Total application numbers to Ontario universities strong, but down from last year

The Ontario University Application Centre (COU) has released preliminary application figures for the province, showing a slight decline compared to this point in time last year. According to the data, the total number of secondary students applying to universities dipped  from 89,272 to 87,639. The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) described the application rates as strong given a predicted demographic downturn in university-age population numbers. “Demographers have long predicted a decline in the 18–20-year-old population so it is very gratifying that, even with a smaller potential pool, high school students are still turning to universities in such large numbers,” said COU Chair Max Blouw. A number of institutions, including Nipissing University, OCAD University, and Brescia University College saw increases of more than 5% in total applications. Nipissing’s number of first-choice applications jumped by 15% over last year, the highest increase for any university in the province. However, a number of other institutions saw declines of greater than 5% in applicant numbers compared to last year, including Algoma University, Brock University, Lakehead University, Laurentian University, Huron University College, and the University of Windsor. COU News Release | COU Data | Nipissing News Release