Skip to main content

Skip to navigation

The access keys for this page are:

For The Record

B.C. POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION FACTS

May 29, 2009
Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development
 
Letters to the Editor
Opinion Editorials

British Columbia’s public post-secondary education system is preparing students to take their places in the province’s knowledge economy. Here’s a statistical profile showcasing higher learning in B.C.:

Record investments in post-secondary education

  • $17.9 billion – amount of money invested in post-secondary education in B.C. since 2001.
  • 53 per cent – the increase in funding for post-secondary institutions since 2001.
  • $2.2 billion – the amount invested in support of post-secondary education this year. Every single public college and university has seen its provincial funding increase.
  • $9,910 – amount per full-time student funded by the provincial government, up from $8,440 in 2001-02.

Record investments in campus facilities

  • $1.8 billion – amount of capital expansion at public post-secondary institutions since 2001 – the largest post-secondary expansion in history.
  • 841 – number of capital projects on campuses throughout B.C. since 2001.
  • 51 – number of new buildings or major expansions under construction.
  • Seven – number of new campuses completed or under construction.

More affordable

  • Fifth-lowest tuition in Canada – the $4,700 average tuition undergraduate students paid at B.C.’s public institutions in 2008/09.
  • Approximately one-third – the proportion of post-secondary education costs undergraduate students pay through tuition.
  • Two per cent – the limit on tuition fee increases in 2008/09 at B.C.’s public universities, colleges and institutes.
  • Over $1.8 billion – student financial assistance provided by government since 2001.
  • Over 50 per cent – university and college students who graduate with no debt.
  • Over $76 million – amount of debt relief provided by the government annually to students through the B.C. Loan Reduction Program.

More choices

  • Seven – the number of new university campuses since 2001: Thompson Rivers University, Capilano University, University of the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island University, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Emily Carr University of Art+Design, and the University of British Columbia Okanagan.
  • Over 250 – the number of new degree programs approved by the Minister of Advanced Education since 2001, giving students more choices.
  • 205,605 student spaces – the total number of full-time equivalent seats being funded by the provincial government this academic year.
  • 36,700 – the number of new full-time spaces for students added to B.C.’s 11 universities, 11 community colleges, three provincial institutes and the Industry Training Authority since 2001.
  • 2,500 – the number of graduate student spaces being added to B.C.’s four research-intensive universities from 2007-08 to 2010-11.
  • About 2,000 – the number of online courses students can enrol in through BCcampus. Last year, 15,538 registrations took place through BCcampus, which is increasing online learning options at B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions.

More doctors and nurses

  • Double – the number of doctors who will graduate in B.C., compared to 2001 – 256 per year by 2011. The University of B.C. now has the highest number of seats of any English-speaking medical school in Canada.
  • Double – the number of education spaces added in nursing programs – over 4,000 – spaces added since 2001, producing record numbers of graduates. 
  • 2,361 – nursing credentials awarded by public post-secondary institutions in B.C. in academic year 2006-07, up from 1,343 in 2000-01. More than half received their bachelor of science in nursing, most of whom will go on to become registered nurses in B.C.

More students

  • Over 430,000 – the approximate number of students enrolled in public post-secondary institutions in B.C. This is the highest number ever.
  • Over 23,000 – the number of international students in B.C. public post-secondary institutions – the highest number ever.
  • Over 18,000 – the number of public post-secondary students who identified themselves as Aboriginal – an increase of 23 per cent since 2002-03.
  • 3.6 per cent – the unemployment rate of former students with bachelor degrees, two years after graduation. The unemployment rate among high school graduates only is 7.7 per cent.
  • 83.4 – the percentage of graduates with bachelor degrees who say their education helped them develop crucial skills to a “high” or “very high” extent.
Back to topTop

Letters to the Editor

October 24, 2008
Letter to the Editor
POST-SECONDARY FUNDING NEVER BEEN HIGHER
By Murray Coell
Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development
Submitted: The Vancouver Sun
Status: Published October 29, 2008
Funding for public, post-secondary institutions in B.C. has never been higher, despite what letter writers have stated in the pages of the Vancouver Sun. [Read More]

Opinion Editorials

September 12, 2008
Opinion Editorial
MORE CHOICES, MORE ACCESS, CLOSER TO HOME: B.C.’S POSTSECONDARY SYSTEM
By Murray Coell
Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development
Submitted: Ubyssey
Status: Published September 16, 2008
This is another year of record-breaking growth for universities and colleges in B.C. There are more students, more buildings, more degrees and programs, and, in the spring there will be more graduates than ever before. [Read More]

July 31, 2008
Opinion Editorial
WHY STUDY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA?
By Murray Coell
Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development
Submitted: Canadian Student Magazine
Status: Published August 1, 2008
Do you want a first-class education in a beautiful province that has a high standard of living and safe, welcoming communities? Do you hope to find a great career in a strong economy upon graduation? If so, British Columbia is a great choice for your postsecondary education. [Read More]