University enrolment in P.E.I. up 1.4%, according to report

P.E.I. was the only Maritime province to post an increase in university enrolment last year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission.

Enrolment grew to 4,272, a jump of 1.4 per cent in 2014-15 over the previous year, according to the arms-length organization that provides advice to Maritime ministers responsible for post-secondary education.

• MPHEC university enrolment report

Like its regional neighbours, the number of local students in P.E.I. decreased significantly down 5.5 per cent but that was offset by an 18.5-per-cent increase in international students.

Islanders now make up 63.4% of the province's university student population.

New Brunswick experienced the largest total enrolment decline in the past year at 5.2 per cent, while Nova Scotia was down 0.4 per cent.

Overall, 68,427students were enrolled in Maritimeuniversities in 2014-15, down 1.8 per cent from the year before, and a 6.1 decrease from a decade ago.

Over the last 10 years, enrolment has declined at Maritime universities as the number of 18 to 24 year olds has decreased by four per cent in the region, the report said.

"Not only is the pool of potentialuniversitystudents shrinking in the region, but smaller proportions of them choose to pursue auniversity education, which is adding to the impact of the demographic trend," said Mireille Duguay, commission CEO.

The report also indicated students are shifting their preferences away from humanities toward other programs.