Elementary to Postsecondary Student Education Dashboard: Enrolments, Graduations and Tuition Fees

Additional information

This comprehensive data visualization tool overviews counts of enrolments and graduations for elementary to postsecondary education. It also includes the cost of tuition for full-time studies at Canadian degree-granting postsecondary public institutions for the current academic year (September to April).

Data for this dashboard is related to the following three surveys: Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs (TLAC), Elementary-Secondary Education Survey (ESES), and the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS).

Tuition and living accommodation costs

On the data visualization tool, the year refers to the academic year (i.e. 2006 refers to 2006/2007).

Tuition fees are reported in 2021 constant dollars.

Constant dollars for the current year are calculated using an average of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the last six months.

Definitions, data sources, and methods for the Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs (TLAC): Survey number 3123.

Elementary to Secondary Education

Enrolments in each school type, as well as in official languages programs, are displayed if they are offered in the province or territory and the data are available. Counts represent the number of students enrolled in programs at the beginning of the school year (in September or as close as possible thereafter). Graduation counts are also available by school type, and represent first-time secondary school graduates only.

All counts are randomly rounded to a multiple of 3 using the following procedure: counts that are already a multiple of 3 are not adjusted; counts 1 greater than a multiple of 3 are adjusted to the next lowest multiple of 3 with a probability of two-thirds and to the next highest multiple of 3 with a probability of one-third. The probabilities are reversed for counts that are 1 less than a multiple of 3.

Totals may not add up to the sum of all categories due to rounding.

Definitions, data sources, and methods for the Elementary-Secondary Education Survey (ESES): Survey number 5102.

Postsecondary Education

The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011) is the reference classification for organizing education programs and related qualifications by education levels and fields.

This application displays selected ISCED categories excluding “Upper secondary education” (ISCED 03) and “Not applicable, International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED)” (ISCED 96).

For enrolments, postsecondary non-tertiary education is generally comprised of technical and CÉGEP programs leading to a certificate or other short–term program credentials. It also includes pre–university diploma programs and university certificates that do not require prior postsecondary qualifications. Short–cycle tertiary education is generally comprised of college and CÉGEP programs leading to a diploma and a certificate requiring previous postsecondary qualifications.

For graduates, postsecondary non-tertiary education is generally comprised of technical and CÉGEP programs leading to a certificate or other short-term program credentials. It also includes pre-university diploma programs. Short-cycle tertiary education is generally comprised of college and CÉGEP programs leading to a diploma and a certificate requiring previous postsecondary qualifications, and university programs below the bachelor level.

The field of study refers to the Variant of Classification of Instructional Programs Canada 2021 STEM and BHASE groupings. The “Total, instructional program” data in this application are modified to exclude the STEM/BHASE “Unclassified” category. All calculations based on the “Total, instructional program” use the modified STEM/BHASE field of study total.

The “Gender unknown” category has been excluded from the percentage calculations in the pie chart for enrolments and graduates by gender.

All calculations within this dashboard use “Total, age group” category.

All counts are randomly rounded to a multiple of 3. Totals may not add up to the sum of all categories due to rounding. Percentages are calculated using rounded counts.

For New Entrants

For methodology on new entrant enrolments calculation, see the technical reference guide "Persistence and graduation indicators of postsecondary students, 2011/2012 to 2022/2023" for further information. Institutions with imputed data were not included into the calculation.

The educational qualifications pursued and obtained by the new entrants are grouped according to the definitions in the Classification of programs and credentials.

An entry cohort is based on the new entrants to a program leading to a specific educational qualification who were enrolled full time during the fall term of that Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) reporting year.

Status of student in Canada is defined at the end of the winter term, during the first year of enrolment. "Canadian students" include Canadian citizens and permanent residents. "International students" include students studying in Canada on student visas, non-Canadian students in Canada on other types of visas, non-Canadians whose status is unknown, and students studying from outside Canada (for example, by Internet).

Age group is based on the age of students on December 31st of the first academic year in which they started the program leading to an educational qualification.

Total age group is defined as students 15 years or over.

Graduate data are published based on the calendar year.

Definitions, data sources, and methods for the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS): Survey number 5017.