Question Scans

Question Scans

Question 34: What are the costs and benefits of hosting International PSE students, as identified by  the research evidence?

Overview

The Costs and Benefits of Admitting International Students
to Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions

This question scan surveys the literature-base in order to identify some of the potential costs and benefits for institutions and governments of admitting international students to local post-secondary institutions.

Five academic databases were searched for relevant research published between the years 1998 and 2008.  In addition, a further 24 grey literature sites germane to the topic at hand were also searched. Of the 1659 articles retrieved, 37 met the inclusion criteria for this scan resulting in the following conclusions.

Significant economic benefits arise from hosting international students. This appears to be evident at the federal, local and institutional level. One study suggests that international students contribute over two billion dollars to the Canadian economy. Nevertheless, it appears that most universities with large numbers of international students are increasingly aware of both the benefits and challenges involved with hosting international students, realizing that the personal and cultural needs of these students may differ significantly from those of domestic students.

Some of the challenges faced by the presence of international students in a given host country may include: an increase in racial tensions between students and members of the community; difficulties meeting the social needs of often isolated students (safety concerns, mental health issues, etc.); with regards to those who may stay in Canada to work, addressing the resentment felt by some citizens concerning the perceived loss of job opportunities for domestic graduates.

 

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