OSAP Indicators — 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 the Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC).

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, Computer Science and the UTM/Sheridan Fine Art/Drama program.

“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 2006 graduates of undergraduate degree programs. Graduates were asked 11 questions regarding their employment situation six months and two years after graduation. Of the 60,612 graduates who were surveyed, 13,168 or 21.7% responded.

Table 1 indicates the employment rates for 2006 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 2006 graduates of U of T’s undergraduate degree programs is 92.9% six months after graduation and 95.0% two years after graduation. These compare to system-level rates of 94.1% six months after graduation and 95.7% 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 2000 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 2001-2007.

Table 1 indicates the graduation rate for all programs at U of T is 80.8% (compared to 78.3% for all programs at all Ontario universities — see Table 2).

Default Rates

The 2008 default rates reflect the repayment status of students (undergraduate and graduate) who were issued Ontario Student Loans in the 2005-2006 academic year and did not receive an Ontario Student Loan in 2006-2007, 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 2005-2006. The status of these loans was assessed as of July 2008 or about two years after entering into repayment.

Table 1 indicates the 2008 default rate for all programs at U of T is 3.0%. This compares to 3.9% for all programs at Ontario universities (see Table 2). As approximately 39% of full-time undergraduate 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.

In 1998 U of T, which provides over $144 million in student aid (scholarships, fellowships and bursaries) annually from its operating budget alone, introduced a policy stating that no student should be prevented from entering or completing a program of study due to financial need. The details are given in the Policy on Student Financial Support.

Table 1: Graduation, Employment and OSAP Loan Default Rates: University of Toronto by Program Area

University of Toronto by Program Area 2009
Graduation Employment Rate2 Default
Program Rate1 6 months 2 years Rate3
Agriculture & Biological Sciences 88.9% 83.5% 92.6% 1.2%
Architecture & Landscape Architecture 5 4 4 3.2%
Business & Commerce 5 5 5 1.2%
Computer Science 5 5 5 2.4%
Dentistry 90.1% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
Education 98.9% 97.5% 97.4% 1.3%
Engineering 85.9% 94.4% 93.3% 0.8%
Fine Arts 78.5% 93.3% 97.3% 3.2%
Forestry 5 4 4 6
Health Professions 86.0% 84.8% 96.2% 0.5%
Humanities 78.8% 92.0% 92.7% 4.2%
Journalism 5 5 5 6
Kinesiology/Recreation/Physical Education 89.7% 100.0% 93.3% 2.9%
Law 94.1% 5 5 0.0%
Mathematics 80.0% 5 5 2.6%
Medicine 95.8% 96.9% 100.0% 0.0%
Nursing 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
Other Arts & Science 74.4% 87.0% 89.4% 8.5%
Pharmacy 92.4% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
Physical Sciences 71.4% 91.5% 93.6% 4.2%
Social Sciences 80.7% 93.5% 96.1% 3.1%
Theology 75.0% 5 5 2.8%
Therapy & Rehabilitation 82.1% 4 4 0.0%
U of T Average 80.8% 92.9% 95.0% 3.0%
  1. Percent of year I students in bachelors or first professional degree programs in 2000 who subsequently received a degree between 2001 and 2007 in any program area.
  2. Percentage of 2006 graduates of bachelors or first professional degree programs who were employed 6 months and two years after graduation.
  3. These 2008 default rates reflect the repayment status of students who were issued OntarioStudent Loans in the 2005-2006 academic year and completed or exited their studies in 2006-2007 Includes graduate students in these programs.
  4. For employment rate, sample size of four or fewer individuals.
  5. Data not available / not reported.
  6. Number of Ontario Student Loans issued was less than 5.

Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities: Universities’ Key Performance Indicators

Table 2: Graduation, Employment and OSAP Loan Default Rates: Provincial Averages by Program Area

Graduation Employment Rate2 Default
Program Rate1 6 months    2 years Rate3
Agriculture & Biological Sciences 78.0% 90.8% 94.1% 2.0%
Architecture & Landscape Architecture 82.5% 97.9% 97.5% 1.6%
Business & Commerce 80.7% 95.4% 96.5% 2.8%
Computer Science 70.4% 92.0% 95.3% 3.8%
Dentistry 92.7% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
Education 98.0% 94.4% 97.3% 1.1%
Engineering 80.1% 93.7% 96.0% 2.5%
Fine Arts 70.2% 94.7% 94.2% 6.0%
Forestry 72.4% 83.3% 100.0% 0.0%
Health Professions 86.8% 87.8% 95.4% 1.1%
Humanities 72.9% 93.6% 93.4% 5.1%
Journalism 82.5% 93.4% 98.3% 4.1%
Kinesiology/Recreation/Physical Education 79.8% 93.1% 95.3% 1.8%
Law 91.9% 96.7% 97.0% 4.1%
Mathematics 76.1% 95.0% 98.2% 2.9%
Medicine 97.4% 99.2% 100.0% 0.4%
Nursing 88.0% 99.0% 99.8% 1.9%
Other Arts & Science 72.8% 91.7% 93.2% 8.6%
Pharmacy 92.4% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
Physical Science 72.8% 91.8% 92.8% 3.1%
Social Sciences 72.3% 93.4% 95.4% 5.2%
Theology 75.5% 60.0% 90.0% 1.9%
Therapy & Rehab 86.6% 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%
Provincial Average 78.3% 94.1% 95.7% 3.9%
  1. Percent of year 1 students in bachelors or first professional degree programs in 2000 who subsequently received a degree between 2001 and 2007 in any program area.
  2. Percentage of 2006 graduates of bachelors or first professional degree programs who were employed 6 months and two years after graduation.
  3. These 2008 default rates reflect the repayment status of students who were issued Ontario Student Loans in the 2005-2006 academic year and completed or exited their studies in 2006-2007.
    Includes graduate students in these programs.
  4. For employment rate, sample size of four or fewer individuals.
  5. Data not available / not reported.
  6. Number of Ontario Student Loans issued was less than 5.

Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities:  Universities’ Key Performance Indicators