Canadian universities, being the largest research centers, provide employment to more than a million scientists, which accounts for 31% of all those engaged in scientific activity in the country. Universities carry out 21% of all research in the country. The total profit of the universities of the Maple Leaf Country, derived from conducting research and implementing the latest technical developments, plays a significant role in filling the national GDP. It amounts to 20 billion Canadian dollars per year, which is higher than the revenues generated in such industries as forestry, paper industry, automobile manufacturing, or the recreation and entertainment industry.
Canada's higher education institutions fully meet the country's need for qualified personnel and offer a huge number of certification and diploma programs, as well as obtaining degrees in various fields of knowledge. The federal government expects that over the next five years, the number of vacancies requiring higher education will increase to 25% compared to today's 17%.
Over the ten years from 1990 to 2001, employment for master's degree holders increased by 400,000 positions, from 600,000 to one million. During the same period, vacancies for university graduates with a bachelor's degree rose from 1.3 million to 2.1 million. In percentage terms, the number of vacancies for those with a university degree increased by more than 30%, while for those who completed training at the level of a professional certificate or diploma—by only 11%.
According to Statistics Canada, between 1990 and 2003, more than 1.2 million additional positions were created in the country for specialists with higher education. Labor market analysts attribute this to the fact that today's industry news particularly pleases investors, because the development of their business can only be based on knowledge-intensive sectors of the economy. And this can only be provided by personnel with higher education.
According to forecasts by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) made in 2001, the demand for higher education in the country was expected to increase from 645,000 places to 845,000 by 2011. In fact, already in the last academic year, 750,000 people filled places in student classrooms. Thus, over two years, the total number of students studying at Canadian universities increased by 100,000.
The increase in the number of students is explained primarily not only by the fact that an increasing number of Canadians are striving to obtain a coveted degree, but also by the fact that the children of the baby boom years have entered universities. In the province of Ontario, this was compounded by the secondary education reform, as a result of which schools switched to 12-year education, and two school graduations entered universities at once.
As a result of the influx of students, competition intensified in almost all universities. At Queen's University, nearly 40,000 applicants competed for 35,000 places. At the same time, the competition for the Faculty of Commerce was 18 people per place. Similar competition was at McMaster University in the Faculty of Health Sciences and at Waterloo in accounting and finance.
The competition for secondary school certificate grades on average did not fall below 80% in most universities (in terms of our certificate, this means an average score of 4.4). At Montreal's McGill University, the admissions committees did not accept certificates with an average score below 87.5% for the Faculty of Arts, below 89% for the Faculty of Science, and below 92% for the departments of electrical engineering, computers, and programming.
According to AUCC statistics, the number of foreigners who chose Canada as a country for higher education is more than 45,000 students. Compared to 1998, the growth was over 30%. According to the national Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, foreign students annually bring the country a profit estimated at 3.5 billion Canadian dollars.
Universities around the world, and Canadian ones are no exception, are in fierce competition to attract foreign students. Therefore, foreign students, being a significant source of income for universities, sometimes find themselves in a more advantageous position in terms of admission requirements than local students. This means that when determining the passing score, preference may be given to a foreigner with the same average percentage of a secondary school certificate as a local applicant.
As noted by TsMK "Parta", Canada is one of the few English-speaking countries in whose universities domestic schoolchildren can enroll immediately after graduating from secondary school. To do this, it is necessary to have a certificate with good grades and knowledge of English or French, confirmed by international exams (IELTS, TOEFL, DELF/DALF).
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