Higher Education Trends
The Compass for Post-secondary Institutions in Canada
Higher Education Trends (HET) provides post-secondary institution (PSI) leaders with valuable data and insights into trends in higher education. It includes national student statistics in four pivotal areas that will help leaders gauge program success and evaluate their institution’s societal and economic value.
Page updated: March 5, 2026
Recent releases
Enrolment Outlook
March 5, 2025
Online experience • 20-min read
After more than a decade of expansion driven largely by public policy enabling international student growth, Canada’s post-secondary education (PSE) system is entering a phase of regulatory recalibration and declining enrolment. Federal policy changes, coupled with declining domestic demographic trends, have fundamentally altered the operating environment for post-secondary institutions (PSIs).
Student Mobility
November 26, 2025
Online experience • 11-min read
When Canadian students cross provincial borders to study, most will not stay in their province of training once their degrees are in hand. Across Canada, local students—those who study in the same province they reside in at time of admission—are far more likely to remain after graduation than those who arrived from elsewhere.
Student Finance
August 20, 2025
Online experience • 13-min read
Tuition fees have been a growing share of institutional revenues over the past decade. Fees accounted for 38 per cent of college revenues and 31 per cent of university revenues in the 2022–23 academic year, up from 23 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively, in the 2012–13 academic year.
Student Outcomes
May 27, 2025
Online experience • 9-min read
While these decreases are small, they break from the pattern of sustained growth in graduation observed throughout the late 2010s. Slower population growth and evolving policies may lead to future declines in graduation.
Enrolment Outlook
March 3, 2025
Online experience • 9-min read
After steep pandemic-related enrolment declines from 2019–20 to 2020–21—including a 5.0 per cent drop in college enrolments—the Canadian PSE sector has rebounded, reaching a total of 2.21 million students in 2022–23. However, we expect enrolment declines and a challenging road ahead.
About the Series
Each quarterly publication of Higher Education Trends will focus on one of the following four areas of education:
Enrolment outlook
- enrolment trends by institution type, credentials, province, field of study, student demographics, status of students
- enrolment projections by province
Student outcomes
- persistence rate and graduation rate by institution type, credentials, province, field of study, student demographics, status of students in Canada
- employment status and median earnings after one and five years after graduation by institution type, credentials, province, field of study, student demographics, status in Canada
Student mobility
- interprovincial and international student mobility in post-secondary education (PSE) enrolment
- interprovincial and international student mobility one and five years after graduation
Student finance
- student tuition, loans, and aid by type of credentials, field of study, and province
The Higher Education Trends series has been produced since January 2024.
Methodology
The Higher Education Trends series provides an accessible, data-driven view of Canada’s post-secondary landscape across four themes: enrolment outlook, student outcomes, student finance, and student mobility. Each release includes interactive, customizable data visualizations and written analysis that highlights the most relevant insights for post-secondary leaders and supports evidence-based decision-making.
Data sources
- Core datasets include Statistics Canada’s Census of Population, the National Graduate Survey, the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform, the Financial Information of Universities and Colleges survey, and the Tuition and Living Accommodation Cost survey.
- International comparisons use UNESCO Institute for Statistics and OECD education and labour-market indicators.
- Mobility and immigration trends are informed by data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Canadian Bureau for International Education.
- Labour-market intelligence is drawn from The Conference Board of Canada’s proprietary high-frequency labour market data (formerly Vicinity Jobs).
- Enrolment and international mobility trends incorporate The Conference Board of Canada’s national and provincial Household Formation and Population Forecasts.
Analytical approach
The analysis uses descriptive and comparative statistical techniques to examine patterns over time, across provinces and territories, and across student characteristics, institution types, fields of study, and credential levels. Each release is delivered as an integrated online experience combining interactive dashboards with written analysis. The interactive platform allows users to explore indicators in depth and customize visualizations for their institutional or policy context. The written analysis focuses on a concise set of high-level insights highlighting the most policy-relevant patterns and system-level implications.
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Questions?
If you have any questions about the Higher Education Trends series, or about becoming a subscriber, please contact us.