The University of B.C. welcomed its largest first-year class on Tuesday, with a total of 8,360 incoming students arriving at the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.
Almost a third — about 2,400 — were international students. It is primarily demand from overseas students that drives the growth of first-year entrants, said Andrew Arida, associate registrar for undergraduate admissions.
The top five source countries for international students are China, the U.S., India, Korea and Hong Kong, Arida said. The largest number enter the Faculty of Arts because it has the most capacity, but demand is strongest in business and engineering, he added.
“We’re still taking in the same number of domestic students because the international students don’t displace, but the demand from around the world just keeps growing and growing.”
In a news release, UBC registrar Kate Ross also credited popular new programs including the Bachelor of International Economics and a dual degree program with the French university Sciences Po for the bump in entrants.
Total enrolment on both campuses as of the end of August was almost 59,000, about the same level as last year.
