Nine Canadian universities, including the University of British Columbia will visit India to woo more foreign students to Canadian institutions of higher learning.

The universities will be in India for two weeks to meet students to hold information sessions on how Canada can be a premier destination for higher education.

The delegation, which will be in India Aug 19 to 31, will meet Class 11 and 12 students of select schools in Mumbai, New Delhi, Dehradun, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

The visit comes in the wake of a global survey that says Canada is an attractive choice for international students, with some of the lowest student fees amongst Western developed nations

International students studying in Canada pay less in student fees than their counterparts studying in other top education markets around the world, according to new research from HSBC.

Australia is the most expensive country for overseas students to study in, followed by the USA, the UAE and the United Kingdom. One of the main factors behind this was a notable strengthening of the Australian Dollar against the U.S and other currencies.

In fact, Canada continues to attract a record number of students from abroad. In 2013, Canada welcomed a record 100,000 international students, an increase of 60% from 20042, the survey said.

The global bank looked at available data on higher education in thirteen countries around the world and found that international students could expect to find some of the lowest student fees in Germany, Spain and Russia.  For example, international students studying in Germany pay an average US$635 in student fees per year.

Betty Miao, Executive Vice President, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, HSBC Bank Canada said: “With rising affluence, particularly in developing markets, and an increasingly competitive workplace that demands quality skills and a global outlook, we expect appetite for international education to continue to grow.

“Families with these aspirations need to plan ahead.  The good thing about education planning is that it is predictable. Children’s education needs are tightly constrained to a defined number of years. It is the annual cost that is the main variable depending on the country chosen for your child’s higher education.

“Those who wish to educate their children overseas need to consider more factors than simply tuition fees, such as living costs, exchange rates and inflation in their estimates of total costs. On average, living expenses can comprise at least a third of total costs and parents need to budget for travel home during school holidays. As such, there is a need for parents to ensure their children’s education forms an important part of their financial planning.”

“India is a key undergraduate student market for Canadian universities,” said Robert Finlayson of Carleton University, the tour director.

The upcoming delegation is being organised by the Canadian Higher Education Committee, under the aegis of the Council of International Schools.

“Indian students are sought for their academic strength and their rich contribution to student life on Canadian university campuses. Each year we are seeing more Indian students choosing Canada as their first choice for study.

“Indian students are drawn to our universities’ common attributes of international reputation for academic excellence, state of the art resources, and safe campuses in welcoming locations,” Finlayson said.

Apart from low living expenses and lenient visa requirements, the tuition fees of courses are also low compared to other countries.

According to the Canadian High Commission, the number of Indian students studying Canada on 2012 was 28,929 compared to 12,112 in 2011. Last year, there were 114,000 international students in Canada from more than 200 countries, a large number amongst them being from India.

The visiting universities are University of British Columbia, Carleton University, Concordia University, Guelph University, McGill University, Queens University, Ryerson University, University of Toronto and York University.

 

International Student Fees

 

Country

Annual Fees (US$ per year)

 

Australia

$25,375

 

United States

$25,226

 

United Arab Emirates

$21,371

 

United Kingdom

$19,291

 

Canada

$18,474

 

Singapore

$14,885

 

Hong Kong

$13,182

 

Japan

$6,522

 

China

$3,983

 

Taiwan

$3,270

 

Russia

$3,131

 

Spain

$1,002

 

Germany

$635