Posted on Jan 17: One-third of Ontario students apply to McMaster

As of Friday, 101,668 Ontario high school students have applied for entrance into an Ontario university, announced the Council of Ontario Universities. Of these students, approximately one-third have applied to McMaster, indicates preliminary data from the University.

“We're pleased to see so many students are interested in applying to the University,” said Fred Hall, associate vice-president academic. “These numbers speak to the strong demand in all of the programs that McMaster has to offer.”

Historically, 65 to 70 per cent of students who apply to university in Ontario go on to register. In a news release, minister Dianne Cunningham said, “Our government has always promised that there would be a place for every willing and qualified student in college or university. I am pleased to report that the preliminary numbers are within our plans, and I remain confident that with the measures we have taken, and continue to take, we will meet that commitment.”

Not all students who apply for university end up enrolling for a number of reasons. Some apply to both university and college, and accept an offer of admission from a college. Some students decide to step out for a year or so for reasons such as work or travel. Others may decide to return to high school to improve their marks, while others may have opted to study abroad, either out of province or country. Some students become ineligible between the point of application and final grades.

The number of applicants this year is an increase of 32,363 applicants (46.7 per cent) over January 2002, and 41,844 applicants (69.9 per cent) over January 2001. Reasons for the increase include the double cohort, the result of the elimination of Grade 13, rising participation rates and an increase in the 18- to 24-year-old population.