Special Needs Students and Transitions to Postsecondary Education

Research Summary: Special needs students: Improving pathways to higher education Special education in Ontario and elsewhere is under intense scrutiny as calls for greater equity push schools toward more inclusive policies and practices, including those that improve the likelihood of special needs students pursuing postsecondary education (PSE). While there have been a number of promising […]

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Fiona Deller: Fear of Finance: The morning after (give or take a month)

In the month or so since our conference,  Fear of Finance: Financial Literacy and Planning for Postsecondary Education, we here at HEQCO have been doing a lot of thinking about what we learned, what we heard, and how it might affect our future work in this area. For those of you who were there, a […]

Simplifying the Application Process for Institutional Financial Aid: A Case Study at Brock University

Research Summary: Institutional Financial Aid Process Should be Simplified The application process for institutional financial aid can be long and complicated, often requiring students to speculate on financial details they may not know or feel comfortable raising with their family. A new report published by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) suggests that […]

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Fear of Finance: Breaking down barriers to postsecondary education

A new HEQCO conference, Fear of Finance: Financial Literacy and Planning for Postsecondary Education (Nov. 3-4) will explore educational financial literacy — the knowledge of the costs, benefits and available aid associated with higher education. And it’s not a moment too soon. Ontario leads the nation in postsecondary participation, but despite rising enrolments overall, the […]

Financial Literacy of Low-income Students: Literature Review and Environmental Scan

Research Summary: Low knowledge of costs, benefits and financial aid pose barrier to higher education Ontario postsecondary enrolments are rising, but not among students from low-income families.  And of those low-income students who do pursue higher education, approximately half are not taking advantage of government grants and loans designed to help them. Students who could […]

@ Issue Paper No. 11 Participation of Low-Income Students in Ontario

Research Summary: Low knowledge of costs, benefits and financial aid pose barrier to higher education Ontario postsecondary enrolments are rising, but not among students from low-income families.  And of those low-income students who do pursue higher education, approximately half are not taking advantage of government grants and loans designed to help them. Students who could […]

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 […]

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 […]