【THE VARSITY】Tuition, mental wellness, and sino-phobia: Chinese international students have unique concerns facing another semester online, survey shows

Amid a pandemic wherein classes are mainly offered online and travel restrictions may prohibit some students from studying in Canada, a new survey conducted by Easy Group has examined the perspectives of Chinese international students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey looked at their opinions on a number of topics, including online learning, tuition reduction, mental health, and sinophobic — anti-Chinese — sentiment.

Chinese international students make up a significant 60 per cent of U of T’s international student population. International students as a whole account for 30 per cent of the university’s revenue.

Easy Group is an education company founded by a U of T alum. The survey was conducted in summer 2020 and consisted of 389 responses from Chinese international students who were intending to enrol in Canadian universities for the first time.