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Section 3. Education

Today's knowledge-based society presents youth with both opportunities and challenges as they make the transition to the labour market and full adulthood. The challenge for youth is to ensure that the choices they make will allow them to participate fully in the economy and the society of the 21st century.

Society benefits from a trained and educated workforce of skilled people that can meet the demands of the labour market. People who enrol in and complete post-secondary programs tend to be rewarded with more occupational opportunities and potential for better earnings. Therefore, it is important to ensure that education is equally available to all Canadians.

Approximately half of youth aged 15 to 29 in Canada attended school during the 2000-01 academic year, that is, they were either in elementary or secondary school or were attending a post-secondary institution such as university or college. Of the nearly 3-million youth who attended school, the majority (86%) were full-time students.

Table 2: Youth School Attendance in Canada by Age Group, 2001
Age	Attending School	Attending School Full-time	Attending School Part-time	Not Attending School
15-24	2,515,730	2,276,000	239,730	1,472,470
15-19	1,574,200	1,501,070	73,130	470,155
20-24	941,535	774,935	166,600	1,002,315
15-29	2,910,165	2,492,460	417,705	2,965,235
25-29	394,430	216,455	177,975	1,492,765

Source: Statistics Canada - 95F0418XCB01003, 2001 Census

As one would expect, the level of education attained increases with age. During the 2000-01 academic year, most students (68%) between 15 and 19 years of age had less than a high school diploma. Over the same period of time over a quarter (29%) of students 20 to 24 years of age had some post-secondary education, while another 40% had completed a college certificate/diploma or a university degree.

The majority (60%) of older youth aged 25 to 29 completed a trade, college certificate/diploma or a university degree. Figure 3.1 highlights the highest level of completion by age group in 2001.

During the 1990s, individuals aged 25 to 29 were more likely to attend school on a full-time basis rather than on a part-time basis. In 1991, 18% attended school in the academic year, 8% on a full-time basis and 10% part-time. By 2001, these figures had reversed: 20% had attended school, but 11% were attending full-time and 9% part-time. This marks the first time that older youth aged 25 to 29 chose to stay in school full-time more than part-time¹.

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Figure 3-1: Level of Education by Age Group, 2001

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0017XCB1001

3.1 High School Attendance

Completing high school is now widely considered as a minimal educational requirement for access to the labour market and lifelong learning. The skills and knowledge acquired through high school are thought of as valuable foundations for the future of youth. In looking at high school attendance, the emphasis will be placed on the 15 to 19 age group, as they are the most likely to be attending and graduating from high school.

In 2001, 77% of youth aged 15 to 19 were attending school either full-time or part-time. The provinces with the highest attendance (for both full and part-time studies) were Quebec with 85%, followed by Nova Scotia (78%), Newfoundland and Ontario, (77% respectively). The Prairies and the North had the highest non-attendance rates, led by Nunavut with 34%. Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories followed with on-attendance rates ranging between 29% and 31%.²

The bulk of students are attending school and by the age of 20, the vast majority of Canadian youth (85% in December 1999) had graduated from high school. In 1999, 70% of high school graduates between the ages of 18 and 20 had gone on to post-secondary education.

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Figure 3-2: Attendance by Province for Youth 15-19, 2001

Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0017XCB01005

3.2 Youth Dropping Out of High School

It is important to note that non-attendance cannot be interpreted as high school dropout because youth may have obtained a high school diploma and have entered the labour force. In fact, few youth can be classified as dropouts.

The Youth in Transition Survey (YITS) is a longitudinal study that follows students through the transition years from high school to either post-secondary education or labour market entry. This report allows for a better understanding of how many youth have completed school or are continuing with education, and those who have dropped out prior to completion.

The high school drop out rate among 20-year-olds declined by one-third in the 1990s, falling from 16% in 1991 to 11% in 2001³. The Youth in Transition Survey defines high school dropouts of those who are not enrolled and have not completed high school by the age of 20. This survey looks at the 18 to 22 cohort in the 10 provinces.

There has been a significant increase in the graduation rate for youth in the youngest age cohorts. The graduation rate for those who were 18 in 1999 increased from 62% to 86% two years later when the same participants were 20 years old. Accordingly, the percentage who were still in school decreased from 37% in 1999 to 3% in 2001. Not surprisingly, the graduation rates for the oldest participating youth who were 20 years of age in 1999 did not experience a dramatic change (the dropout rate was only once percentage point lower)⁴.

In 1999, the dropout rate was higher for young men than for young women aged 20 years of age - 15% versus 9% respectively. This gender difference in dropout rates remained in 2001. For the same group of young men and women, at age 22, the dropout rates were 14% and 8% respectively. The high school dropout rate for Canada in 2001 was 11%, and the high school drop out rate adjusted for those who participated in post-secondary education was 9%. However, provincial variations do exist. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Ontario had lower dropout rates relative to the entire country, and higher rates were seen in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba.

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Figure 3-3: High School Dropout Rates for Youth Aged 22 in 2001 Before and After Taking into Consideration Their Participation in Post-secondary Education, by province

Please note that PEI is excluded as results were too unreliable to be published.
Source: Statistics Canada and Human Resources Development Canada (now HRSDC): Youth In Transition Survey, Education and labour market pathways of young Canadians between age 20 and 22: an overview. 81-595-MIE2004018.

3.2.1 Returning To School

Some high school dropouts engage in "second chance"⁵ educational opportunities - such as completing high school at a later age, or enrolling in post-secondary programs. This trend is increasing, as 27% of youth who had dropped out of school by age 20 had taken advantage of the second chance system by the age of 22. In 2001, 11% of these dropouts had returned to high school, with 5% still pursuing studies and 6% had received a diploma. A further 16% of these dropouts had continued with education at the post-secondary level without obtaining a high school diploma. For those who continued on to some form of post-secondary education without a high school diploma, the graduation rate increased from 15% in 1999 (when the participants were aged 20), to 34% in 2001 (aged 22)⁶.

In summary, these findings show that the high school dropout rate is fluid and that not all high school dropouts put an end to their formal schooling.

3.3 Characteristics of High School Graduates and Dropouts

Many factors can influence young people to graduate or to dropout. Family backgrounds, academic grades, school participation and engagement, marital or parental status, employment, peer influences and educational aspirations all factor into what determines a high school graduate and a high school dropout. The Youth in Transition Survey (2000) addresses these aggravating factors for high school dropouts.

The demographic profile of graduates differs from the profile of high school dropouts. A higher proportion of dropouts was male, first-language French, from large families, and was parents or spouses. Family background and structure were both key factors. A significantly higher proportion of graduates came from two-parent families with less than four siblings. Also, graduates were more likely to have had parents who had completed a post-secondary diploma or university degree; the proportion of dropouts with parents who had not completed high school was three times that of graduates⁷.

Grades of dropouts were lower, on average, than graduates and a third reported having repeated a grade in elementary school. Compared to graduates, dropouts were less engaged in school, both academically and socially. They were less likely to have had close friends who pursued further education past high school and were more likely to have engaged in such behaviours as skipping class, drinking alcohol regularly, and using drugs frequently. While school-related reasons dominated the decision to drop out, other factors also played a role - for young men wanting to work was an important factor, as was pregnancy and child rearing in the case of some young women⁸.

Dropout rates were lowest among youth who worked a moderate number of weekly hours (10 to 19 hours) and highest among those who worked the equivalent of full-time weekly hours (30 or more hours) or those without a job. Young men tended to work more hours than young women. In 1999, 22% of male dropouts worked more than 30 hours per week in their last year of high school and 19% of female dropouts worked more than 30 hours in their last year of high school. Dropout rates were also high for both males (16%) and females (12%) without a job in their last year of high school. Compared to students who worked moderate hours the odds of dropping out were 1.5 times higher for non-workers and 2.4 times higher for heavy workers⁹.

Some youth leave and return to high school a number of times before finally dropping out completely. Six in ten dropouts said that they had left school one time previously, one-fifth (19%) had left twice, and a small number (6%) had left three or more times. No clear differences were found by gender.

Almost all high school dropouts wanted to complete at least a high school education in the future. Graduates were much more likely to aspire to completing a university degree.

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Figure 3-4: Dropout Rates by Hours Worked for Pay Each Week During Last Year of High School, 1999

Source: Statistic Canada, At a Crossroads: First Results for the 18 to 20-Year-Old Cohort of the Youth in Transition Survey. 81-591-XIE-00001

3.3.1 Returning To School

In 1999, three-quarters of those 20 years age who had dropped out later expressed regret over their decision¹⁰. A significant number of dropouts take advantage of 'second chance'¹¹ educational opportunities. In 1999, 9% of 20 year-old high school dropouts were enrolled in or had completed some type of post-secondary education, including CEGEP, college, trade, vocational programs, or other courses above the high school level.

3.4 Post-secondary Education

An estimated 1.6 million or close to two-thirds of young Canadians aged 18 to 24 (17 to 24 in Quebec) in 2002 had taken some form of post-secondary education after leaving high school. Over half began their studies at the age of 17 or 18 and the overwhelming majority (86%) started before turning 20.

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Figure 3-5: Community College and University Enrolments (all ages), 1994 to 1999

Note: college includes related institutions such as hospital schools, agricultural, arts and other specialized colleges.
Source for university data: Statistics Canada, CANSIM 00580701 and 00580702
Source for community college data: Statistics Canada, 81-229-XIB

Young women were more likely to have gone on to post-secondary education than were young men. In 2001-02, 67% of young women pursued education beyond high school, compared with 57% of young men. The median spending for full-time university students (the point at which half of students spent more and half spent less) amounted to $11,200, through an eight-month academic year in 2001-02. The median for college students was $9,330¹².

3.5 University Enrolment

Between 1988-89 and 1998-99, full-time enrolment in Canada's universities increased by 16%. While full-time enrolment has remained fairly constant since 1992, part-time enrolment has dropped by 21%¹³. Overall enrolment data showed a slight increase in 1998-99 after a five-year period of decline. At 826,400 full- and part-time students, enrolment is still below the 1992-93 record of 885,600 students. Among undergraduates, the only group to show an increase in enrolment was full-time women between the ages of 18 and 24. Also, full-time graduate enrolments increased 10% between 1992-93 and 1998-99¹⁴.

Although one in every five universities has a student population of fewer than 300, Canadian universities tend to be larger than other educational institutions. In fact, one-third had enrolments of more than 10,000 students. The most popular bachelor's degrees among graduates were in social sciences, followed by education, humanities, and engineering and applied sciences.

Women's choices of subjects differ from men's at the university level. Two-and-a-half times as many women graduated from education programs as men and more than twice as many earned their degrees in health sciences and fine arts. Almost four times as many men completed engineering and applied sciences degrees as women, and twice as many graduated in mathematics and physical sciences. In 1997, of the 126,000 students who received a bachelor's or a first professional degree, 52,000 were male and 74,000 were female¹⁵.

Table 3: University enrolment by Province, full and part-time (1996-1999)
	Full-time Enrolment			Part-time Enrolment
	1996-1997	1997-1998	1998-1999	1996-1997	1997-1998	1998-1999
CA	573,635	573,099	580,376	256,133	249,673	245,985
NF	13,193	13,115	13,115	2,861	2,683	2,595
PEI	2,313	2,452	2,470	424	482	417
NS	29,941	30,077	30,027	6,894	7,006	7,214
NB	18,931	18,503	18,529	4,698	4,181	4,237
QC	132,054	131,074	134,162	103,639	101,021	98,116
ON	226,998	227,153	229,985	79,835	76,255	72,958
MB	22,024	21,024	20,883	10,031	9,796	9,852
SK	23,571	23,864	23,656	7,748	7,364	7,622
AB	53,044	52,824	53,510	16,990	18,594	20,263
BC	51,566	53,013	54,039	23,013	22,291	22,711

Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, Cross-classified tables 00580701, 00580702.

3.6 College and Trades Enrolment

In 1998-99, close to 500,000 students attended 195 community colleges, including Quebec's CEGEPs, various career and trade colleges, technical institutions and nursing schools. The majority of these schools were truly 'community' schools - 90% were relatively small, with enrolments of less than 5,000 students¹⁶.

Most of these institutions offer professional, job-related training and half offered programs that enabled students to transfer college course credits to a university program. Of the total post-secondary college enrolments, 74% were registered in career programs in 1998-99, an increase of just over 2% from the previous year¹⁷. The remainder were enrolled in university-level programs, which had declined 2% from 1997-98¹⁸. The following table shows post-secondary community college enrolment by provinces and territories from 1996 to 1999.

Though Canada's college student population is split almost equally between men and women, the subjects they study are not. In 1996-97, five times as many men took engineering and applied sciences as women. Twice as many women studied business and commerce as men, and more than three times as many women as men studied health sciences and social sciences¹⁹.

Table 4: College* enrolment by Province, full and part-time (1996-1999)
	Full-time Enrolment			Part-time Enrolment
	1996-1997	1997-1998	1998-1999	1996-1997	1997-1998	1998-1999
CA	397,308	398,643	403,516	87,081	91,577	91,439
NF	5,704	5,974	5,973	107	177	471
PEI	1,275	1,620	1,899	144	75	75
NS	6,956	7,307	7,039	287	395	326
NB	4,808	5,152	5,221	170	121	143
QC	166,858	163,550	164,469	11,009	10,274	8,959
ON	141,205	142,353	142,341	10,833	10,099	10,243
MB	3,598	3,802	4,181	2,145	2,446	2,513
SK	2,787	3,195	2,740	159	157	89
AB	29,366	29,595	31,999	15,402	16,543	17,838
BC	34,313	35,599	37,127	45,933	50,324	49,654
YK	272	318	258	382	495	454
NWT	166	178	269	510	471	674

*Includes related institutions such as hospital schools and agricultural, arts, and other specialized colleges.
Source: Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-229-XIB.

3.7 Post-Secondary Completion

In 2000, approximately 270,000 students graduated from public college and university programs in Canada. Half of these graduates had completed bachelor degrees, 37% had received college diplomas and 12% received graduate degrees (Master and Doctorate)²⁰.

The median age of 2000 graduates with degrees from both college and bachelor programs were 23, however, 40% of graduates were 25 or older²¹. 59% of college graduates and 63% of university Bachelor graduates were under the age of 25. Graduate programs had a lower proportion of graduates under the age of 25, 17% for Masters and 4% for Doctorates.

A Statistics Canada report on college and university graduates from the Class of 2000 stated that in 2002, 90% of college and university graduates were employed²². College graduates in nursing had the highest employment rate of 96% and graduates from humanities programs had the lowest rate of 85%. University graduates in medicine had a 99% employment rate while those graduates with degrees in either mathematics or performing arts had the lowest employment rate (83%).

Although college and bachelor graduates were equally likely to find work after graduation, the jobs the bachelor graduates found came with higher earnings. In 2002, the median salary earned by bachelor graduates was between $31,000 and $49,000. The median college graduate earned between $31,200 and $40,000²³.

3.8 Access to Post-secondary Education

Access to post-secondary education (PSE) can be varied based on the individual; however general barriers faced by youth include poor academic record, lack of access to funding or a general increase in enrolments.

While the decision to attend a post-secondary institution can be influenced by a multitude of factors, young people have identified financial factors as a major barrier to attending and completing a post-secondary education. Post-secondary expenditures can be divided into two categories: educational expenditures (tuition fees, books, supplies) and non-educational expenditures (rent, telephone, food, furniture, clothing, etc.). In many cases, non-educational expenditures represent a cost which is at least as significant as educational expenditures, particularly for students who do not live with their parents²⁴. Overall, youth spend a significant amount of money to obtain a post-secondary education - approximately $9,740 for an academic year²⁵.

Often, the most cited barrier to PSE is a lack of access to scholarships, bursaries and student loans. The following looks at the various sources of funding available to youth.

3.8.1 Financing PSE

Students finance their education in a variety of ways including employment incomes, savings, family support, scholarships, and loans from government and public sources. The sources for the following data are from the Class of 2000 Report by Statistics Canada and the Summer Placements Review (2003) by Human Resources and Social Development.

Employment Income

Among the various sources of funding for school, employment earnings gained prior to the beginning of the school year were the most commonly used for post-secondary students. Based on data from Statistics Canada's Post-secondary Education Participation Survey (PEPS), 77% of full-time post-secondary students aged 18 to 24 years used their summer employment income to fund their schooling. While not all students are able to work during the summer (many study for ten or twelve months a year which makes summer employment difficult or impossible to obtain), the majority of students find employment during the summer months.

The second most common source of funding used by students to finance their post-secondary education was employment income gained during the academic year. Almost two-third (64%) of students relied on employment earned during the school year to finance their education. According to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey (LFS), the percentage of students aged 15 to 29 working during the 2000-01 academic year represented an all-time high, and the number of college and university students employed during their studies has been steadily increasing since the mid-1990s.

Family Support

The access to financing begins with the ability for parents to provide the primary source of post-secondary education funding. For families earning $80,000 or more, 18 to 24 year-olds were the most likely to pursue further education beyond high school at 83%. As family income decreases, so too does the percentage of youth who enrol in post-secondary education. About two-thirds of youth with family earnings between $55,000 and $80,000 had taken some post-secondary education and this dropped to just half when family earnings were estimated to be less than $55,000.

Also, youth who had at least one parent with some post-secondary education were more likely to have continued on with further education than were 18-24 year-olds with parents who had not taken any post-secondary studies (70% compared with 57%).

Grants Bursaries and Scholarships

Other sources of public and private funding used by those in PSE include grants, bursaries and scholarships, which are monies awarded to a student that do not require repayment. Canada has two sets of national grants programs (Canada Study Grants²⁶ and the Millennium Bursary Program²⁷). Together, these programs account for well over half of all grant dollars provided in Canada. Including federal and provincial funding, over 232,000 students received a grant in 1999-00 at an average amount of $3,000.

Besides grants, other non-repayable sources of funding available to post-secondary students include bursaries and scholarships. A significant proportion of this type of assistance is provided through educational institutions themselves. It is estimated that Canadian university and colleges disbursed just over $221.6 million in student assistance; however, most of this funding (95%) is concentrated at universities.

Overall, 36% of post-secondary students receive non-repayable grants, bursaries and scholarships.

Private and Public Funding

Another key component of paying for post-secondary education rests with student loans from both private and public institutions. According to the profile of the Class of 2000 by Statistics Canada²⁸, about half of college and bachelor graduates owed some kind of debt for their education, and most of these graduates owed money to government student loans. Government student loan programs were the major source of student borrowing: 45% of bachelor graduates and 41% of college graduates owed money to government student loan programs when they graduated.

The majority of those that apply for a government-sponsored loan are currently enrolled, or have been accepted into, in a post-secondary education program at the time of application. Of those who had applied for a government-sponsored student loan, close to 20% of post-secondary continuers reported that they had been rejected at least once; this fell to 16% of post-secondary education leavers and 13% of post-secondary graduates. At the national level, the majority of post-secondary students do not rely on government student loans. According to Statistics Canada's PEPS survey, 56% of post-secondary students aged 18 to 24²⁹ had never applied for a government student loan. Of those who did apply, a significant proportion (21%) did not receive any assistance.

While less than half of post-secondary students rely on government student loans, since 1980, there has been a reasonably steady increase in the number of students borrowing to finance their post-secondary education. The total number of borrowers from the Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) and the Quebec Programme de prêts et bourses increased from approximately 200,000 in 1980-81 to more than half a million borrowers in 1998-99.

In addition to an increasing number of students accessing student loans, the average amount borrowed by students each year has also increased over the past two decades. It should be noted that the increase has not been gradual: it came about quite suddenly during the mid-1990s due to increased borrowing limits both at the federal and provincial levels.

Almost one in five college and bachelor graduates borrowed from other sources to finance their education, and there was an increase in the loan amounts to both sources of funding for university students. The amounts owed to non-government sources were generally smaller than government loans and the average debt to all sources is not notably larger than the average government student debt. However, for those graduates who owed money to both sources, the debt was considerably larger.

The following illustrations summarize the sources of financing used by students enrolled in PSE and are taken from the Summer Career Placements Review by HRSD in 2003.

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Figure 3-6: Percentage of Students Using Source of Funding, 2002

Source: Statistics Canada, Access, Persistence and Financing: First results from the Post-secondary Education Participation Survey (PEPS). 81-595-MIE

Figure 3-7: Median Amounts of Funding Received by Students by Source of Funding, 2002

Source: Statistics Canada, Access, Persistence and Financing: First results from the Post-secondary Education Participation Survey (PEPS). 81-595-MIE

1 Entire paragraph sourced from Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0017XCB01003

2 Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0017XCB01005.

3 Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Social Development: Education and labour market pathways of young Canadians between age 20-22: an Overview (2004). 81-595-MIE2004018.

4 This paragraph has been sourced from Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Social Development: Education and labour market pathways of young Canadians between age 20-22: an Overview (2004). 81-595-MIE2004018.

5 Of those dropping out of high school before graduating, some will return to complete their secondary studies at a later time. Others may enrol in programs or courses outside of secondary school, including programs at the post-secondary level. These constitute 'second chance' educational opportunities for high school dropouts.

6 This paragraph has been sourced from Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Social Development: Education and labour market pathways of young Canadians between age 20-22: an Overview (2004). 81-595-MIE2004018.

7 Bowlby, J.W., McMullen, K. At a Crossroads: First Results for the 18 to 20 Year Old Cohort of the Youth in Transition Survey. Human Resources Development Canada, Statistics Canada.

8 Bowlby, J.W., McMullen, K. At a Crossroads: First Results for the 18 to 20 Year Old Cohort of the Youth in Transition Survey. Human Resources Development Canada, Statistics Canada.

9 Refer to Learning, Earning and Living: The relationship between working while in high school and dropping out: Chapter 5, Statistics Canada: 81-595-MIE2003004

10 Information taken directly from: Bowlby, J.W., McMullen, K. At a Crossroads: First Results for the 18 to 20 Year Old Cohort of the Youth in Transition Survey. Human Resources Development Canada, Statistics Canada.

11 Of those dropping out of high school before graduating, some will return to complete their secondary studies at a later time. Others may enrol in programs or courses outside of secondary school, including programs at the post-secondary level. These constitute 'second chance' educational opportunities for high school dropouts.

12 Statistics Canada: Access, persistence and financing: First results from the Postsecondary Education Participation Survey (PEPS). 2003. 81-595-MIE2003007

13 Statistics Canada, Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, Education Indicators in Canada, 2003. 81-582-XIE.

14 The Canada e-Book (11-404-XIE) (is based on the 2001 Canada Year Book). Statistics Canada.

15 The Canada e-Book (11-404-XIE) (is based on the 2001 Canada Year Book). Statistics Canada.

16 Taken directly from: The Canada e-Book (11-404-XIE) (is based on the 2001 Canada Year Book). Statistics Canada.

17 Statistics Canada, The Daily: October 3, 2000.

18 Statistics Canada, The Daily: October 2, 2000.

19 The Canada e-Book (11-404-XIE) (is based on the 2001 Canada Year Book). Statistics Canada.

20 Note: statistics provided are for all age groups, not just 15-24. Source Statistics Canada, Class of 2000: Profile of Postsecondary graduates and student debt: 81-595-MIE2004016

21 This paragraph has been sourced from: Statistics Canada: Class of 2000: Profile of Postsecondary graduates and student debt. 81-595-MIE2004016

22 All sources for this paragraph have come from: Statistics Canada: Class of 2000: Profile of Postsecondary graduates and student debt. Tables A-3 and A-4. 81-595-MIE2004016

23 Statistics Canada: Class of 2000: Profile of Postsecondary graduates and student debt. 81-595-MIE2004016

24 Refer to "Financing of Postsecondary Education" for a more detailed description of expenses. Statistics Canada: Access, persistence and financing: First results from the Postsecondary Education Participation Survey (PEPS). 2003. 81-595-MIE2003007.

25 Human Resources and Social Development. Summer Career Placements Review, 2003.

26 Canada Study Grants provide financial assistance for student loan recipients with dependants, women in certain doctoral studies, high-need part-time students, high-need students with permanent disabilities, and students with permanent disabilities who face exceptional costs related to their education. Unlike student loans, Canada Study Grants do not have to be repaid. National Student Loans Service Centre, 2004.

27 Each year, the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation allocates $285 million in millennium bursaries among the provinces and territories, according to each jurisdiction's share of the population of Canada. Preference is given to the students with the greatest financial need, subject to the Foundation's merit criteria. Millennium bursaries are fully portable and may be used at any recognized post-secondary institution in Canada. For additional information please refer to the following Web site at: http://www.millenniumscholarships.ca/en/main.html

28 Statistics Canada: Class of 2000: Profile of Postsecondary graduates and student debt. 81-595-MIE2004016

29 Of those who borrow from CSLP, almost 70% are under the age of 25.