Canadian colleges draw more Americans

Canada, eh?

In record numbers, American students, looking for a cheap but
high quality education, have begun to apply to Canada’s
universities when going through the college admissions process.

Over the past three years, the numbers of Americans enrolling in
Canadian colleges has risen around 90 percent, said Matt Jonah,
head of international admissions at Mount Allison University, in
New Brunswick.

According to Jonah, the reason for the increase has been largely
financial. Due to both a favorable exchange rate between the U.S.
and Canadian dollars and a greater government subsidization of
college costs in Canada than in the United States, tuition at a
top-ranked university, including housing, fees and meals, can cost
around $11,500.

In a slowing economy, with many prestigious universities in the
United States costing as much as three times this figure, students
are increasingly being drawn to schools up north.

In addition, there is not necessarily a trade-off for the low
costs, as attending school in Canada does not mean sacrificing high
quality studies.

“The United Nations has ranked Canada as having the best
quality education in the world for numerous years, but Canadians
are humble and do not promote themselves as well as some other
countries,” Jonah said.

Mount Allison University was recently ranked second in
Maclean’s University Rankings, a magazine used to judge top
Canadian colleges. Last year, of approximately 2,100 applications,
120 were sent by American applicants, according to Jonah.

However, while Canada is becoming a more appealing option, some
believe it does not present as many opportunities as American
schools, in terms of reputation and diversity of career
options.

“UCLA had a lot more to offer than the Canadian schools I
was accepted to. It was a big opportunity for me to come
here,” said Jacqueline Ng, a first-year biology student. Ng
is an international student from Canada.

Though she was accepted to the University of Toronto, one of the
largest and most prestigious doctoral schools in Canada, it still
paled in comparison to the science departments at UCLA, Ng
said.

Some students are choosing Canada because of other factors as
well. With universities in the United States receiving more
applications every year, and the admissions process becoming more
competitive every year, Canada has emerged as another, less
stressful, option.

The application process in Canada is usually considered easier
than that in the United States, as neither the SAT nor any other
standardized tests are typically used in deciding admissions.

Many universities also forgo requiring personal statements or
admissions essays and accept students primarily based on their high
school GPA and teacher recommendations.

Adding to the simplicity of the process, students generally do
not have to fill out an application for each school they’re
applying to. In Canada’s application system, applicants
complete a form for each of the country’s provinces, which
then send their information simultaneously to all the schools
within its boundaries.

Canada is also considered a good option for students looking to
experience a different culture while still living close to the
United States and without having to study in another language. Its
reputation for cleanliness and safety are also benefits that have
led to the attraction of so many Americans, Jonah said.

Still, the transition may prove difficult for some students
ill-prepared for such a drastic change.

“Our American applicants generally compare with our
Canadian applicants in terms of their entering average, however,
they often struggle with the academic workload, relative to our
Canadian students,” Jonah said.