Ontario’s universities are welcoming 2.5 per cent more students to their campuses this fall, reflecting 12 years of annual increases, according to an Aug. 28 press release from the Council of Ontario Universities (COU).
Admissions for new upper-year students is up eight per cent, and Carleton’s total new undergraduate student admission rate increased by one per cent, according to Carleton associate vice-president (students and enrollment) and university registrar Suzanne Blanchard.
“Students in our province place a strong emphasis on higher education knowing that two out of three jobs require a degree,” COU chair and University of Guelph president Alastair Summerlee said.
The total number of post-secondary school confirmations in Ontario went up from 69,132 last year to 70,788 this year, according to statistics collected from the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC).
University-level graduates continually have higher employment rates than college and high school graduates, the release said.
From 2004 to 2010, jobs grew by 28 per cent for university graduates, while jobs grew 17 per cent for college graduates, and 4 per cent for those with a high school education, the release said.
University-level graduates continue to see a quicker transition into the job market, finding work within six months of graduation, the release said. Annual earnings are approximately 32 per cent higher annually than college graduates and 53 per cent higher than those without post-secondary education.
“While admission rate increases cannot be attributed to any one factor, I am convinced that the efforts of Carleton’s faculty and staff members play a role in recruitment and retention,” Blanchard said.
“Carleton’s NSSE [National Survey of Student Engagement] results indicate that students feel the university offers a supportive campus environment,” Blanchard said.
