International student enrolment is up at University of the Fraser Valley this year, while overall student numbers stay steady.
The university, with campuses in Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack and Hope, has seen international student enrolment jump eight per cent this year compared to last, with a total of more than 1,300 for the 2015-2016 academic year.
UFV spokesperson Dave Pinton says the school is ramping up international student recruitment in response to the provincial government’s directive for universities to enroll more students from abroad. Many of these students start a bachelor of business administration degree at UFV’s campus in Chandigarh, India, and move to Canada partway through their studies. Thirty per cent of the school’s international students hail from India, and about 48 per cent are from China.
The school will open a new $15-million student union building on Sept. 8. A joint project between UFV’s student union and the university, the space will contain social space, student services, food outlets, and a variety of student resources.
UFV is also debuting a new robotics technician program this year, which will teach students how to build, maintain, and control the type of robotic equipment used in agricultural, manufacturing and resource industries.
About 12,800 students in total have registered so far this year, which puts the school on track to match last year’s full enrolment of 14,387 students. The regional breakdown for this year looks similar to 2013-2014, which saw 5,373 students enroll at Abbotsford campuses, 1,721 in Chilliwack, 174 in Mission and 22 in Hope. Four hundred and ninety took only online courses that year, 189 were registered in an off-site, non-campus-based program within Canada, and 101 were registered in programs taking place outside of Canada.
Pinton says the school is at 100 per cent of student capacity as defined by the Ministry of Advanced Education. The number of available spaces remaining is less than the number of applications received.