News Date: Mar 10, 2010
A front-page story in Saturday's Globe and Mail reports that in the space of 2 years, Canada has become the third most popular destination for students from Saudi Arabia, following Britain and the US. Approximately 10,000 Saudi students are studying at Canadian institutions, and between 2,200 and 3,000 new students are expected to come here at the end of the month. Driving the influx of these students is Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Scholarship Program, introduced to Canada in 2007. The program foots the bill for about 62,000 students to attend foreign institutions, providing tuition, health insurance, a monthly salary to cover expenses, and one return trip to Saudi Arabia each year. Globe and Mail