Undergraduate student enrolment surpasses million mark

AUCC releases 2011 national enrolment update

OTTAWA – Canadian undergraduate university enrolment surpassed one million students this fall. The latest university enrolment figures show full-time undergraduate university enrolment is up three percent – approximately 22,700 more full-time students – since 2010, while part-time undergraduate student enrolment has remained constant.

“Canadian universities made history this fall. They welcomed 1,015,000 undergraduate students onto campuses across the country,” says Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “This kind of consistent growth in student numbers reinforces the value of a university degree. Students, parents and employers understand that a university degree is a sound investment in the future.”

When students learn in a research-enriched, globally-engaged environment, they expand their knowledge, critical thinking and analytical skills and inspire new ideas and creativity, which they take with them into the labour market after graduation. As a result, university graduates earn on average $1.3 million more over a lifetime than high school graduates, and they are less likely to be unemployed. Even during the recession, between 2008 and 2010, there were 300,000 net new jobs created for university graduates.

In 2011, enrolment figures demonstrate that demand for university education has increased at all levels of study. Full-time graduate student enrolment increased by 3.2 percent since last year, or 4,600 students, and part-time graduate student enrolment has increased 2.3 percent since 2010. There are now 195,400 graduate students enrolled at Canadian universities.

For the 16th straight year, the number of international students is on the rise. Full-time international enrolment (all levels combined) has increased by more than 11 percent since 2010, a four-fold increase since 1995. There are now 100,000 international students in Canada, from more than 200 countries.

“I’m pleased to see more international students on Canadian university campuses,” says Paul Davidson. “Canada is increasingly reliant on international trade to drive our economy, and international students are a big part of our success. Canadian universities attract students from all over the world. We engage them in our local communities, and then provide them with knowledge and skills to facilitate international linkages.”

AUCC is the voice for Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and not-for-profit universities and university-degree level colleges.

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For more information:

Helen Murphy
AUCC Communications Manager
hmurphy@aucc.ca
Cell: 613-608-8749