In 2009-2010, 91% of undergraduate students at the University of Manitoba were born in Manitoba, 5% were born in another Canadian province or territory, and 4% had moved from abroad for the purpose of study. In total, 2000 were self-declared First Nations.
From 2006 to 2008, enrolment at the University of Manitoba decreased slightly and then started to increase between 2009 and 2013. Current trends indicate that this slow growth should continue over the next few years. The number of female students continues to be slightly greater than the number of male students enrolled in both full- and part-time programs at the University of Manitoba.
The retention rate in 2012-2013 of full-time, first-year students at the University of Manitoba was 85%. 90% of students graduating in 2013 reported that they were satisfied with their decision to attend the University, a rate slightly lower than the national average of 93%.
An earlier survey based on the Class of 1984 reported that Manitoba graduates were as satisfied with their jobs as other graduates nationally, and in fact experienced higher rates of employment and some higher salaries than the national averages. Almost all Manitoba graduates were still living in the province at the time of the survey.
In 2004, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) reported that Manitoba had gained the top spot in overall provincial rankings of equity, quality, accountability, and accessibility, demonstrating a "consistent commitment to higher education as a share of total provincial expenditures, in fostering high employment and income parity among male and female graduates, and in limiting downloading of costs onto students".
According to government figures, student enrollment had increased by 30% at university level and 25% at college level between 1999 and 2004, outpacing other provinces.
Aboriginal post-secondary participation has been increasing during the past decade and is currently estimated at community colleges to be almost the same as for the general population of Manitoba, there are fewer participants at university level. It is estimated that Aboriginal students now constitute 7% of university enrollments, 17% of college enrollments, and 17% of all active apprentices in Manitoba. However, secondary school dropout rates among Aboriginal students remain disproportionately high. Although a relatively high proportion of Manitoba's population is Aboriginal, (15.5% in 2006) of all the provinces, Manitoba has the lowest percentage of Aboriginal youth attending school. In 1996, only 44.1% of Aboriginal youth were attending school full or part-time. Two of the goals of the Bridging Two Worlds: Aboriginal Education and Employment Action Plan 2008-2011 were: to increase student engagement and high school completion; and, to improve access to and success in adult learning, including post-secondary education and training.
ACCESS provides specialized programs with funding to residents from under-represented groups who have faced barriers to post-secondary education. Such individuals include First Nations, the physically challenged, females, single parents, and immigrants. COPSE reported that, between 1999/00 and 2009/10, 3,706 new students enrolled in ACCESS programs with an average of 337 new students per year.
Barriers to access
The Canadian Council on Learning concluded in its 2007 Report on Learning in Canada that the most significant barriers to post-secondary access are informational and motivational. The 2007 Survey of Early Leavers in Manitoba reported that students typically leave higher education for reasons not related to the institution itself. Financial considerations sometimes influence the decision. The Survey concluded that remedial courses could be helpful, and that such students require assistance immediately in their first year, especially at college level where programs are of shorter duration.
The University of Manitoba today offers more than $13 million in scholarships and bursaries. Despite the common belief that lower tuition fees would result in greater university access, the Montreal Economic Institute's 2004 report entitled Would Higher Tuition Fees Restrict Access to University Studies? contended that data from various Canadian studies show no direct relationship. Instead, we should consider other factors such as secondary school grades, parental educational attainment, and parental expectations.
The Manitoba Department of Education concluded that financial and institutional barriers seldom hinder access to post-secondary education. Instead, barriers are social and cultural. Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) in its 2005 report entitled Getting There and Staying There adds the factor of geography, citing the long distances that students must travel in Manitoba and consequent personal dislocation to find a suitable post-secondary program. All three reports suggest the following strategies to increase access and participation: early intervention, career counseling starting in grade 9, orientation programs, introductory academic and vocational programs starting in grade 12, the involvement of parents, promotion of role models, distance education, and satellite campuses.