263% Increase in Indian Enrolment for UG Programs at University of British Columbia (UBC)

India has surpassed China as the fastest growing international student group on campus, according to University of British Columbia (UBC) enrolment reports. While students from China still represent the largest international student demographic at UBC, the university’s annual enrolment report has found that students from India represent the fastest growing international group.

According to the report, Indian enrolment in undergraduate programs at the Vancouver campus increased from 200 students in 2013/14 to 726 students in 2017/18 – an increase of 263%.

This was the biggest increase in both the undergraduate and graduate programs across the board from any international student group.

And while Chinese enrolment at the university’s Vancouver campus still leads the pack with a total enrolment of 4,406 students, this only represents a 147% increase from the 1,784 students that were enrolled in 2013/14.

At the Vancouver campus, just over 26 per cent of the student body — or 14,660 students — are international.

UBC said that in 2017/18 UBC’s international students at both its Vancouver and Okanagan campus combined were citizens of over 160 countries.

Damara Klaassen, senior director of the UBC International Student Initiative, said the university is aware of the increasing enrolment of Indian students.

“Consistent marketing and recruitment efforts, and strong relationships built with good secondary schools around the world, allow UBC to sustain our international enrolments,”

Ethan Fernandes, a second-year Sauder student, added he was drawn by UBC’s reputation as well as the political climate in the United States.

“My parents wanted me to go to a school with a good international ranking so that I could graduate with an internationally recognised degrees,” Fernandes said. “… A lot of people that previously had their eyes set on the US are now shifting their gaze to Canada because of the uncertain political climate in the States.”

Increased enrolment of Indian students isn’t just a trend at UBC.

In 2015, there were 12,040 study permit holders from India in BC. That more than doubled to 29,735 by the end of 2017. By April 2018, the total number grew to 31,815 across the province.

Last fall, UBC was ranked Canada’s second best university in a report by US News. The media organization placed the university as the 29th best in the world.

The top spot in Canada was clinched by the University of Toronto for the fifth year in a row. The report names U of T as the 20th overall in the world.