posted on Feb. 16: McMaster receives almost $1 million from Ontario for increasing enrolment
McMaster is receiving almost $1 million from the provincial government's Accessibility Fund because it increased access to high-quality post-secondary programs during the past year.
McMaster's portion of the $16.5 million Accessibility Fund is $.97 million.
When the fund was announced in March 2000, the University anticipated receiving about $1 million for enrolment growth.
Eight other universities are sharing money from the fund, said Brenda Elliott, minister of intergovernmental affairs on behalf of Dianne Cunningham, minister of training, colleges and universities.
In order to receive money from this fund universities were required to increase or match their fall 1999 first-year admissions in fall 2000.
As of Nov. 1, full-time undergraduate student enrolment at McMaster was 12,445, with 3,959 students enrolled in Level I. It is the largest first-year class in McMaster history.
Total undergraduate enrolment in 1999 was 12,201 with 3,593 enrolled in Level I.
“These universities have demonstrated that student enrolment can be increased,” said Elliott. “They have done an outstanding job of giving more students access to a postsecondary education.”
The other Ontario universities sharing in the fund are:
- Brock University – $1.79 million
- University of Guelph – $4.56 million
- Algoma University College – $0.53 million
- Hearst University College – $0.009 million
- University of Ottawa – $2.36 million
- Queen's University – $2.41 million
- Wilfrid Laurier University – $2.04 million
- Ryerson University – $1.81 million
The accessibility fund is one component of the Ontario government's plan to prepare colleges and universities to meet the expected increase in enrolment due to the introduction of the new high school program. It builds on the $1.8 billion SuperBuild commitment, announced in 2000, that will see 73,000 new student spaces created on campuses across Ontario.
