I don’t understand why top Canadian universities have such high acceptance rates compared to the U.S.

[Anonymous]

I’m Canadian and can answer this.

We don’t apply to 10-15 colleges like Americans do; we apply to 2-4. All the top universities make clear a year in advance what the score/GPA cutoff is, so only the 95+ average students apply to U of T, for example. Your guidance counsellor would not let you apply or send out your transcript if you don’t meet the score minimum because you’d be wasting everyone’s time and hurting your high school’s reputation. Plus Canadian high schools don’t grade inflate. You add all these factors together, the whole process becomes much less mysterious and stressful, and acceptance rates are higher across the board.

The top universities there are more rigorous and tougher to survive than American ones (I also got a degree at a top10 in the U.S. and have families on both sides of the border), but getting in is much easier for the qualified candidates.

[Anonymous]

I went to a private school (not dc) where the counselors were well aware of the differences in the system. They steered some kids who were great test takers that did well under pressure (weed out tests, etc) but didn’t have many extracurriculars toward Canadian universities.

[Anonymous]

It is really only in the USA where "acceptance rates" are a metric to follow.

Many countries are self selecting, sometimes an application needs the support of the school's administration to proceed.

Its only in the US where you can apply as an individual to every college in existence, whether you're qualified or not.

And yes, it is a money game here.

In the UK it is 28 pounds to apply to 5 universities, the maximum allowed. And that system works pretty well.

[Anonymous]

We have the common app, and it is easy to apply to 20+ schools. Students apply to schools whether they have the stats or not. U Chicago encourages apps from
unqualified students because numerous Americans think a low acceptance rate means a school is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Canadian schools tend to have higher acceptance rates, but lower 4-year graduation rates than US schools. There’s less advising and support generally. Please check me on this.

This is true. They weed out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Canadian schools tend to have higher acceptance rates, but lower 4-year graduation rates than US schools. There’s less advising and support generally. Please check me on this.

Correct. Canadian school grad here. They failed easily 1/3 of their engineering students out the first year.

+1 my friend's son goes to the University of British Columbia and was told at the start of first year that they would fail 30% of the class. And he's not an engineering major. Fortunately, he survived the year but it was hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Canadian colleges don’t look at low acceptance rates as a good thing. Once it gets close to a certain threshold, they increase the seats.

Why is that not the same in the USA? Is there a governing body that requires that? Or is it just cultural

Yes, there's an entire governing body that decided this behind the curtains. But it's corrupt like the governing bodies of India and US (soon) so there you go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because not everyone can apply. They have a GPA cut off just to get your application read. McGill's cut-off is A- so it eliminates all the B students and below applying. Essentially, you start with a much smaller and pre-vetted denominator.

This is the only answer you need. The other things mentioned here may factor into the process for potential US applicants, but the main difference is that there’s far more transparency in the application process, which allows students to not waste their time if they aren’t qualified to make it past the first round. Many super smart kids from our high school use Toronto and McGill in particular as matches because both have the academic stature to qualify as “reaches” but they function more as “matches” thanks to fairly clear criteria for admission to your major of interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Canadian schools tend to have higher acceptance rates, but lower 4-year graduation rates than US schools. There’s less advising and support generally. Please check me on this.

The way it should be! University of Rome, the same. Look, we are learning the brain doesn’t fully develop til 26! Judging the brain at 18 leaves a lot of smarties (late bloomers) out of the mix in US. Good on them

?? I think you have this backward.

[Anonymous]

Canadian schools have app requirements so you don’t apply without meeting them. That weeds out many students who would apply in a US model of trying for ‘reach’ schools.

Also once you’re there, these schools are challenging. Anecdotally, I think more challenging than their American equivalents, so a degree from there has value

[Anonymous]

The other big difference is that Canadian colleges don’t believe it is a main responsibility to house or feed students.

They do provide options for both, but for hosing nothing that comes close to housing even a fairly small percentage of students.

I gather it would be far easier for US schools to expand if it was made abundantly clear that student housing just isn’t their problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The other big difference is that Canadian colleges don’t believe it is a main responsibility to house or feed students.

They do provide options for both, but for hosing nothing that comes close to housing even a fairly small percentage of students.

I gather it would be far easier for US schools to expand if it was made abundantly clear that student housing just isn’t their problem.

It's not even just housing--US universities are like their own towns with medical care, psychological care, activities, police, convenience stores, multiple food outlets in addition to dining halls, major sports teams , multiple concert halls, research facilities, business incubators etc. It's a big part of the US higher education experience, why it costs so much, and why it's been attractive internationally. For better and for worse, in many ways it's an entirely different enterprise than many international colleges and universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Canadian schools tend to have higher acceptance rates, but lower 4-year graduation rates than US schools. There’s less advising and support generally. Please check me on this.

Correct. Canadian school grad here. They failed easily 1/3 of their engineering students out the first year.

+1 my friend's son goes to the University of British Columbia and was told at the start of first year that they would fail 30% of the class. And he's not an engineering major. Fortunately, he survived the year but it was hard.

This sounds brutal, but I see some advantages to this way of doing things. Give students a chance to try and see if they can handle the rigor, but at the same time, don't lower standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The other big difference is that Canadian colleges don’t believe it is a main responsibility to house or feed students.

They do provide options for both, but for hosing nothing that comes close to housing even a fairly small percentage of students.

I gather it would be far easier for US schools to expand if it was made abundantly clear that student housing just isn’t their problem.

It's not even just housing--US universities are like their own towns with medical care, psychological care, activities, police, convenience stores, multiple food outlets in addition to dining halls, major sports teams , multiple concert halls, research facilities, business incubators etc. It's a big part of the US higher education experience, why it costs so much, and why it's been attractive internationally. For better and for worse, in many ways it's an entirely different enterprise than many international colleges and universities.

It coddles budding adults, keeping them as stifled children and isolated from the larger community, before dumping them out, desperate and alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Canadian schools tend to have higher acceptance rates, but lower 4-year graduation rates than US schools. There’s less advising and support generally. Please check me on this.

Correct. Canadian school grad here. They failed easily 1/3 of their engineering students out the first year.

+1 my friend's son goes to the University of British Columbia and was told at the start of first year that they would fail 30% of the class. And he's not an engineering major. Fortunately, he survived the year but it was hard.

Shows how terrible the Canadian high school education and college admissions system is.