|
The Price of Knowledge contains a wealth of information about access to post-secondary education and student finance at the national, provincial and local levels. Some notable findings of interest to New Brunswick include:
Government aid
Total 2002-03 government student aid in New Brunswick amounted to $49,624,127, which was composed of $6,705,491 in grants and $42,918,636 in loans.
In 2002-03, 6,391 New Brunswick students received provincial grants, while 13,710 received loans.
The average amount of a provincial student loan in 2002-03 was $3,073, an increase of 39.6% since 1995-96.
The average amount of a provincial grant in 2002-03 was $1,019, an increase of 18.3% since 1995-96.
Cost of total government student aid
The Government of New Brunswick spent $21,962,550 to provide student loans and grants in 2002-03.
Government spending on institutions
Government spending on post-secondary institutions in New Brunswick in 2002 was $247,558,620 (in 2003 dollars).
Canada-wide, provincial spending on institutions increased by 2.7% between 1990 and 2002; during the same period, New Brunswick experienced a 3.5% increase in government spending on institutions.
Attainment rates
New Brunswickers between the ages of 20 and 24 have a university attainment rate of 12.9%, almost equal to the national rate of 13%.
The college attainment rate of New Brunswickers aged 20 to 24 was 23.7%, slightly short of the national figure of 26%.
In Canada, the combined (college and university) attainment rate in 2001 was 39% - slightly greater than the combined rate of 36.6% in New Brunswick.
New Brunswickers aged 25 to 44 had a combined attainment rate of 50%, much lower than the national figure of 58% and the lowest in Canada outside Nunavut. The university attainment rate for this age group was 17.2% in 2001, while the corresponding national figure sat at 24%.
Incidence and amount of student debt
The incidence of student loan debt among university graduates in New Brunswick in 2000 was 51.7%, the second-highest rate in the country and much higher than the national average of 42%. The average amount of student debt among New Brunswick graduates was $21,700, which exceeds the national average of $18,900.
24.7% of New Brunswick university graduates had student loan debt in excess of $25,000, compared to 13.4% at the national level. This was the country’s second-highest rate behind Newfoundland.
The incidence of student loan debt among New Brunswick college graduates in 2000 was the highest in the country at 50.9%; the national average was 38%. However, the average amount of student debt among New Brunswick graduates was $12,400, slightly less than the national average debt of $12,700.
5.2% of New Brunswick college graduates had student loan debt in excess of $25,000, compared to 5% at the national level.
Repayment rates
In New Brunswick, the average amount of student loan debt repaid within two years of university graduation was $3,500, well below the national figure of $4,500.
Among college graduates, the provincial average repayment of $2,400 fell short of the national average of $3,400.
On average, New Brunswick university graduates repaid 16% of their student debt within two years of graduation, compared to the national average of 26.7%.
College graduates in New Brunswick repaid 19.5% of their outstanding loans within two years – a smaller percentage than the Canadian norm of 27.4%.
Graduate employment rates
The full-time employment rate among New Brunswick university graduates in 2000 was 77.3%, slightly above the national rate of 73%. The corresponding experience for college graduates was similar, with a provincial employment rate of 81.3% compared to the national figure of 77%.
The employment rate for university graduates rose in Canada as a whole by six percentage points between 1995 and 2000; New Brunswick experienced an increase of 7.3 percentage points during the same period.
Canadian college graduates experienced a rise in employment rates of seven percentage points between 1995 and 2000; college graduates in New Brunswick experienced an increase of 8.3 percentage points during the same period.
Graduate incomes
In 2003, the average university graduate salary in Atlantic Canada, including New Brunswick, was $36,800. The national average was $41,400.
College graduates in Atlantic Canada, including New Brunswick, had an average salary of $24,800. The 2003 national figure was $29,200.
Graduate migration
In 2000, New Brunswick experienced a net out-flow of university graduates equal to 17.1% of the size of its graduating university class. It also experienced a very small net in-flow of college graduates equal to 0.3% of the size of its college graduating class.
Aspirations
In all jurisdictions, of those parents wishing their children to pursue post-secondary education, aspirations for university exceeded those for college. The percentage of New Brunswick parents who indicated having aspirations for their children to attend university was 67.2%, the lowest in the country and below the national average of 71.8%. 16.1% of New Brunswick parents had aspirations for their children to attend college, as compared to 16.5% of parents across Canada.
In New Brunswick 51.7% of parents reported saving for their children’s post-secondary education, slightly above the national figure of 50%.
Enrolment
In 2002-03, New Brunswick had a university enrolment of 24,909 and a college enrolment of 13,622 for a combined total post-secondary enrolment of 38,531.
University enrolment in New Brunswick experienced an increase of 21% between 1999-2000 and 2003-04. The corresponding national figure was a 20% increase.
The number of university students in New Brunswick has increased by 11.1% since 1990-91, compared to the national increase of 13.3% during the same period.
New Brunswick college enrolment has decreased by 30.9% since 1990-91, as compared to the national increase of 3.5%. The fall in college enrolment was the country’s largest.
Total enrolment in post-secondary education in New Brunswick has fallen by 8.6% since 1990-91, while Canada as a whole experienced a 9.1% increase in enrolment during the same period.
Participation rate
The 2002-03 university participation rate among 18- to 21-year-olds in New Brunswick was 30.2%, and the corresponding Canadian rate was 19.7%. The provincial participation rate increased by 7.4 percentage points in between 1990-91 and 2002-03, as compared to an increase of 3.2 percentage points in Canada.
The college participation rate in New Brunswick was 7.2%, well below the national figure of 14.3%. This participation rate increased by four percentage points between 1990-91 and 2002-03, slightly more than the national average increase of two percentage points during the same period.
New Brunswick’s total post-secondary participation rate of 37.4% was above the 2002-03 national figure of 33.9%.
New Brunswick’s total post-secondary education participation rate among 18- to 21 year-olds has increased by 11.4 percentage points since 1990-91, while Canada has experienced growth of 5.2 percentage points during the same period.
Inflow /outflow
New Brunswick experiences a net in-flow of students from other provinces, with 521 more students entering the province than leaving it to pursue higher education.
Ease of access
In New Brunswick, the 2002-03 average entering mark for first-year university students was 80.9%, and 75.9% of entrants had marks above 75%. The corresponding national figures are 83.6% and 88%, respectively.
Tuition
The average New Brunswick university undergraduate tuition in 2003-04 was $4,457, which exceeded the Canadian national average of $4,025.
University tuition in New Brunswick has increased by 79% in real dollars since 1990-91. The corresponding change at the national level was 112.4%.
In 2003-04 the average college tuition in New Brunswick was $2,400, which was above the average Canadian tuition (excluding Quebec) of $2,133.
College tuition in Canada (excluding Quebec) has increased by 118.2% (in real dollars) since 1990-91, while New Brunswick has experienced a tuition increase of 271% during the same period. New Brunswick’s rate of tuition increase over this period was the country’s second highest, behind Alberta.
Summer employment rates
The 2003 summer employment rate for students aged 18 to 24 in New Brunswick was 66.1%, slightly below the national rate of 67.6%. There has been a decline of 5 percentage points in the summer employment rate in New Brunswick since 1990, which was slightly better than the Canada-wide average drop of 6.4 percentage points.
Summer employment income
2001 summer employment income among students who had earnings in New Brunswick was $3,700. The national average was $4,000.
In-school employment rates
In New Brunswick, 61% of students worked during the school year, as compared to the national average of 63%.
|
