Full-time post-secondary enrolment at Loyalist College has increased by 7.84% over fall 2006, which is the second highest increase in the province, and well above the system average of 4.62%. The figures are based on registrations reported by the Ontario Colleges Application Service (OCAS) for the 24 Ontario colleges. Across Ontario, more than 94,000 students are enrolled in the first year of studies at college. This represents 60% of first-year postsecondary students in the province.
“At Loyalist, 2,973 full-time students and 330 part-time students registered for the fall term,” explained College Vice-President Enrolment Management and Student Services George Burton. “This is an increase of 173 full-time students and 30 part-time students over our enrolment at this time last year. It is also the second year of significant overall growth for the College.”
“We know that this growth results from a combination of new programs, intensive marketing and recruitment efforts on the part of our Enrolment and Academic teams, and focused support for student success and retention by our outstanding faculty and staff throughout the College,” said College President Maureen Piercy. “Strong partnerships with school boards are also important to the increased participation. This clearly reflects the need for access to quality applied post-secondary education and training throughout our region.”
President Piercy added that while the College and Board are pleased with Loyalist’s progress and contributions to prosperity in the Quinte region, significant challenges continue, as funding levels remain among the lowest in Canada, despite recent government investments in the post-secondary system.
“More than 120 individuals were put on waiting lists and could not be accommodated in their program of choice at Loyalist because of limitations on resources to provide staff and equipment,” she continued. “This underlines the need for additional support for operating budgets from the provincial government. Our mandate is to provide access and opportunity to our learners and employers with relevant programming and key student services. We will continue to work with our community and government partners to fulfill this mandate.”
Media Contact: Dianne Spencer, College Advancement & External Relations; (613) 969-1913, ext. 2235; e-mail: dspencer@loyalistc.on.ca