International student enrolment has dropped by about 3000 people in Atlantic Canada.
The Association of Atlantic Universities revealed the results of their student enrolment survey earlier today, according to a news release.
This comes after the federal government limited the amount of available student visas earlier this year.
Those 3000 students would have spent at least $163 million on the region’s economy, according to a consultant group.
The association says total enrolment of international students declined by about 11 per cent.
Overall enrolment is down by about 3 per cent across the region.
But fulltime student enrolment at New Brunswick’s four universities increased about 2 per cent, from 18,577 to 18,972. The most significant growth was at UNB, which gained 382 students. The second largest increase was at l’Université de Moncton, which gained 137 students.
Rob Summerby-Murray, the chair of the association and president of St. Mary’s University, wrote in the news release that the universities are worried about their reputations.
Restricting the amount of international students that can come to the country negatively affects the country’s brand “as a welcoming country for international students, threatening the financial sustainability of our universities,” he wrote in the news release.
The Association of Atlantic Universities advocates for and represents 16 universities across the region.
