University enrollment on the rise in Canada

Just over 1,112,300 students were enrolled in Canadian universities during the academic year 2008/2009, up 3.7% from the previous year.

This increase was due mainly to the attribution of university status to five colleges in British Columbia. If there had been no changes in the number of universities surveyed between 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, the growth in enrolments would have been 0.7%.

Of the 1,112,370 students enrolled in 2008/2009, 57.6% were women and 42.4% were men. The proportion of female students was virtually unchanged from 2007/2008.

Full-time university enrolment rose 4.0% to 828,216 in 2008/2009 while part-time university enrolment increased 2.9% to 284,154.

Enrolments increased in half of the provinces. The largest annual gain was in British Columbia (+33.3%), due to the addition of five new universities. The second largest increase was in Prince Edward Island (+6.6%). Gains were also observed in Manitoba (+0.9%), Ontario (+0.5%) and Quebec (+0.4%).

Compared with 2007/2008, lower enrolments were observed in Saskatchewan (-4.7%), New Brunswick (-2.8%), Nova Scotia (-1.3%), Newfoundland and Labrador (-1.1%), and Alberta (-0.9%).

Total undergraduate enrolment increased 1.2% to 822,501. Women accounted for 58.0% of enrolment at the undergraduate level.

In 2008/2009, 102,654 students were enrolled in a master’s program, up 1.2% from the previous year. Women accounted for 55.7% of enrolment at the master’s level.

At the doctorate level, enrolment rose 4.1% to 42,801 in 2008/2009. Men outnumbered women in doctorate programs, but by a slimmer margin than in previous years. Women accounted for 46.8% of doctorate students, up from 46.3% in 2007/2008.

The addition of five universities in British Columbia contributed to the increase of students enrolled in other educational activities offered in the universities, from 92,823 in 2007/2008 to 119,796 in 2008/2009.

In 2008/2009, three fields of study accounted for one-half of total enrolment. These fields were social and behavioral sciences, and law; business, management and public administration; and the humanities. They have been the top three broad fields of study since 1992/1993.

The largest field of study, social and behavioral sciences, and law, represented 17.2% of total enrolment, or 191,016 students.

Enrolment increased in almost every field. The largest change occurred in the personal improvement and leisure field, and the second largest in personal, protective and transportation services. These increases again were mainly because of the addition of five universities in British Columbia.

Enrolment in mathematics, computer and information sciences increased 1.5% to 33,219, reversing a multi-year downward trend. This field accounted for 3.0% of total enrolment in 2008/2009, the lowest proportion since 1992/1993.