With Canada seeing a 60% drop in new international student arrivals and a significant decline in total study permit holders since early 2024, discussions in the sector have focused on strengthening quality, accountability, and sustainability across international education.
“I think there could have been stronger recognition of the challenges in the system,” Van Acker told The PIE News on the sidelines of a visit to India earlier this month, part of a delegation of 21 Canadian institutions led by Universities Canada, discussing partnerships with Indian universities, government, and industry leaders.
“One of the reasons Universities Canada was here was to speak to universities in Canada on how we approach international education, as opposed to higher education in Canada, because there is a distinction.”
International students make up around 5% of the University of Guelph’s population, so recent policy changes have had a limited impact on its operations. Housing pressures, however, have created difficulties for students, as they have at many other institutions.
“Some of the pressures on universities and colleges around international student recruitment were related to housing, with costs higher than average, and our students, including international students who were choosing to live off-campus, were facing difficulties due to broader pressures in the area,” stated Dr. Ben Bradshaw, AVP international and graduate studies, University of Guelph.
While the university has faced constraints with accommodation demand in previous years, it is providing guaranteed housing to international students, and is also expanding housing capacity — including a planned 1,250-bed residence and a further 2,500 beds in development — Van Acker said the move is aimed at supporting both international and domestic students.
“We wish the government could provide more support, but in the meantime we are funding the projects ourselves. We are doing this because housing is a top priority for us,” stated the president.
In light of the developments the university sees opportunity to grow its undergraduate population, especially from India, where the president has outlined aspirations to thoughtfully and sustainably grow enrolment over time.
“What we want to see is working closely with high schools in India, making sure that we also provide additional value to the high schools. That can be workshops, masterclasses, whatever it might be that we can offer, so that it’s not only the traditional way of recruiting,” stated Jimmi Hemmenbach, regional operations manager, Middle East and South Asia, University of Guelph.
But like other Canadian universities navigating an uncertain recruitment environment, the university is also looking to strengthen academic ties in India through research, academic pathways, student exchanges, and a range of TNE activities, as Anglosphere counterparts move to establish degree-offering institutions there.
“Of course, there’s a lot of discussion about transnational enterprises and branch campuses. We wanted to be here to be part of that conversation, and to hear firsthand from institutions that are doing that and those considering it,” stated Van Acker.
“We also wanted to gain insight from institutions in India in terms of what that means for them, what their perspective is, and what we’re hearing from the Indian government in that respect.”
The idea was also discussed at The PIE Live India 2026 by Chris Busch, AVP of enrolment and senior international officer at the University of Windsor, who said Canada aims to deepen India’s “strong connections” in technology, ICT, and the knowledge economy through on-the-ground presence, establishing programs, two-plus-two models, and potential branch campuses.
We have to help our students see that if they want success in the world – in marketing, artificial intelligence, or even psychotherapy – they need to know about India and its transformation
Ben Bradshaw, University of Guelph
With Canada and India now seeking a diplomatic reset after ties deteriorated over the killing of a Canadian Sikh activist – which led to mutual diplomatic expulsions and temporary visa suspensions – the university delegation’s visit aimed to help lay the groundwork for deeper bilateral trade and education ties, just weeks ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India.
While Guelph is set to advance research partnerships with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), leveraging its expertise in agricultural and biomedical sciences, it also aims to deepen “truly bilateral” exchanges with institutions such as O.P. Jindal Global University and Bennett University.
“We have a student exchange partnership in India with O.P. Jindal, and while a couple of students have come to us, not many have gone there yet – we want to build that up,” stated Bradshaw.
“What we heard, and I totally understand, is that we have to help our students see that if they want success in the world – in marketing, artificial intelligence, or even psychotherapy – they need to know about India and its transformation. You could go to the UK and have a nice time, or come to Mumbai and see where the growth is really happening in the world.”
How Canadian universities will navigate long-term financial and academic challenges remains to be seen, but initiatives like the CAD$1.7bn investment to attract international researchers could be a game changer for countries like India.
For now, Canadian universities share a collective goal to expand their presence in India, while also pursuing their individual roles, according to Van Acker.
“We do have a collective voice on our desire to see predictability, and we also have a voice in our collective desire to support bilateral mobility, especially in relation to research. Those are key, and then as individual organisations, we have our own roles as well,” stated the president.
“This overall experience also convinces me that we will be in India more, including myself, because what we’ve seen and heard very clearly on this visit is that India and the Indian government are recognising an inflection point in terms of a transition and acceleration of its economy.”
