Statistics Canada's Definition and Classification of Postsecondary and Adult Education Providers in Canada - ARCHIVED

This document outlines the definitions and the typology now used by Statistics Canada's Centre for Education Statistics to identify, classify and delineate the universities, colleges and other providers of postsecondary and adult education in Canada for which basic enrolments, graduates, professors and finance statistics are produced.

These new rigorous definitions were needed to capture the growing complexity of postsecondary education in Canada. They differentiate the various types of postsecondary institutions, address the blurring distinction between colleges and universities and handle the various forms of possible relationships between institutions.

The document brings closure to the extensive consultation that took place between January 2003 and the spring of 2007 as it summarizes the changes made following the 2004 paper entitled "A New Understanding of Post-secondary Education in Canada: A Discussion Paper".

Such an extensive consultation was deemed necessary to ensure that the typology is useful to the whole sector and that it allows comparisons between provinces and territories despite the significant differences of their respective postsecondary education systems.