CourseCompare releases 2024 Canadian college and university rankings amid record international student enrolment and AI-impacted job market

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2024 /CNW/ -Outcomes-based rankings establish national benchmarks for traditional and emerging education providers, from colleges and universities to online training companies and coding bootcamps

CourseCompare, Canada's marketplace for education, which served more than two million prospective students from more than 100 countries in 2023, has released its 2024 rankings of the best schools and programs in Canada. This year's rankings examine more than thirty categories including business schools, online universities, trade schools, and co-op programs, plus ten new rankings including flight schools, culinary schools and colleges for international students, among others.

"We witnessed two major changes affecting higher education in 2023: a record level of international student enrollment, and an explosion of interest in adopting AI technology," said CourseCompare CEO, Robert Furtado. "CourseCompare's 2024 rankings help students understand these changes through new digital products and tools that explore the best places to learn in Canada, where student housing is most abundant, which skills are most in demand, and which jobs are least susceptible to automation and disruption, for example."

CourseCompare's core ranking methodology weighed a variety of factors, including job placement rates (40 percent), thousands of verified student ratings for faculty, curriculum, career support and the overall learning experience (25 percent), employer reputation scores (20 percent), graduate salaries (7.5 percent), and graduation rates (7.5 percent). For programs delivered virtually, CourseCompare added a 10 percent score measuring student feedback on online infrastructure and the quality and availability of real-time virtual support.

"AI has only increased the already urgent need for flexible and affordable upskilling and retraining programs for Canadians," said Furtado. "I emphasize the word "flexible," because Canadians often cite work and busy schedules as the greatest obstacles to lifelong learning -- plus, many colleges and universities are still reluctant to break the mold when it comes to how and when courses are delivered." 

For international students, CourseCompare's ranking methodology emphasized the total number of international students (30 percent) and the proportion of international students to the general student population (20 percent). Tuition premiums paid by international students, student diversity, job placement rates, student satisfaction ratings and campus housing availability were also considered (10 percent each).

Canada's population grew by 1,030,378 people in the first nine months of 2023, exceeding the total growth of any full-year period, including the record set in 2022. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) processed 1,089,600 study permit applications (including extensions) in 2023, up from 917,900 in 2022.

"Canada's economy -- its advanced manufacturing, construction, mining and healthcare industries, to name a few -- depends on our ability to attract international students to our shores," said Furtado. "Yet even leading public colleges and universities could be challenged to maintain this pipeline due to insufficient government funding and new caps on international study permits, especially in Ontario, which is home to 51 percent of Canada's international student population. Clearly, a more nuanced approach and better coordination between the post-secondary sector and federal and provincial governments is needed." 

Immigration accounts for almost 100 percent of Canada's labour force growth. Immigrants made up 36 percent of physicians, 33 percent of business owners with paid staff, and 41 percent of engineers in 2022.

CourseCompare's 2024 Rankings 

Business
BBA & BCom Degrees
Business Schools
Change Management Certification
Executive MBA Programs
Online BBA & BCom Degrees - NEW
Online MBA Programs
Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification

Colleges
Colleges in Ontario
Colleges in Toronto - NEW
Colleges in Vancouver

Co-op Programs
Co-op Programs

Creative Arts & Media
Acting Schools - NEW
Film Schools

Healthcare
Nursing Schools

International Students
Colleges for International Students - NEW
Immigration Consultants - NEW

Language Learning 
French Courses
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Schools

Online Universities
Online Universities

Skilled Trades
Culinary Schools - NEW
Early Childhood Education (ECE) Programs
Massage Therapy Schools - NEW
Trade Schools

Technology
Coding Bootcamps
Cyber Security Certification
Data Analytics Certification
Data Science Bootcamps
Data Science Masters Programs
Digital Marketing Certification

Transportation
Driving Schools in Canada - NEW
Driving Schools in Mississauga - NEW
Driving Schools in Toronto - NEW
Flight Schools - NEW
Truck Driving Schools 

About CourseCompare

CourseCompare is Canada's marketplace for education. In 2023, more than two million people from more than 100 countries visited CourseCompare.ca to pursue in-demand skills or launch new careers in Canada. CourseCompare matches learners to more than 300 schools and 5,000 vetted programs based on their career goals and learning needs. The company facilitated more than 100,000 student connections to 50 partner institutions across Canada in 2023, creating over $100 million in economic value.

About Robert Furtado

Robert Furtado is the CEO of CourseCompare. His writing and commentary about higher education, technology and careers has appeared in Global News, the Toronto Star, the National Observer, MoneySense, University Affairs and dozens of other leading publications. Robert is a former marketing executive and instructor at Humber College's Faculty of Media & Creative Arts.

SOURCE CourseCompare Inc.

Media Contact, Kerri-Lynn McAllister, 1.800.750.1392, [email protected]