrollment increases.
This small sample of British Columbia institutions show there is still lots of available places for International Students
Education Quality Assurance (EQA)
British Columbia has also set other protections and guidelines to ensure that international students will have a quality education experience while studying in Canada.
Tuition Fee Transparency
BC provincial DLIs will also need to post tuition levels for students for the entire duration of studies. So a student who takes a 4-year degree will know the full amount of tuition for the 4 years prior to accepting his/her offer. This will help international students and their families budget for their life in Canada. There should be no negative financial surprises. This is standard practice at some other universities in Canada such as the University of Alberta and the University of Windsor who provide a program tuition model that caps the tuition for the duration of the degree. Hopefully, more provinces and institutions will follow these practices.
Meeting Standards
As part of the EQA, both private and public institutions will need to meet or exceed the high-quality assurance standards set forth by the province. Areas that will be covered under these guidelines include:
Improved student services
Housing supports
Development of international education strategies
For more up-to-date information on international student improvements in Canada and for admission information and assistance to these British Columbia institutions, North Island College, Thompson Rivers University and UNBC, make sure to contact Go 2 Canada Education Services.
Photo by Adi K: