Graduation rates

For college and university programs, graduation rates have been calculated by relating the number of graduates to the size of the population at a typical graduation age. For apprenticeship and vocational graduations, there is no expected age at graduation, and, consequently, graduation rates have not been calculated. The typical ages at graduation that have been used in this publication are:

• College: 21
• Undergraduate: 22
• Master’s: 24
• Doctorate: 27

At the elementary-secondary level, graduation rates are calculated by relating the number of graduates of all ages to the population at the typical age of graduation, where the typical age of graduation is the age at which persons complete high school if they start at the prescribed age and experience no repetition or interruption in their schooling. The typical age of graduation is 18 for all jurisdictions except Quebec, where it is 17.