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2008/2009 (Previous release)

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.

Provincial changes

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%).

Undergraduate and graduate enrolment

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.

Fields of study

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.

Note to readers

University enrolment data for 2008/2009 are obtained from the Postsecondary Student Information System, formerly the Enhanced Student Information System, and the University Student Information System.

Enrolment counts for certain universities are preliminary or based on estimates.

Data for the University of Regina are missing since 2005/2006, but this has no significant impact on the trend analysis at the national level presented here.

For the University of Saskatchewan, the definition of full-time and part-time enrolments has changed. The registration status for enrolments in 2008/2009 refers to the September to December period. In previous years, it referred to the September to April period.

Data are subject to revision.

Available on CANSIM: table 477-0013.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5017.

Data tables are available from the Summary tables module of our website.

For more information, to order data, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-7608; fax: 613-951-4441; educationstats@statcan.gc.ca), Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division.

Table 1

University enrolment by registration status, program level and gender

Table 1

University enrolment by registration status, program level and gender
	2005/2006^r	2006/2007^r	2007/2008^r	2008/2009	2007/2008 to 2008/2009
	number				% change
Total^1,2	1,050,225	1,066,905	1,072,488	1,112,370	3.7
Male	443,136	449,697	455,235	471,408	3.6
Female	606,720	616,953	617,022	640,674	3.8
Full-time^1,2	780,567	792,768	796,245	828,216	4.0
Male	338,421	342,888	346,578	360,663	4.1
Female	442,017	449,721	449,526	467,442	4.0
Part-time^1,2	269,658	274,140	276,240	284,154	2.9
Male	104,715	106,809	108,657	110,748	1.9
Female	164,700	167,232	167,499	173,232	3.4
Undergraduate level¹	803,799	814,233	812,820	822,501	1.2
Full-time¹	645,813	653,115	649,887	662,610	2.0
Male	272,145	275,022	276,216	281,985	2.1
Female	373,623	378,021	373,572	380,559	1.9
Part-time¹	157,986	161,115	162,933	159,891	-1.9
Male	61,008	62,997	64,188	63,177	-1.6
Female	96,924	98,088	98,718	96,672	-2.1
Graduate level¹	153,969	158,922	166,848	170,076	1.9
Full-time¹	111,591	116,241	122,877	127,527	3.8
Male	55,974	57,672	60,012	61,662	2.7
Female	55,566	58,494	62,832	65,841	4.8
Part-time¹	42,378	42,684	43,971	42,549	-3.2
Male	18,111	17,736	18,282	17,271	-5.5
Female	24,258	24,939	25,680	25,257	-1.6

revised

Includes sex unknown.

Includes the other educational activities offered in universities.

Note(s):

Enrolment figures may not add up due to rounding to a multiple of 3. Enrolment figures do not include the University of Regina.

Table 2

University enrolment by field of study and gender

Table 2

University enrolment by field of study and gender
	2005/2006^r	2006/2007^r	2007/2008^r	2008/2009	2007/2008 to 2008/2009
	number				% change
Total¹	1,050,225	1,066,905	1,072,488	1,112,370	3.7
Male	443,136	449,697	455,235	471,408	3.6
Female	606,720	616,953	617,022	640,674	3.8
Personal improvement and leisure¹	306	213	222	2,892	1,202.7
Male	105	93	102	1,167	1,044.1
Female	201	120	120	1,722	1,335.0
Education¹	74,052	75,222	75,129	75,492	0.5
Male	17,694	18,018	18,105	18,051	-0.3
Female	56,325	57,171	57,000	57,405	0.7
Visual and performing arts, and communications technologies¹	37,443	37,830	37,800	41,859	10.7
Male	12,645	12,978	12,993	14,397	10.8
Female	24,798	24,852	24,807	27,462	10.7
Humanities¹	170,355	170,916	167,664	176,817	5.5
Male	65,910	66,000	65,307	68,436	4.8
Female	104,409	104,892	102,327	108,336	5.9
Social and behavioural sciences, and law¹	182,010	187,770	189,996	191,016	0.5
Male	63,555	65,316	66,441	66,918	0.7
Female	118,449	122,448	123,549	124,074	0.4
Business, management and public administration¹	168,678	175,428	177,537	189,201	6.6
Male	79,248	82,992	84,333	89,547	6.2
Female	89,391	92,394	93,129	99,612	7.0
Physical and life sciences, and technologies¹	90,441	92,328	93,372	94,113	0.8
Male	40,245	41,439	42,543	43,191	1.5
Female	50,190	50,880	50,820	50,916	0.2
Mathematics, computer and information sciences¹	36,636	34,242	32,724	33,219	1.5
Male	26,682	24,912	23,844	24,135	1.2
Female	9,954	9,324	8,874	9,075	2.3
Architecture, engineering and related technologies¹	85,533	86,313	88,470	91,890	3.9
Male	67,551	68,025	69,912	72,504	3.7
Female	17,979	18,273	18,549	19,383	4.5
Agriculture, natural resources and conservation¹	15,252	15,708	16,032	17,091	6.6
Male	6,768	6,900	7,029	7,434	5.8
Female	8,481	8,808	9,000	9,654	7.3
Health, parks, recreation and fitness¹	104,748	109,176	113,157	118,941	5.1
Male	29,469	30,795	32,535	34,113	4.9
Female	75,237	78,336	80,601	84,804	5.2
Personal, protective and transportation services	1,761	2,244	2,217	2,823	27.3
Male	1,038	1,287	1,299	1,554	19.6
Female	720	954	915	1,269	38.7
Other¹	83,007	79,518	78,165	77,016	-1.5
Male	32,232	30,945	30,792	29,964	-2.7
Female	50,589	48,507	47,325	46,956	-0.8

revised

Includes sex unknown.

Note(s):

Enrolment figures may not add up due to rounding to a multiple of 3. Enrolment figures do not include the University of Regina.

Table 3

University enrolment by province and registration status

Table 3

University enrolment by province and registration status
	2005/2006^r	2006/2007^r	2007/2008^r	2008/2009	2007/2008 to 2008/2009
	number				% change
Canada	1,050,225	1,066,905	1,072,488	1,112,370	3.7
Newfoundland and Labrador	18,336	17,811	17,523	17,322	-1.1
Prince Edward Island	3,849	3,999	3,837	4,089	6.6
Nova Scotia	43,308	42,456	41,442	40,899	-1.3
New Brunswick	25,014	23,757	23,682	23,028	-2.8
Quebec	265,995	266,712	268,011	269,097	0.4
Ontario	431,049	440,604	446,196	448,467	0.5
Manitoba	39,615	40,119	38,964	39,306	0.9
Saskatchewan	20,622	20,604	20,607	19,647	-4.7
Alberta	91,665	94,131	94,659	93,774	-0.9
British Columbia	110,775	116,709	117,561	156,741	33.3
Full-time	780,567	792,768	796,245	828,216	4.0
Newfoundland and Labrador	14,994	14,547	14,340	13,968	-2.6
Prince Edward Island	3,318	3,372	3,177	3,336	5.0
Nova Scotia	35,388	34,656	33,699	33,126	-1.7
New Brunswick	20,601	19,617	19,317	18,666	-3.4
Quebec	168,552	169,872	170,760	172,425	1.0
Ontario	348,252	357,450	360,669	365,775	1.4
Manitoba	28,938	29,271	28,620	29,145	1.8
Saskatchewan¹	15,756	15,729	15,735	17,493	11.2
Alberta	68,070	67,542	68,433	68,787	0.5
British Columbia	76,701	80,709	81,498	105,492	29.4
Part-time	269,658	274,140	276,240	284,154	2.9
Newfoundland and Labrador	3,345	3,264	3,186	3,351	5.2
Prince Edward Island	528	627	660	756	14.5
Nova Scotia	7,920	7,803	7,743	7,770	0.3
New Brunswick	4,413	4,137	4,365	4,359	-0.1
Quebec	97,443	96,840	97,254	96,675	-0.6
Ontario	82,797	83,157	85,527	82,692	-3.3
Manitoba	10,680	10,848	10,344	10,164	-1.7
Saskatchewan¹	4,863	4,872	4,869	2,154	-55.8
Alberta	23,595	26,592	26,229	24,987	-4.7
British Columbia	34,074	35,997	36,063	51,246	42.1

revised

For University of Saskatchewan, the definition of full-time enrolments and part-time has changed. The registration status for enrolments in 2008/2009 refers to the September to December period. In previous years, it referred to the September to April period.

Note(s):

Enrolment figures may not add up due to rounding to a multiple of 3. Enrolment figures do not include the University of Regina.