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Montreal, October 7, 2010 – Registration at Quebec universities has increased notably for two years in a row: 3.8% in 2009 and 3.7% in 2010.

A total of 278,012 students registered at Quebec universities for the 2010 fall semester. Of this number, 188,843 registered for full-time studies and 89,169 registered as part-time students.

“The remarkable increase in registration is indicative, among other things, of the importance students place on a degree, and they are not alone in valuing a university education. In a recent survey by Léger Marketing, in partnership with the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, participating companies noted their great satisfaction with the quality of university teaching and research, and the employability of graduates,” said Denis Brière, Chair of the CREPUQ Board of Directors and Rector of Université Laval.

“Rising registration is proof of student interest in university studies. It is our duty to pursue our efforts to offer all students the kind of quality education that meets the highest international standards. In order to do this, our universities need the support of society as a whole, as well as the resources to help them contribute to Quebec’s economic, social and cultural development,” added Daniel Zizian, President and Director General of CREPUQ.

The number of students registered for the first time in a full-time undergraduate program is also up 5.0%, which will have a positive impact on total registration in coming years.

There are a number of reasons for the new increases, including the introduction of new programs and the growing importance of continuing education. Measures implemented in recent years to ensure that students stay and succeed in their programs also continue to bear fruit.

Rising registration at Quebec universities is good news for the province, which, despite all the progress of recent decades, still trails Ontario in terms of the number of people with a university education.

Preliminary registration data for the 2010 fall semester

There was a significant increase (4.2%) in the number of students registering for full-time studies at every level (4.4% at the undergraduate level, 3.2% at the graduate level and 3.4% at the postgraduate level). Registration for part-time studies was also up (2.9%), with most of that increase attributable to graduate programs.

The number of women students has been rising steadily in recent years, and women now account for 57.7% of the student body overall (56.2% of full-time students and 60.9% of part-time students). Women make up 58.5% of all undergraduates, 56.7% of graduate students and 48.4% of postgraduate students; and 57.9% of new full-time undergraduates are women. While a majority of undergraduate and graduate students are women, the percentage at these levels has been relatively stable in recent years. Nonetheless, a steady increase at the postgraduate level has also been noted.

For the first time, information on foreign students has been included in the fall semester data gathering process. This year, 25,877 foreign students registered at Quebec universities for fall 2010, a 5.4% increase over fall 2009. The increase at the undergraduate level was 3.4%, but at the graduate and postgraduate levels, it was even more significant (7.3% and 12.4%, respectively). Foreign students constitute just over 9.0% of the total student body, which is about the same as last year.

These findings come from the universities’ preliminary registration statistics, and do not include data from Télé-université, which does not participate in data collection because of the ongoing nature of its registration process.

To determine the exact causes of variations in student registration, it is necessary to examine the statistics for each university, as the situation varies greatly from one institution to another. All the data by institution, as well as the concepts used in the data collection methodology are available at the CREPUQ website: www.crepuq.qc.ca/spip.php?article102&lang=en

CREPUQ includes all 18 Quebec universities. The organization acts as their voice in relations with government and milieus concerned with university education and research. It also fosters coordination and collaboration between universities, is a research centre for university administrations, acts as a centre for coordination and joint service delivery, and is a resource centre and think tank for its members.

Source :
Chantal Pouliot, Director of Communications
Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities
514 288-8524, ext. 244