Canada: Queen’s University Sees Decline in International Student Numbers

The number of international students at Queen’s University, one of the leading universities in Canada, has declined by 7.4 percent this year, new data released by the school shows.

According to the 2023/24 Enrollment Report published by the university in March, international students attending Queen’s hail from a total of 119 countries. Most of these students come from China, India, the UK and the US, Erudera.com reports.

On the other hand, the overall number of students, including undergraduates and graduates attending the university in the 2023/24 academic year is 28,333, up from 28,142 students in the 2022/23 academic year, a slight 0.67 percent increase within the respective timeframe.

The report shows that 171 first-year students are enrolled at Bader College, the university’s campus in the United Kingdom. The figure increased by 10.32 percent from the previous year.

According to Queen’s Journal, the university’s student-run newspaper, instruction at Bader College was discontinued in November last year, so the school transferred students to its main campus in Kingston.

The same reports the number of first-year students taking online courses is down 7.87 percent, from 178 in 2022/23 to 164 students in 2023/24.

Based on data gathered by a self-identification form filled out by 6,385 applicants, 696 individuals identified themselves as part of racialized minority groups in Canada, 232 said they had disabilities, 118 identified themselves as Black, and 347 as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Last year, the total number of international students at Queen’s was 4,037, including undergraduates and graduates, also dropping slightly by 0.6 percent from 2021/22.

China was also the main country of origin for undergraduate students at Queen’s last year, followed by India and the US. The US ranked second for the highest number of graduate students at the university.

Reports say that since 2019, international students have yet to reach 15 percent of all undergraduates at the university. The decline for the drop is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, student numbers failed to recover.

Canada has officially announced it will reduce new study visas by 35 percent starting this year. This is expected to result in nearly 360,000 approved study permits.

IRCC data showed that the number of international students in Canada exceeded one million last year, an increase of 29 percent over 2022.

Commenting on the decision, the Principal and Vice-chancellor of Queen’s University said it couldn’t have come in a worse period.

Queen’s University was founded in 1841. Today, it is a member of the U15 group of research-intensive Canadian universities with 24 research centers and institutes.

More from Erudera News:

>> What We Know Canada’s New Rules for International Students in 2024

>> Canada: College Presidents Worried Over International Student Partnerships