September has been a big month for Sault College as they see record numbers for student enrollment, credited to the surge of international students.
"We have our highest ever enrolment and were almost just over 2900," said Janice Beatty, Sault College Vice President.
That's nearly 500 more students than last year.
International students make up a third of the population at Sault College.
"We have really been out. We've been in 15 different countries recruiting. It's starting to gain traction," said Janice.
The international department at the college has two main staff members who travel around the world recruiting for the school.
They are leaving for another trip later this month.
"We're going for the first time to Brazil, Turkey and Colombia. So what happens is we test out these markets a little bit with some research that we can find, and by going there we get a feeling for possible relationships that we can make. So some of that is exploratory. We never know after one visit if it's going to result in students," explained Jennifer Johnson, Sault College International Recruitment Manager.
International students pay nearly seven times the amount Canadian students do for tuition.
Officials say the foreign students are a big help to the college's revenues, as the pool of local students is getting smaller.
"There are fewer students graduating from elementary school and high school, and the north in fact has declining demographics," said Janice.
The school says when it comes to admitting students and filling up programs, first dibs will always go to domestic students.