Engineers Canada released the latest enrolment and degrees awarded data from higher education institutions in Engineers for Tomorrow: Trends in Engineering Enrolment and Degrees Awarded 2016-2020. In 2020, 22 per cent more degrees were awarded in engineering than in 2016.
Efforts to attract more women to engineering continue to succeed as the proportion of self-identified female students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programs, as well as the proportion receiving undergraduate degrees, has reached an all-time high. As of 2020, self-identified females comprised 24.2 per cent of undergraduate students, 27.4 per cent of postgraduate students, and 22.8 per cent of undergraduate engineering degrees awarded. As the profession moves toward Engineers Canada’s 30 by 30 goal – where 30 per cent of newly licensed engineers are women by 2030 – this increasing representation at the undergraduate level is an important indicator of progress.
Meanwhile, international student enrolment remains consistent comprising 17.9 per cent of total undergraduate enrolment.
For the sixth consecutive year, Engineers Canada collected data regarding Indigenous students’ enrolment and degrees awarded. Indigenous people are still greatly underrepresented in engineering education, accounting for only 0.6 per cent of reported undergraduate students. This is around ten times lower than the 4.9 per cent of people in Canada who identify as Indigenous.
The data for this report was provided by Canada’s higher education institutions. Engineers Canada thanks all those who submitted, reviewed, and verified the data.
