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Canadian universities are becoming used to the question: Is the current climate in the United States under President Donald Trump creating more interest in universities north of the border?

The answer is yes, says an article in the Globe and Mail’s , published today, “but it is a process that started well before the current U.S. president."

The article cites the University of Toronto's “strong spike” in applications from international students heading into this academic year: By early spring, applications from prospective undergraduate students from the U.S. were up about 80 per cent. From India, there was a 55- to 60-per-cent increase. In all, about 20 to 25 per cent of students at U of T are international.

“There’s a real surge in interest from around the world,” Ted Sargent, vice-president, international at U of T told the Globe, and that interest is translating into enrolment. “So their interest in us is very genuine. They’re not just scattering applications around.”

The article outlines U of T's strong recruitment push south of the border, which began about a year ago. "We have students from over 140 countries, but we don't get as many American students as we think we should," said U of T registrar Richard Levin.

"Previously, we were seeing application increases [from the U.S.] of 20 or 30 per cent, but this year there's clearly a change in the curve," said Levin.

U of T’s diversity is also mentioned in the magazine’s school profile, which mentions U of T students’ first graduation celebration for Black students this year.

Read about Black graduation at U of T

Read about U of T's ranking based on research

The profile also cited U of T’s research-intensive approach, and its high rankings as Canada’s top university.