Thank you for the question.
I think everyone is aware of the growing number of international students. At the Université du Québec, our numbers have gone up significantly, but we haven't left it unchecked. It does bring a host of challenges, though. I'm thinking in particular of agencies that send out mass applications for admission. For example, we received 99,000 applications for admission in 2023, a 269% increase over 2018. Obviously, not all of those applications were accepted. At the Université du Québec en Outaouais, 4,000 applications were submitted in 2024, but 431 applications were deemed eligible and 355 students registered. It's important to note that we're currently addressing a number of factors and that we're assuming our responsibilities.
Recently, asylum claims have been getting some media coverage. A question was asked about it earlier. As universities, we assess university records. Assessing the risk a candidate poses is more the responsibility of the Quebec and federal governments.
We nevertheless try to make sure that the students attending our establishments have a serious study plan and that they're really coming here to study. A number of establishments now require a deposit with admission applications. In other words, a deposit is required while applications are being assessed, but it is then reimbursed. This stops the agencies and ensures that the candidates who are accepted have a serious study plan.
We have now a massive guide at the university, an encyclopedia of all institutions around the world and the programs they offer. We also have a computerized decision support system, which helps us ensure that the people we accept are genuine graduates and really have the education they say they have.
Unlike some individuals who are mainly outside Quebec, the Université du Québec does not use immigration as a business model. On the contrary, we want to make sure that candidates are serious about doing their studies here, and we're taking the necessary steps to do so. Things are obviously not perfect yet, but we're working on it.