Quebec universities see steep decline in international student enrolment amid tighter immigration rules

A group representing Quebec universities is reporting that international student enrolment has dropped sharply compared to last year.

Preliminary data from the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire indicates that enrolment for the current fall session has plummeted by more than 21 per cent at the master's level and by 12.1 per cent overall.

The sharpest drops were among four schools in the Université du Québec network, which reported between 17.1 per cent and 43.5 per cent fewer international students than in fall 2024.

Montreal's Concordia University was also high on the list with a 16.7 per cent drop, while McGill fared comparatively better with 5.6 per cent fewer students.

The BCI has previously blamed restrictive immigration policies at the Quebec and federal level for a dramatic drop in international admission requests.

The group says there have been changes in federal and provincial immigration policies that have contributed to the decreases in international student enrolment.