After Trump's Win, US Students Consider University in Canada

Universities from Quebec to British Columbia say applications and website traffic from the United States have been surging since Trump's victory Nov. 8, ABC News reported.

Although many Canadian schools had also ramped up recruiting in the US recently, some say dismay over the presidential election has fueled a spike in interest beyond their expectations.

Lara Godoff, a 17-year-old from Napa, Calif., said she scrapped any notion of staying in the US the day after the election. Among other concerns, Godoff, a Democrat, said she fears the Republic president-elect's administration will ease enforcement of federal rules against sexual assault, making campuses less safe for women.

Godoff had applied to one university in Canada, but added three more as safety schools after the election.

"If we live in a country where so many people could elect Donald Trump, then that's not a country I want to live in," she said.

Applications from US students to the University of Toronto jumped 70 percent compared with this time last year, while several other Canadian schools have seen increases of 20 percent or more. Nearly 10,000 people in the US visited the university's "Future Students" website the day after the election, up from about 1,000 the day before the election.

US applications to McMaster University in Hamilton are up 34 percent so far.

"We can't ignore the election results, but I think there are other strengths that are attracting students to the university, as well," said Jennifer Peterman, senior manager of global undergraduate recruitment at McGill University in Montreal. Students are also drawn by the school's diversity and Canada's affordable cost of living, she said.

As of Nov. 16, McGill saw a 30-percent increase from US applicants and a 16-percent increase from other international students.

Meanwhile, UBC recorded a 26-percent increase in US applicants in the weeks after the election compared with the same period in 2015, along with a 40-per-cent spike in web traffic to its main website.

Although it's too early to say how many US students will enroll in Canada next fall, some universities expect to see more Americans on campus based on the flurry of interest.

Traditionally, Canada hasn't been a hugely popular university destination for Americans. In 2014, it drew about 9,000 students from the US, compared with 57,000 from China, according to the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

But as Canada's population ages, it is increasingly looking outside its borders for students. In 2014, the government announced plans to double the country's number of foreign students by 2022.

Many of the nation's 125 universities have responded by stepping up recruiting in the US, promising students an international experience close to home.