Community college

During the 1990s, full-time enrolment in technical programs at community colleges increased by about 40%. By 1999/00, there were 408,800 full-time students attending community colleges, including various career and trade colleges, technical institutions, nursing schools and Quebec's CEGEPs. Most of these institutions offer professional, job-related training and about half offer programs that enable their students to transfer college course credits to a university program.

In Canada as a whole, full-time college enrolment increased 28% from 1987/88 to 1999/00. Part-time enrolment rose substantially in the early 1990s, but has generally declined since. Still, part-time enrolment was about 12% higher in 1999/00 than in 1987/88. Over the same time period, the population aged 18 to 21 has stayed relatively stable.

Full-time enrolment in career technical programs grew by about 40% for the country as a whole during the 1990s, from 213,700 in 1989/90 to 300,000 in 1999/00. Enrolments increased significantly in Atlantic Canada, likely due in part to changes in entrance requirements, which led to a number of programs being re-classified from trade-vocational to college.

For university transfer programs, full-time enrolment increased slightly for Canada as a whole from 1989/90 to 1999/00. Although there were large increases in Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, these gains were offset by a decline in Quebec. About one out of every four college students in Canada is enrolled in a university transfer program.

Men represented 46% of all full-time students enrolled in college in 1999/00, the same as in 1989/90. Among the provinces and territories, the percentage of men ranged from 17% in the Northwest Territories and 27% in Nunavut to 57% in Newfoundland and Labrador.