Canada and US Comparative University Completion

Archived Topic Box from the 2005 Fifth Annual Benchmark Report

In 2000, 17.7% of Canadians and 25.0% of Americans (aged 25 and older) held either a bachelor or higher degree. By 2004, the Canadian ratio had increased to 19.8% and the US ratio to 27.0%, meaning that the 41.1% gap between the countries that existed in 2000 shrank to 36.3% by 2004.

University completion rates vary considerably among the sub-national jurisdictions in North America. The lowest 2004 ratio, 11.0%, was in Newfoundland and Labrador and the high of 47.7% was in the District of Columbia, better known as Washington, DC. There were eleven US states with completion rates above 30.0% in 2004; the top five are listed in the table below. British Columbia ranked 48th with a university completion rate of 19.9% for the 25 and older population. British Columbia and Ontario (42nd rank with a 22.6% rate) were the only Canadian provinces to better any of the US states.

All but two of the sub-national jurisdictions saw their completion rates increase between 2000 and 2004. The exceptions were New Mexico and South Dakota, which had decreases of less than 3.5%. Improvements ranged from 1.6% in Mississippi to 25.9% in Prince Edward Island. British Columbia saw it's rate improve by 9.7%, earning it a 23rd place rank.

Note: This comparison uses the 25 and older population sample in order to maintain consistency with standard data tables produced by the US Census Bureau. The comparison for BC and the other provinces in performance indicator 11 uses the smaller population sample consisting of those aged 25-54.