Explanatory Notes
General
In response to the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities’ (MTCU) 1998-1999 OSAP policy requirement that institutions make available for students data regarding default rates, graduation rates and graduate placement rates, the University of Toronto is posting the three “OSAP Indicators” below. Graduation and default rates have been calculated by the MTCU using existing data sources while employment rate data was collected through a graduate survey conducted by Ontario universities.
The data are published in 26 program categories. The following provides additional information regarding three particular categories used:
“Other Arts and Science” — includes students enrolled in all Arts and Science programs except for students in Commerce and the UTM/Sheridan Fine Art/Drama program.
“Other Education” — includes students enrolled in Physical Education, Kinesiology, Recreation and Education programs in non-teaching fields.
“Other Health Professions” — includes students enrolled in the B.Sc. in Biomedical Communication.
To maintain adequate confidentiality in light of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, information has not been shown in instances where the number of students is four or less.
Employment Rates — University Graduate Survey
To determine employment rates of recent graduates, Ontario universities conducted a survey of all 2000 graduates of undergraduate degree programs. Graduates were asked 11 questions regarding their employment situation six months and two years after graduation. Of the 45,803 graduates who were surveyed, 13,493 or 29.5% responded.
Table 1 indicates the employment rates for 2000 graduates of U of T’s undergraduate programs, by program category, six months and two years after graduation. Table 2 indicates the same employment rates for all universities in Ontario. The overall employment rates for 2000 graduates of U of T’s undergraduate degree programs is 95.5% six months after graduation and 96.2% two years after graduation. The employment rate is defined as the number of employed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force where the labour force is those persons who were employed, or unemployed but looking for work.
The University of Toronto Careers Centre provides career and employment services exclusively to U of T students, recent graduates, and employers.
Graduation Rates
The MTCU has calculated graduation rates using a single entering cohort of students and determining whether or not they graduated within seven years. The methodology employed involves the selection of all new full-time, Year One undergraduate students on the official Fall 1994 enrolment file, who have a valid (and unique) student ID number, and were seeking either a bachelors or first professional degree. The subset was then matched against the records for students who received a degree (in any program) from the same institution during the period 1995-2001.
Table 1 indicates the graduation rate for all programs at U of T is 82.4% (compared to 73.1% for all programs at all Ontario universities — see Table 2). The 2003 Maclean’s annual university rankings define graduation rate as the percentage of full-time, second-year undergraduates in first-entry programs who completed their degree within one year of the expected graduation date, which for U of T is 91.9%. The data listed below do not recognize the diversity of options available to our students, whereby students can leave a program early to switch to one of the university’s many second-entry programs, such as Law, Medicine and Dentistry; nor do they account for students who switch to part-time study. U of T has 12,488 part-time students, more than any other Canadian university.
Default Rates
The 2002 default rates reflect the repayment status of students (undergraduate and graduate) who were issued Ontario Student Loans in the 1999-2000 academic year and did not receive an Ontario Student Loan in 2000-2001, and who defaulted on their repayment obligations approximately two years after graduation. Student loan recipients/defaulters are, for the purpose of calculating default rates, assigned to the last institution/program they attended in 1999-2000. The status of these loans was assessed as of July 2002 or about two years after entering into repayment.
An Ontario Student Loan is in default when the Ontario government has paid the bank’s claim for an inactive loan. A loan is inactive when no payments were made by the student for at least 90 days. Responsibility for recovery of defaulted accounts was transferred to private collection agencies in January 1999.
Table 1 indicates the 2002 default rate for all programs at U of T is 6.2%. This compares to 7.5% for all programs at Ontario universities (see Table 2). As approximately 50% of U of T students receive OSAP, the number of graduates who have defaulted on loans represents less than 3% of the student population. It is also important to note when reviewing the data that they may include student loans from more than one program as well as programs from other universities in Ontario and across Canada.
U of T, which provides over $80 million in student aid annually from its operating budget alone, in 1998 introduced a policy stating that no student should be prevented from entering or completing a program of study due to financial need.
Table 1: Graduation, Employment and OSAP Loan Default Rates: University of Toronto by Program Area
| Program | Graduation Rate (1) | Employment Rate (2) | Default Rate (3) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months | 2 years | |||
| Agriculture/Bio Sci | 94.1% | 96.6% | 5.5% | |
| Architecture & Landscape Architecture | 75.8% | 100.0% | 94.4% | 5.6% |
| Business & Commerce | 80.1% | 95.7% | 96.5% | 2.9% |
| Computer Science | 87.5% | 93.4% | 93.3% | 1.3% |
| Dentistry | 96.9% | 95.7% | 100.0% | 1.5% |
| Education | 98.9% | 99.5% | 99.5% | 2.3% |
| Engineering | 85.8% | 95.7% | 96.0% | 2.0% |
| Fine & Applied Arts | 79.5% | 87.5% | 85.7% | 7.3% |
| Humanities | 95.0% | 95.1% | 9.8% | |
| Kinesiology/Rec/Phys Ed | 87.9% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
| Law | 93.4% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1.5% |
| Mathematics | 82.8% | 90.3% | 4.5% | |
| Medicine | 96.1% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
| Nursing | 85.1% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
| Other Arts & Science | 76.9% | 4 | 4 | 12.6% |
| Other Health Professions | 0.0% | 4 | 4 | 1.6% |
| Pharmacy | 96.8% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1.5% |
| Physical Sciences | 84.6% | 86.2% | 4.4% | |
| Social Sciences | 86.7% | 93.4% | 95.1% | 5.1% |
| Theology | 78.7% | 4 | 4 | 7.0% |
| Therapy & Rehab | 90.5% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
| Not Reported | 15.8% | |||
| U of T Average | 82.4% | 95.5% | 96.2% | 6.2% |
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Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities: Universities’ Key Performance Indicators
Table 2: Graduation, Employment and OSAP Loan Default Rates: Provincial Averages by Program Area
| Program | Graduation Rate (1) | Employment Rate (2) | Default Rate (3) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months | 2 years | |||
| Agriculture/Bio Sci | 73.80% | 92.80% | 96.20% | 5.40% |
| Architecture & Landscape Architecture | 77.10% | 93.90% | 96.90% | 7.70% |
| Business & Commerce | 73.20% | 96.30% | 96.40% | 4.50% |
| Computer Science | 66.80% | 95.60% | 90.30% | 7.70% |
| Dentistry | 98.20% | 96.70% | 100.00% | 0.90% |
| Education | 97.40% | 98.60% | 98.60% | 2.60% |
| Engineering | 76.70% | 96.40% | 95.10% | 3.90% |
| Fine & Applied Arts | 64.00% | 92.80% | 93.60% | 11.00% |
| Food Science & Nutrition | 80.80% | 100.00% | 97.10% | 5.10% |
| Forestry | 53.10% | 94.10% | 93.80% | 2.10% |
| Humanities | 64.10% | 94.50% | 95.10% | 10.80% |
| Journalism | 73.20% | 93.20% | 91.20% | 4.50% |
| Kinesiology/Rec/Phys Ed | 77.40% | 97.90% | 97.20% | 3.40% |
| Law | 91.50% | 97.70% | 94.10% | 4.90% |
| Mathematics | 76.60% | 91.70% | 91.50% | 5.10% |
| Medicine | 97.10% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% |
| Nursing | 75.80% | 99.40% | 99.00% | 3.70% |
| Optometry | 98.30% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% |
| Other Arts & Science | 67.60% | 97.40% | 95.80% | 14.10% |
| Other Health Professions | 71.90% | 96.60% | 100.00% | 3.00% |
| Pharmacy | 96.80% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 1.50% |
| Physical Sciences | 69.80% | 92.80% | 94.80% | 5.90% |
| Social Sciences | 65.10% | 94.40% | 96.00% | 9.30% |
| Theology | 76.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 9.90% |
| Therapy & Rehab | 95.30% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% |
| Veterinary Medicine | 100.00% | 97.10% | 100.00% | 1.50% |
| Provincial Average | 73.10% | 95.90% | 96.10% | 7.50% |
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Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities: Universities’ Key Performance Indicators