With just over one month before the beginning of the school year, universities in Atlantic Canada are worried about the expected big drop in foreign student enrolment due to caps imposed by the federal government.
In Nova Scotia, the province has so far accepted less than 4,000 international students for the upcoming year, down from last year’s 19,900 foreign students.
However, the number of international students who actually choose to study in the province may be even lower than that. In contrast to the rest of the country, Atlantic Canada has a relatively low conversion rate — the ratio of students who enrol in programs compared to the number of offers sent.
Peter Halpin, executive director of the Association of Atlantic Universities, said some of his group’s members are worried what effect the enrolment caps and low conversion rates will have on their finances and the diversity of their student …