Research summary - Immediate impacts of COVID-19 on post-secondary students

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Why this study

This research looks at how college and university students saw their schooling, finances, and work affected in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What we did

This research used data from a crowdsourcing data collection completed by over 100,000 postsecondary students from April 19 to May 1, 2020. The data has information on sex, age, province, people they lived with, level of education, and field of study.

What we found

• Students in Ontario were the most affected by the pandemic. Students in Quebec were the least affected
• Students who lived with their parents were the least affected financially
• Young students (age 15 to 24) were the most affected in terms of their academic and professional lives. Older students (age 25 to 34) were more affected financially. These same students were more worried about finding a job in the future
• More college students said they were unable to complete some or all of their courses. More university students reported that their courses had been moved online because of the pandemic. More PhD students said they were not able to complete their studies
• More health and law students had their courses affected by the pandemic and were worried about their finances. However, these students were not as worried about losing their job or not being able to get a job

What it means

This research is important as findings can help the Government of Canada develop programs to help students continue and complete their studies.

Contact us

Learning Branch, Learning Policy & Services Directorate, Planning, Policy and Partnerships Division

Email: esdc.nc.sspb.research-recherche.dgpss.cn.edsc@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca