In 2020, the United States had a $944 million trade surplus in international education with Canada. This category of services encompasses many subsectors including elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional schools, business schools, computer and management training providers, technical and trade schools, and education support services (i.e. tutoring, test prep, and educational testing providers).
The Bureau of Economic Analysis tracks U.S. trade in two education-related categories under U.S. trade in services: “travel (for education purposes)” and “education services,” the latter of which is listed under the broader category of “personal, cultural, and recreational services.”
Canada represented 3.5% of overall U.S. education exports and 5.1% of overall education imports in 2020. Overall education trade, as seen in the upper right-hand chart below, combines the data from travel (for education purposes) and education services.
Education-related travel exports (shown in the lower left-hand chart) includes all of the cost a foreign student incurs when studying in the United States, including tuition at a U.S. education institution (K-12 though university).1 U.S. exports to Canada in travel (for education purposes) in 2020 were approximately $1.2 billion, and imports of $351 million, with a trade balance of $846 million.
Education services (shown in the lower right-hand chart) includes online and digital correspondence courses via television or the Internet, as well as by teachers who supply services directly in host countries.2 U.S. exports to Canada in education services in 2020 were approximately $182 million, and imports were $84 million, with a trade balance of $98 million.
This dashboard is interactive – click or hover on the graphs to view additional data points and details.
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Note: Unless otherwise specified, all currency values provided in this profile are in U.S. Dollars. This profile was compiled primarily by Daniel Nickson, intern for ITA’s Office of Supply Chain, Professional and Business Services in 2021.
Primary data source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), “International Data, International Services, Table 2.2. U.S. Trade in Services, by Type of Service and by Country or Affiliation,” Release Date: July 2, 2021. U.S. education exports and imports are comprised of BEA trade data on “travel (for education purposes)” and on “personal, cultural, and recreational services (education services).”
1 Bureau of Economic Analysis, “International Statistical Update: Heath- and Education- Related Travel Now Part of Travel Services”. June 16, 2014.
2 Bureau of Economic Analysis FAQ, “Do ‘Education Services’ Include Tuition Charged to Foreign Exchange Students?”. March 5, 2018.
