B.C. schools vie for international students

International students are big business for schools in British Columbia and across the country, and educators are working hard to attract even more.

Statistics Canada hasn't done a study on the subject since the late 1990s, but according to a study donein March 2006by Vancouver's RKA Inc., direct spending by international post-secondary students at public institutions in British Columbiaamounted to a little over $500 million. The influx of students from outside Canadaalso created nearly 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to the study.

Schools such as the University of British Columbia are eager to increase that figure.

"The strategic plan for the university has the stated goal that by 2015 15 per cent of our undergrad students would be international," said Michelle Suderman, associate director of international students at UBC.

The payoff for the university isn't simply financial, Suderman said:International students bring a unique perspective, and inthe global economy, their attendance helps prepare all students for doing business not just here but worldwide.

Nevertheless, the premium that international students pay for their education is a powerful incentive for post-secondary recruiting.

At B.C.'s Capilano College, for example, Canadian students pay $106 per credit, while foreign students have to pony up $395, according thecollege's website.

To be granted a student visa in Canada, students have to prove they can pay for their tuition and have money for living expenses. But the high cost of educationcan wipe out an international student's budget.

"They come to Canada with a certain amount of money from their family," said Geran Capewell, who runs a support service for international students via his website, International Student Canada Support Services & Resource Network. "And because of poor money management, they run out and are afraid to go back to their family and sometimes resort to crime or that sort of thing."

Few financial options

If they do run out of money, there aren't a lot of options, students say.

"You can't get a loan. You can't get a credit card. It's trickier to get a job there's a lot of red tape," said Keita Demming, aninternational student at UBC.

Richard Powers, the assistant dean at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, agrees. Canadian banks rarely grant loans to international students,he said, even with a Canadian co-signer.

The banks "want a credit history well these people just arrived in Canada, so they don't have a credit history here. Their concern is if they leave the country, they may not pay their loan, so we are currently working with several Canadian banks to try to convince them it's not as big as a risk as they think it is," Powers said.

Fierce competition

The competition to attract students is fierce,especially from the United States, so the federal government, in a bid to fill the nation's need for skilled, well-educated immigrants, has offered an incentive.

International students, who formerlyhad to leave within a year of graduation,are now permitted to stay and work in Canada for three years, a move that should help get loan managers at the banks onside, Powers said. The longer stay means students are less likely to be considered a flight risk.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 in the United States, Power said, "it's easier to get a student visa to come to Canada and on the back end, they [international students] can now stay, find a job and hopefully apply for landed-immigrant status."