MONTREAL — Quebec wants to cut the number of international students in the province, and has singled out private colleges that it says are using education as a "business model to sell Quebec and Canadian citizenship."
But federal and provincial data shows a recent rise in foreign students at colleges and francophone universities that seems to be aligned with Quebec's policy of attracting francophone students, especially in the regions. Enrolment at unsubsidized private colleges, meanwhile, has cratered.
Here are some numbers on international students in Quebec, from federal and provincial data:
Top 5 universities for international students in 2023
McGill University — 10,783
Concordia University — 8,669
Université de Montréal — 7,061
Université Laval — 5,736
Université du Québec à Montréal — 4,373
Universities with the biggest increase in study permits between 2022 and 2023
Université du Québec en Outaouais — 1,665 students in 2023, an increase of 1,160
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi — 3,020 in 2023, an increase of 1,120
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières — 2,760 in 2023, an increase of 900
Université Laval — 4,590 in 2023, an increase of 880
Université du Québec à Rimouski — 1,505 in 2023, an increase of 820
CÉGEPs with the biggest increase in study permits between 2022 and 2023
CÉGEP de Trois-Rivières — 345 permits in 2023, an increase of 175
CÉGEP de Jonquière — 345 in 2023, an increase of 165
CÉGEP de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue — 245 in 2023, an increase of 135
CÉGEP Limoilou — 300 in 2023, an increase of 125
CÉGEP de Granby — 170 in 2023, an increase of 115
Private subsidized colleges with the biggest increase in study permits between 2022 and 2023
Institut Teccart — 2,235 permits in 2023, an increase of 1,345
Collège Ellis, campus de Trois-Rivières — 1,140 in 2023, an increase of 1,015
Collège Supérieur de Montréal — 1,320 in 2023, an increase of 760
Collège Universel — 720 in 2023, an increase of 535
Collège LaSalle — 1,465 in 2023, an increase of 535
Private unsubsidized college enrolment
2020 — 19,225
2021 — 12,854
2022 — 7,765
2023 — 1,370
Countries that saw the biggest increase in study permits between 2022 and 2023
Algeria — 5,875 permits in 2023, an increase of 2,315
Guinea — 2,810 in 2023, an increase of 1,995
Côte d’Ivoire — 3,010 in 2023, an increase of 1,830
Cameroon — 3,225 in 2023, an increase of 1,740
Senegal — 3,025 in 2023, an increase of 1,575
Post-secondary institutions with the most asylum claims in 2024
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi — 300
Collège Ellis, campus de Trois-Rivières — 255
Université Laval — 215
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières — 200
Université du Québec en Outaouais — 190
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2024.
Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press