More than 1.2 million Canadians are enrolled in full-time or part-time postsecondary programs at universities and colleges. In the fall of 2002, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada reported an estimated 684,000 full-time and 271,000 part-time students enrolled in Canadian universities. According to the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, almost 2.5 million students were enrolled in postsecondary programs in Canadian colleges and related institutions in 2001–02 — 900,000 full-time and 1.5 million part-time.

Enrolments among students over the age of 24 years have declined in recent years and made up about 29% of university enrolments in undergraduate programs in 2000–01, down from almost 32% three years before. Reductions in enrolments of part-time students have been particularly marked. Women continue to be the majority on both university and college campuses at 59% of undergraduates in 2000–01. They account for 51% of students in master's programs and about 46% of those at the doctoral level.

(Source: Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials)