TORONTO, January 18, 2006 -- York University has maintained its number two position on the list of universities in Ontario most preferred by applicants. Statistics released today show that York was second only to the University of Toronto in the number of first-choice applications from prospective students for the 2006-07 academic year. Students normally list their first, second and third choices of university when applying in Ontario. York also received the second-highest number of applications overall.
The 2006 figures, from the Ontario Universities Application Centre, confirm York has preserved its number two spot in first-choice applications – first achieved in 2005 – despite vigorous competition from many other universities.
Applications to Ontario universities by secondary school students are up by 1.6 per cent in 2006 over 2005. York’s numbers held steady, showing only a slight decline of one per cent on last year’s record numbers in first-choice applications and 1.8 per cent in overall applications. These numbers do not include applications from non-secondary school students, e.g. mature, college/university transfers or overseas students.
“We saw some spectacular gains for York last year – particularly given a university of our size – and we have consolidated those gains this year,” said Rob Tiffin, vice-president students. “What these numbers show is that students are specifically choosing York over other institutions. Where we are seeing a dramatic drop-off is in the number of students placing York further down their list of choices and this is affecting our overall applications number slightly. But the absolute number of students putting York as their first or second choice indicates that York continues to be a primary destination, not a backup.”
OUAC is the central provincial processing centre for applications to the Ontario university system. (www.ouac.on.ca)
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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For more information, please contact:
Richard Fisher
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
York University
416-736-5585
Richard.Fisher@yorku.ca
