Colleges Ontario

By Susanna Kelley
The Canadian Press

February 5, 2010

 

A "staggering" increase in applications to Ontario colleges, particularly from mature students, could drive up the marks needed for admission and toughen other selection criteria for students trying to get into the province's college system this fall.

A 20 per cent increase in mature student applications is prompting concerns about whether there will be enough space for all qualified Grade 12 students this fall.

Overall, the number of applicants is up by 14 per cent for a total of more than 100,000, said Colleges Ontario on Thursday. The organization represents 24 colleges in the province.

Even the number of Grade 12 applicants has spiked by 8.6 per cent over last year.

Some programs can be expanded, but others depend on physical spaces, and the number is set, said Anne Sado, President of George Brown College in Toronto.

That could mean qualified students could be turned away from the program of their choice.
"It could be more competitive as the demand grows because we cannot just adjust our space availability with the snap of a finger, and neither should we in some cases where we need to make sure we have the right type of lab or clinical environment for a student's learning," said Sado.

The increase in applications has far exceeded the expectations of both the government and the colleges. They were predicting just a 3.2 per cent increase, according to Colleges Ontario president Linda Franklin.

And unless the province increases funding by more than $160 million, the colleges say they won't be able to accommodate the increased number of Grade 12 and mature students applying for this fall.

Part of that money is to cover last year's enrolment surge, which the government has not funded yet, says Franklin.

"Some of the colleges are finding themselves in deficit because of last year's growth and this year's growth," she said.

"We were in challenging times before, (but) these two years of growth have just really made for a difficult funding situation."

The poor job market is likely behind the increased number of mature students going back to school, said Franklin.

But Kitchener MPP John Milloy, the minister of training, colleges and universities, is thrilled with the increase.

"Participation in post-secondary education has been one of our goals so I think it's great that more people are . . . applying to our colleges. I think it's wonderful news for our province," he said.

Milloy declined to say whether the colleges will receive the $160 million they are requesting.
He said people will have to look at his government's record of promoting education and providing resources as necessary.

However, earlier this week, Premier Dalton McGuinty promised his government will address the space crunch in the March budget.

Still, Progressive Conservative colleges and university critic Jim Wilson maintains the government has been caught without a plan.

"I think we're seeing some staggering numbers across the board," he said.

Ontario's Conservatives have suggested the government use empty schools and factories to educate students in order to rectify what they call an urgent situation.

Colleges in places experiencing high unemployment, such as northern Ontario and Windsor in the southwest, saw the number of applications for high demand programs skyrocket even last year.

That has meant some perfectly qualified students were turned away, some college administrators have previously admitted.

Recent studies indicate that even after economic slowdowns, the number of applicants tends to remain high, said Franklin.