Post-Secondary Institutions
Canada's post-secondary institutions offer internationally-recognized degrees and diplomas in a wide variety of professional and technical disciplines. Across the country, there are over 90 universities and 150 college and technical institutions offering virtually every program possible.
Attendees
Canada has one of the world's highest rates of post secondary education enrolment. Nearly 1.7 million Canadians attend universities and colleges.
Colleges and universities accept foreign students, often through international partnerships. An estimated 106 000 international students attended Canadian colleges and universities in 2003. Canadian tuition rates for international students are lower than in many countries.
Universities and University Colleges
Canadian universities are mainly publicly funded and offer consistently high-quality education. The larger institutions offer multiple doctoral and professional programs, while the smaller institutions offer a range of programs.
University colleges are part of the Canadian university system. They offer students a choice of either academic-oriented university degree programs, or more technically-oriented college diplomas and certificates. They also offer combined degree/diploma and university transfer programs.
Colleges and Technical Institutes
College and technical institutions offer vocation curricula and are unique for their employer-centred curricula. They have small classes, off-campus course offerings, a greater ratio of laboratory space to classroom space than universities, and an interactive teaching style. These institutions dynamically change to provide programs to meet the economic and social needs of communities. College and technical institutions offer diplomas and certificates and many have university transfer programs and are offering degrees.
