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Informing the Future of Higher Education

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Access Reboot: New Directions for Higher Education

We are very pleased to announce the return of the HEQCO conference. This one-day, in-person event will be taking place on November 3, 2023 at the Delta Hotel Toronto. HEQCO’s 9th conference, Access Reboot: New Directions for Higher Education will be an opportunity to share best practices, develop ideas and challenge traditional approaches to equity, […]

Women in Academia

Welcome to the Women in Academia Project HEQCO is pleased to announce the release of a multi-part research project designed to explore current and historical gender disparities among faculty in Ontario universities. Despite advocacy efforts, collective bargaining, targeted funding and legislation, gaps in representation, promotion and earnings for women academics persist. These inequalities are especially […]

Quick Stats

How many Ontario students applied to the province’s colleges and universities during the last decade? How many enrolled? How many graduated? Find the answers to these and other good questions in Quick Stats, a compendium of data on Ontario’s postsecondary system. Note: All visualizations begin in 2013 and go up to the most recent year […]

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@ Issue Paper No. 10 Defining, Measuring and Achieving “Student Success” in Ontario Colleges and Universities

Executive Summary: Students Service Programs Not Reaching Those Who Need Them Most While colleges and universities across Ontario offer a wide range of academic, personal and financial support programs to help students successfully realize their postsecondary education (PSE) goals, most students remain unaware of the services available to them.  A new @Issue paper Defining, Measuring and […]

Understanding the Gender Gap in University Participation: An Exploration of the Application Behaviour of Ontario High School Students

Research Summary:  High school course selection and tracking significant factors in PSE gender gap High school course selection and the practice of tracking (which divides high school students into academic or applied classes based on aptitude and interest) might help explain why more Canadian women than men are pursuing a postsecondary education.   A new study […]

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The troubling and vexing thing about financing a higher education

One of the most startling statistics I learned since joining HEQCO last year was that about 50 per cent of students eligible for financial aid don’t apply for it, even though some of the money they would get is grants that they do not have to repay.   Who gives up the opportunity of free government […]

@ Issue Paper No. 9 Adult Learners in Ontario Postsecondary Institutions

Executive Summary: Adults Who Would Benefit Most from Education Are Least Likely to Participate Adults with high literacy levels are three times more likely to participate in adult learning in Ontario than those with low literacy levels. As a result, those who would benefit most from further education are missing potential social and economic opportunities, […]

An Evaluation of the “Alternative to Academic Suspension Program” at Brock University

Research Summary: Brock program offers new path for students facing academic suspension Across Canada, some 20 per cent of college students and 15 per cent of university students fail to graduate within five years.  A number of them drop out of school altogether or are forced to leave because of poor academic performance. In the […]

@ Issue Paper No. 8 An Overview of PSE Accessibility in Ontario

Executive Summary: Efforts to evaluate postsecondary access programs hampered by lack of research data Over 80 per cent of Ontario secondary school students enrol in some type of postsecondary institution by age 21, placing the province among world leaders in postsecondary participation. But gaps in access remain for some groups – most notably those with no parental […]