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April 10, 2017STUDY: POSTSECONDARY ENROLMENT BY PARENTAL INCOME Statistics Canada released a study today which examines trends in postsecondary enrolment rates by family incomes. The study notes that over the past two decades, tuition costs have risen and governments have responded with a number of low-income target student assistance programs.
The study found higher overall enrolment rates at the Canadian level, with a disproportionate increase in the enrolment rate among individuals from low-income families. In Nova Scotia, the increase in enrolment rates was not significantly different among individuals from low-income families compared to all other individuals.
Across the country, the postsecondary enrolment rate of 19-year-olds increased from 52.6 per cent in 2001 to 63.8 per cent in 2014, an increase of 11.2 percentage points. Throughout the study period, postsecondary enrolment rates increase with family income. However, the gap between those in the bottom income quintile and the top narrowed over the 13-year period. While the enrolment rate among those in the top income quintile increased 6.1 percentage points, the rate among those in the bottom quintile increase 9.4 points.
Across the country
Across the country, the largest gains in the enrolment rate were in Newfoundland and Labrador (18.7 percentage points), Ontario (+16.1 points), Prince Edward Island (+12.8), New Brunswick (+12.8), Quebec (+11.5), and Nova Scotia (+9.1). In Western provinces, the enrolment rates remained relatively stable, with the largest increase in British Columbia (+5.9 percentage points).
In Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and British Columbia, there was a disproportionate increase in enrolment among individuals from the bottom income quintile compared to those at the top. In Saskatchewan, there was a disproportionately smaller increase among bottom income quintile families. In all other provinces, including Nova Scotia, the increase among bottom income quintiles was relatively proportionate with the overall total.
Source: Study: Youth postsecondary attendance by parental income and province of residence, 2001 to 2014 | Report
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