Canada has been named the most-searched country globally to study abroad.
Remitly, a British money transfer company, analyzed global Google search data and has revealed that Canada is the most searched destination for studying abroad.
Remitly analyzed the data from 164 countries to determine where their inhabitants were searching to study outside of their home country.
They looked at the average monthly searches for phrases that were linked with searching to study overseas including “University in (location)” or “study in (location)”.
After the extensive analysis, they then ranked the most popular countries that had the most searches.
According to the results, Canada took the top spot for most searched countries for studying overseas, with inhabitants from 36 countries searching to study in Canada.
Next was Spain, which was searched by 13 countries, followed by England, with 10 countries in total.
France, which tied for the 4th position with the US and Japan was most searched by Canadian students.
In another survey done by Education.com’s 2021 rankings, Canada still took the first position for the most popular study abroad destination.
The survey comprised over 2,700 international students who said that they made their preference for a study abroad country first over a university or the type of program offered.
What Made Canada So Popular?
According to Remitly, several things made Canada top the list for most popular overseas study destination.
The company went on to say that it was not hard to see why it was the most searched for country by inhabitants from 36 countries.
Generally, Canada is known for its breathtaking scenery, good healthcare system, and great job opportunities for immigrants.
Many international students are able to work in Canada after graduation with a temporary work visa and there are options to apply for Canadian permanent residency as well.
Furthermore, it is renowned for its exceptional education system, thanks to its top universities like the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, McGill University, and more.
The report indicated that the University of Toronto got the most searches for universities in Canada and was ranked 7th in the global search interest.
The most searched for university in the world was Harvard University with nearly 10 million searches annually, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), both in the United States.
Other than its renowned Universities, Canada also takes pride in being home to cities like Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto, which are considered friendly for students.
Montreal is considered one of the best student cities in Canada due to its low cost of living.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, international student enrollment has tripled over 10 years in Canada.
The 2018-2019 school year recorded approximately 313,395 internationals students at post-secondary institutions in Canada.
This is opposed to the 100,968 international students that enrolled in Canada a decade ago.
Over the years, programs like mathematics, along with computer and information sciences, have recorded a 374 percent increase in the number of international students enrolling.
Programs in the transportation sector have also seen an exponential growth in the number of international students.
Because of the increase of international students in Canadian universities and colleges, they are charged higher tuition fees.
These higher education institutions use the fee revenue to meet their operating budgets.
Consequently, international students are important to Canada’s education system and economy, while at the same time, foreign students benefit from a quality education in a safe, immigrant-friendly country where they may have career opportunities after graduation.
