Applications to Nipissing leading province

First-choice applications to Nipissing University have increased by more than 15 per cent over last year, the highest increase for any university in Ontario, according to statistics released today by the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC).
Last Wednesday, January 14, represented the deadline for secondary school applicants to apply to an Ontario university.

A total of 667 high school students selected Nipissing as their first choice for attending university, up from 579 last January.  Nipissing also saw an increase of 4.3 percent for second choice and 2.3 per cent for third-choice applications.  In total, high school applications to Nipissing rose five percent.

“These application numbers are very positive news for Nipissing as it clearly demonstrates that we are a destination of choice for a growing number of students,” said Dr. Mike DeGagné, president and vice-chancellor at Nipissing.

Overall, the number of secondary school first-choice applicants to Ontario universities dropped 1.8 per cent, and the total number of applications decreased by 0.7 per cent when compared to 2014.

“There are a couple of factors helping to create this positive increase,” said DeGagné. “The university invested in building a stronger recruitment team and they’ve done a wonderful job of connecting with students.  As well, we built more flexibility in our concurrent education program, creating more options in terms of academic programs leading to a Bachelor of Education.  We also now allow students to earn a concurrent education degree in the Intermediate/Senior division.”

The application process is ongoing at Ontario universities, as OUAC will continue to process high school applicants received after the January 14 deadline.  As well, many non-high school students will be applying over the next few months.  OUAC will release statistics relating to non-high school applications in April.

The OUAC report can be accessed on their website, here.