Enrolment in Fall 2009

What proportion of all B.C. post-secondary students were enrolled in BCAIU institutions in fall 2009?

Over 257 thousand students were enrolled in the B.C. post-secondary system in the fall of 2009. Over a quarter (27%) of these students were enrolled in one of the eight BCAIU institutions and an approximately equal proportion were enrolled in colleges. The province’s research universities accounted for 40 percent of student enrolment and the remaining 7 percent were registered in Royal Roads University, Thompson Rivers University or Thompson Rivers University-Open Learning.

The total headcount for the B.C. post-secondary system rose by 4 percent, from 247,739 in 2008 to 257,115 in 2009. During the same period, the BCAIU headcount grew by 7 percent, from 64,950 to 69,190. Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the Justice Institute of BC accounted for the largest share of the BCAIU increase, each adding over 1,000 to their 2008 headcount.

Sources: Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia & Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development

Distribution of BCAIU headcount based on a 2009 fall snapshot

How was student enrolment distributed among BCAIU institutions in fall 2009?

Together, BCIT (32%) and Kwantlen Polytechnic University (19%) accounted for just over half of the total 69,190 fall 2009 headcount for BCAIU institutions. A further 41 percent of BCAIU enrolments were made up in approximately equal parts by Vancouver Island University (14%), the University of the Fraser Valley (14%) and Capilano University (13%).

Source: Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development, Central Data Warehouse, October 2010 Data Submission

Distribution of BCAIU headcount based on the 2009-10 academic year

How was student enrolment distributed among BCAIU institutions during the 2009-10 academic year?

Over the course of the 2009-10 academic year, there were a total of 146,620 students enrolled in BCAIU institutions. The following table shows how these enrolments were distributed across BCAIU institutions. The Justice Institute accounts for a much higher proportion of overall BCAIU enrolment during the 2009-10 academic year (21%) than in the fall 2009 snapshot (4%). This is because, relative to other institutions, the Justice Institute tends to offer more frequent, short-term courses.

Source: Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development, Central Data Warehouse, October 2010 Data Submission

Aboriginal Students

How many Aboriginal students were enrolled at BCAIU institutions during the 2009-10 academic year and how were they distributed across the institutions?

A total of 7,085 students of Aboriginal descent were enrolled at BCAIU institutions during the 2009-10 academic year. This is about 31 percent of all Aboriginal students enrolled in the public post-secondary system outside of a research university. Among BCAIU institutions, Vancouver Island University had the highest number of Aboriginal students (2,035) and these students made up approximately 12 percent of the student body at that institution. With eight out of every ten students of Aboriginal descent, the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology had the highest proportion of Aboriginal students of all the BCAIU institutions. Students are classified as Aboriginal if they self-declared in the province’s K-12 system, or if they identified themselves as Aboriginal at any B.C. post-secondary institution that submits data to the Central Data Warehouse (i.e., all but research universities).

Source: Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development, Central Data Warehouse, October 2010 Data Submission

Gender

What is the gender mix at BCAIU institutions?

Across all BCAIU institutions, females comprised 48 percent of the student population in the 2009-10 academic year. This proportion ranged from lows of 37 percent at BCIT and 38 percent at the Justice Institute, to a high of 70 percent at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

At all BCAIU institutions except BCIT and the Justice Institute, females made up more than half of the student population in 2009-10. Across all institutions that submit data to the Central Data Warehouse, 52 percent of the student population was female in 2009-10.

Source: Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development, Central Data Warehouse, October 2010 Data Submission

Program of Study

What programs of study are offered by BCAIU institutions?

During the academic year 2009-10, BCAIU offered a range of educational programming, including applied and professional programs, arts and sciences, continuing education, developmental studies, trades, and more (see the following table). It is difficult to assess the distribution of program enrolment across BCAIU institutions because the Justice Institute and BCIT code a high proportion of their students to “undeclared programs” when they submit data to the Central Data Warehouse (CDW). For the academic year 2009-10, BCIT coded 51 percent and the Justice Institute coded 68 percent of their students to this undeclared category. According to the Data Warehouse Coordinator at the Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development, for BCIT, the undeclared category includes students who are taking courses, but have not yet declared a program. The same applies to some extent to the Justice Institute, however, another reason is that business practices at the Justice Institute do not allow for program identification for the CDW. The Justice Institute is working on improving data quality in this area.

For the other BCAIU institutions, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (40%) and the University of the Fraser Valley (35%) had the highest concentrations of enrolment in Arts and Sciences in academic year 2009-10. Emily Carr University of Art and Design (48%), Vancouver Island University (34%) and Capilano University (32%) had the highest proportions of enrolment in Personal Improvement and Leisure programs, reflecting a strong engagement with the community in life-long learning. The Census identifies that the Cariboo and Malaspina college regions have relatively low levels of educational attainment and participation in the general population. This is reflected in an emphasis on Developmental programs at both the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (29%) and the Vancouver Island University (17%). Capilano, Kwantlen and the University of the Fraser Valley, by contrast, have between 10 and 11 percent of their enrolment in Developmental programs.

1. Data is from the Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development’s Central Data Warehouse (CDW), October 2010 Data Submission. The counts include domestic and international students. The headcounts are higher for each institution than reported in the BCAIU Headcount section above because some students take more than one program in a given year.
2. Programs areas are defined based on CIP clusters. Please see Post-Secondary Central Data Warehouse Standard Reports, October 10 Submission, Program Area available online at: http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/datawarehouse/documents/program_area.pdf
3. BCIT and the Justice Institute both have a high proportion of their students in undeclared programs, “other”. This category includes students in General Studies programs (e.g., students who are just taking courses and have not declared a program).