A rush of students from China is boosting enrolment at Cape Breton University in Sydney.

Overall full-time undergraduate and graduate enrolment is up three per cent this year, according to the latest figures. While the number of students from Cape Breton is down almost 15 per cent, the number from China is up 26 per cent.

There are now 190 Chinese students, up from 150. They make up nearly half of the university's international student body.

"The international market generally is very, very important now for all Atlantic universities, and we're no different there," said Keith Brown, vice-president of development at CBU.

The number of students from China has climbed over the past five years, thanks to agreements between CBU and universities in that country.

Ye Taen, a student of hospitality management, remembers the culture shock she experienced when she first arrived in Sydney a little over a year ago. But she learned how to adapt.

"First of all, it's a small city so anywhere you want to go, just drive there like five, 10 minutes. And the second part is it's a very quiet town as well, so people [are] very friendly here," she said.

Wong Haifung likes attending a small university.

"We have the small class size in Cape Breton University, so everybody have a chance to talk to [the] professor," said the third-year finance student.

All foreign students at universities in Canada pay an international fee, essentially double what a Canadian student pays — something Brown said is good for CBU's bottom line.