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Pan-Canadian Study of First Year College Students - Report 1 Student Characteristics and the College Experience - August 2007

4. Registration Characteristics of Respondent Students

College was the first choice for the vast majority (82 percent) of respondents.

The vast majority of respondent students (82 percent from the entry survey and 81 percent from the end of term survey) were attending their college or institute for the first time as full-time students. The College Entry Survey asked students who indicated they were not attending college for the first time to specify why and their reasons for leaving previous studies. One in five respondent students were not attending a college or institute for the first time, and among those, one-third had already completed a program, one third had partially completed a program on another occasion, and almost one quarter had attended their college/institute previously as part-time students. Among respondents who left previous studies, the largest percentage, 27 percent, did so because they were dissatisfied with their experience, which is consistent with results from the Youth in Transition Survey (Lambert et. al., 2004) in terms of a poor 'fit' between their interests and their program of study. In addition, 18 percent said they had changed career plans, and only one in ten cited financial reasons for leaving.

In terms of postsecondary education goals, the majority of College Entry Survey respondents (82 percent) confirmed that attending their current college or institute was their first choice. Eight percent indicated that attending a university was their first choice and six percent indicated that their first choice would have been to attend another college. The majority of respondents were also enrolled in their first choice program.

4.1 Programs and Fields of Study of Respondents

The profile of respondents from both the entry and end of term surveys were consistent in terms of the programs and fields of study. Most students (up to 58 percent) were enrolled in career or technical programs. In addition, up to 13 percent were enrolled in university preparation or transfer programs. In terms of degree programs, 13 percent of entry survey respondents and 15 percent of end of term survey respondents were enrolled in degree programs.

Academic programs encompassed all the major fields of study as shown in Figure 2, with most students enrolled in Business (up to 23 percent), followed by 17 percent enrolled in Health Sciences. Most students (up to 47 percent) were enrolled in two year programs, up to 23 percent were enrolled in three year programs, and 11 percent were enrolled in four year programs.

4.2 Prior Learning and Recognition

The College Entry Survey also asked students whether they received any academic credits for experience gained prior to attending their current college or institute. A notable finding was the fact that over one-half of respondents reported they did not know they could apply for academic credit based on experiences prior to college. This is in spite of the fact that the results of the Pan-Canadian Inventory of Exemplary Practices in Learning at Colleges and Institutes showed that over 80 percent of institutions reported they were implementing a program of prior learning and recognition (PLAR). Almost one third of respondents indicated that they knew about prior learning and recognition but did not apply when they began their college/ institute program.

Figure 2 Fields of Study of Respondent Students, 2005

Up to 60 percent of respondents were enrolled in programs that included an on-the-job component.

4.3 Workplace Components of College/Institute Programs

Many programs offered by colleges and institutes offer various types of workplace experience that expose students to the type of work they will experience once they begin their careers. The results from both the entry and end of term surveys were consistent in that about 60 percent of respondents confirmed that they were enrolled in a program that included an on-the-job component, either through a co-op arrangement or through a work placement.

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