Canada has officially surpassed the United States as the most preferred destination for international students in 2025, according to a new global survey conducted by Canadian education platform ApplyBoard.
The survey gathered insights from nearly 850 prospective students around the world, exploring trends in study abroad preferences, destination countries, and the impact of government policies on students’ decisions.
An overwhelming 94% of respondents expressed at least some interest in studying in Canada. Of those, 55% said they were “very interested,” 24% said “extremely interested,” and 12% were “moderately interested.” Only 6% reported no interest at all.
While the U.S. still had the highest number of students who were “extremely interested” in studying there, Canada led in overall average interest — securing its position as the top global destination.
ApplyBoard emphasized that Canada remains the most attractive choice in 2025, outperforming the other members of the so-called “Big Four” study destinations: Australia, the U.K., and the U.S.
Roughly 65% of survey participants indicated interest in traditional study destinations such as Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S.
Government policy emerged as a key factor influencing international students’ choices — particularly when comparing Canada and the U.S.
This comes as the Canadian government recently announced it will reduce the number of international student permits to 437,000 in 2026, down 10% from 485,000 in 2024. Permit caps will vary by province based on population, with some regions seeing steeper cuts than others.
Despite the tighter limits, Canada continues to be a dream destination for thousands of students worldwide, thanks to its high-quality education, multicultural society, and welcoming environment.
