Canada was ranked the top choice for international students in 2025 and it even beat the US
This country is still the "most attractive destination."
Students at the University of Toronto. Right: Queen's University building.
Canada is the top choice for international students in 2025, according to a new survey.
It even beat the U.S. as the place students are most interested in moving to for an education.
ApplyBoard, a Canadian-based platform for students, recently put out the results of an international student survey.
Nearly 850 students around the world shared their thoughts on international education.
That includes where students want to study, how their interest in studying abroad has changed, why they choose certain study programs, and more.
Canada has remained the "most attractive destination" for international studies in 2025 among the students surveyed, according to ApplyBoard.
Almost all of the students surveyed are looking into Canada as a place to study, with 94% responding that they have at least some interest in studying here.
Breaking that down, 55% are extremely interested in studying in Canada.
Then, 24% are very interested, 12% are moderately interested, 4% are slightly interested, and 6% are not at all interested in becoming a student here.
ApplyBoard noted that more students are "extremely interested" in studying in the U.S. than in any other country, but more students are "very interested" and "moderately interested" in Canada.
So, Canada is still the top choice by weighted average!
Canada is part of the "Big Four," the most popular destinations for post-secondary studies in English. It also includes Australia, the U.K. and the U.S.
According to ApplyBoard, most future students — 65% to be exact — are interested in "established" study destinations like Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S.
When asked how their interest in studying abroad has been impacted by government or policy changes, 30% of survey respondents said it has greatly increased their interest in Canada.
Then, 18% said it somewhat increased, 28.8% said there was no change, 15.8% said it slightly decreased, and 7.6% said it greatly decreased.
Policy and government changes had the most effect, either positive or negative, on students' desire to study in Canada or the U.S. than any other country.
Last year, the federal government announced changes to international student permits.
In 2025 and 2026, the number of new international student permits will be reduced by 10% to 437,000. That's down from 485,000 in 2024.
How many permits will be issued in each province will vary because it's based on population. Some provinces will have "more significant reductions" than others.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.