Foreign Counsellors to Tour Nova Scotia Universities and Colleges

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT--Foreign Counsellors to Tour Nova Scotia Universities and Colleges

Seventeen high school counsellors from the United States will tour nine of Nova Scotia's universities and colleges this summer. They will learn about the benefits of a Nova Scotia education.

"We are very proud of the world-class quality of post-secondary education that is available in this province and throughout Atlantic Canada," said Gerry Byrne, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). "This is yet another concrete example of ACOA's important role in promoting Atlantic Canada as a destination of choice -- whether it be to learn, to visit, to invest or to do business."

International students each spend an estimated $26,000 per year according to the Canadian Bureau for International Education. Approximately half of their expenses are for tuition, books and medical insurance. Remaining expenses include travel, housing, food, entertainment and clothing.

"We've seen a 124 per cent increase in U.S. student enrolment since 1997 and that's translated into an additional $3.55 million of spending in Nova Scotia," said Cecil Clarke, Minister of Economic Development. "By marketing our education programs, we're helping our universities and colleges and generating new revenues in communities throughout Nova Scotia."

International students pay a differential fee in addition to the tuition charged to Canadian students. The differential fee recognizes that Nova Scotia taxpayers should not pay the full cost of educating international students. Individual institutions establish the differential fees charged to international students.

The six-day tour, from July 20 to 26, includes an introduction to Nova Scotia higher education; campus visits; meetings with students, faculty and staff; and visits to museums and historical sites. Counsellors will also travel to the communities where the institutions are located.

"International students enrich our campuses. They bring a wide variety of perspectives to the classrooms and participate in campus activities," said Dr. Sheila Brown, president of Mount Saint Vincent University and co-chair of the Higher Education Marketing Plan Management Committee. "After they return to their countries, they often retain their ties with us, helping our institutions establish links worldwide,"

Counsellors and students see many advantages in choosing to study in Nova Scotia, including internationally recognized degrees, low student-teacher ratios, and a hospitable environment. An exchange rate strongly favourable to the U.S. dollar makes Canadian universities a popular option with American students.

"The recipe's right: top colleges, beautiful ambience, easy to reach, at a price less than American state universities," said Mary S. Jemail, Director of College Guidance at the Convent of The Sacred Heart, New York City, New York.

The tour program is a component of the province's Higher Education International Trade and Marketing Plan, funded over five years through the Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification. The student recruitment portion of the marketing plan received $1,089,016 through the agreement. ACOA and the Nova Scotia Office of Economic Development manage the agreement. The universities also provide funding for the tour.

With funding assistance from the Higher Education International Trade and Marketing Plan, Nova Scotia universities and community colleges have been working together to recruit international students from the United States, the Caribbean, the Nordic countries and the United Arab Emirates. Enrolments from these countries have increased by 116 per cent since the plan was established in 1997.