Hello, Aanii, Bonjour,
With the recent completion of our Winter Semester, many students have now completed their graduation requirements and are set to receive their degrees on stage in the upcoming convocation ceremonies. During this time, we also are proud to celebrate those who graduated during the pandemic and were not able to attend an in-person convocation ceremony. We will hold a unique ceremony to recognize these graduates on May 30th. All those attending convocation will be reminded that our Face Coverings Policy remains in effect and masks will be required throughout the ceremony. For those who are unable to attend, the convocation will be live streamed and we hope you are able to take a moment to celebrate your achievements.
As we celebrate graduates, we also are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our incoming class for Fall 2022. Since the announcement of the Province of Ontario’s support for Laurentian in December, our successful Open House event in March, and the many efforts of our staff and faculty to respond to student interest, we have seen some positive trends in application and confirmant data. While we still have work to do, the many efforts of our community are creating a clear and positive impact.
As of May 2nd, Laurentian’s admissions data indicates that International undergraduate applications are showing positive gains, with a year over year increase of +8%. Domestic Graduate applications are up year over year +16%, and International Graduate applications are up +150% year over year. Domestic fully online degree programs overall also continue to show a year over year increase in applications at +22%. Year over year, domestic high school applications remain at -44% behind last year's pre-CCAA levels of applications. Transfer, Mature and Internal applications are improving weekly, however are at -29% behind for the same date year over year.
At this point in the cycle, applicants are starting to confirm their intent to register with Laurentian next fall. The OUAC high school 101 earliest date required to confirm (June 1st) is a little less than a month away. Notably, the percentage of students accepting offers of admission is higher than in 2021 in many applicant categories (mature, online, international, graduate) when compared to the previous year, which means that in these categories, a greater percentage of our applicants are saying “yes” to Laurentian.
The level of interest being expressed in Laurentian reinforces that even through significant challenges, incoming students recognize the exceptional programs and faculty members available to them at Laurentian. This also reinforces the important role of the University within the community. I would like to thank the dedication of our faculty members, our deans, staff and students who continue to support incoming Laurentian students.
Thank you, Miigwech, Merci,
Robert Haché, Ph.D.
President and Vice-Chancellor