Sponsors
The Canadian Education Market
Facts and Figures
Population:
Canada is a country of just over 33 million people and Statistics Canada (2006) reports that 44 % of our population is under 35 years of age, with 31% of those under 35 being in the age range of 15-24 - that is, 4.2 million people. Of these, more than two thirds are in the provinces of Ontario, Québec and British Columbia.
The three largest cities are:
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver
Canadian Higher Education:
There are 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities and university-degree level colleges in Canada, plus about 80 community colleges. Education is regionalized, with each province having its own Ministry of Education. With high enrolment and some programs lacking space – in particular at the graduate level – Canadians are looking beyond their provincial and country borders for options.
Enrollment figures for 2007/08 in Canadian universities was 1.066 million students, and in colleges it was 609,000.
As well, international students abound in Canada, and the AUCC reported that in 2007, there were approximately 70,000 full time and 13,000 part time international students at Canadian universities. In Montreal’s four universities alone, a reported 15,000 international students were enrolled in 2007. They, too, are looking for further options. And the number of international students studying in academic preparation English programs – vying for spots in good universities in Canada, the US and abroad – are believed to be in the several hundred thousands.
Fields of Study:
And unlike some other markets, Canadian students are looking for a broad selection of programs, not just the ‘big three.’ The following areas of study at universities in Canada are ordered by number of enrolments, in descending order:
- Social and behavioural sciences and law
- Business, management and public administration
- Humanities
- Health, parks, recreation and fitness
- Physical and life sciences and technologies
- Architecture, engineering and related technologies
- Other instructional programs
- Education
- Visual and performing arts and communications technologies
- Mathematics, computer and information sciences
- Agriculture, natural resources and conservation
to view source click here.
Student Mobility:
IIE's Open Doors 2009 Report tells us that there were 29,697 Canadians studying in the US in institutions of higher education during the 2008/09 academic year. That is an increase of 2% over the previous year and means that Canada is now the fourth largest source country of international students going to the US. With these numbers on the rise, American universities and colleges are well advised to direct their focus to this market. But students of course also go to NZ, Australia, the UK, Europe, and Asia for full programs or study abroad exchanges.
According to the AUCC (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada - www.aucc.ca), Canadian universities are aiming to see 5% of students enrolled in higher education in Canada have study abroad experience, with the goal of 18,000 students going abroad as part of their curriculum each year by 2010. And this does not include the numbers of fee-paying students going abroad for short or long term studies.
The Conference Board of Canada states that around 25 billion dollars were spent on outbound travel by Canadians in 2008 (www.conferenceboard.ca). And with youth making up a large portion of that figure, and with the strong Canadian Dollar currently making paying for tuition and travel abroad less expensive, the Canadian market is not one to be overlooked.
