Remitly has announced that Canada is the top desired country to study in by students from various locations around the world seeking to attend university. There is an interest in studying in Canada from 36 different nationalities for many reasons. Students are interested in studying in Canada for its beautiful adventures and sceneries, friendly citizens and for the variety of prestigious universities that there are in the country. 

The research study went further into looking at which top universities students are interested in attending. Canada’s University of Toronto ranked seventh out of 15 of the most searched universities. The top three universities (in the world) that students are interested in attending are Harvard University, California Los Angeles and Oxford University. 

Now that COVID-19 restrictions are slowly being lifted in different countries, and students are going back in person to their university campuses, international students will be able to resume their studies overseas. Remitly did further research to see the effects of COVID-19 through a global Google data search. However, it found, with the occurrence of the pandemic and easements of restrictions, Canada still ranks as the top desired country out of 10 in which to study. It also found that students in 160 countries are interested in studying in Canada. Further, Remitly found that Canada is the most searched place to study in in more than 20% of the countries involved in this research.

In addition, the data revealed that Spain was the second most desired country in which to study, with students from 13 countries being interested in attending university there. Followed by England with students from 10 countries; Japan, France and the U.S. tied in fourth place with students from nine countries; and Australia ranked in fifth place with students from eight countries interested in studying there.  

There are many reasons why Canada is such a popular place for students wishing to attend its universities. One reason being its education system allows students to excel in their field of study. The country also has 10 prestigious universities, out of the world’s best 250 universities. This includes McGill University, University of Toronto and University of British Columbia. Students have ample opportunities to grow and become successful within their programs. 

Although education is an important reason why students wish to study in Canada, there are many other factors in students’ wishes that Remitly’s study found. With several popular cities, such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, being voted as having the best nightlife, transportation, culture, living costs and safety, those features make compelling reasons for students to want to study in this country. In return, Canadian students are interested in their own studies abroad. Most Canadian students are interested in attending universities in Europe to experience the culture. A popular country that Canadian students are seeking to study in is France, for its prestigious schools and its elaborate lifestyle. 

The method Remitly used for this research is Google search data, analyzed in all languages. By using Google search data, Remitly was able to collect an average monthly search volume of each country. With this, words and phrases associated with studying overseas were analyzed and collected for all countries. The study listed some examples, such as ‘university in [location]’, ‘study in [location] and university courses in [location]’. There were some obstacles noted as not every country in the research had enough data that could be found in order to present in the study. In addition, the data revealed that most students seeking to go to university were within their own country. To solve this, Remitly took the second highest number to use in the study. Overall, with the data gathered, Remitly was able to conclude that Canada is a top-contending country in which international students are looking to study.