After Brock University attracted record enrolment last fall of more than 19,000 full- and part-time students, indicators for this September suggest more Ontario high school graduates than ever are choosing Brock.

The numbers are now in from Monday’s deadline for Ontario secondary school students to accept their university admission offers, and again this year the increase in applicants to Brock exceeds the average growth rate for Ontario universities.

While the provincial average sees an increase of 3.1 per cent in first-year confirmations, Brock has received a 13 per cent increase in high-school applicant confirmations, and a 20 per cent increase overall from this time last year.

The data released this week by the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC), which processes all applications for incoming secondary school students, shows Brock has more than 3,500 high school applicants confirmed for first-year undergraduate studies this fall. Overall, there are more than 4,400 students looking to start their University studies for the first time in September.

In addition, the number of students accepting their letters of admission after selecting Brock as their first choice on the OUAC application (when they’re able to rank their top schools), is up by 14.5 per cent.

“This steady growth in demand for admission to Brock is happening because more and more people — be it students, their families or their guidance counsellors — are becoming aware that we are a national leader among universities our size and we are meeting the needs of students right here in the beautiful Niagara region,” said Brock University President Gervan Fearon.

He said word is getting out about the Brock advantage.

“Our academic excellence is being matched by growing research, scholarly and creative activities that support student education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,” Fearon said.

While some programs are now completely full, there are still some open spaces and the admissions process is ongoing.

Brock is seeing increases in applications across the University, but the biggest surges include Concurrent Education and the Faculty of Mathematics and Science, which are both up significantly. The University’s highly rated co-op education programs also continue to be in demand with another year-over-year increase in admission confirmations.

Continuing its trend of being a university with global appeal that remains rooted in the Niagara community, Brock is seeing another large contingent of high school students from across the region who have accepted their admission offers for the upcoming year.

Around the world, Brock attracts students from more than 100 countries. The number of international students confirming their attendance through the OUAC system is up from last year. Overall international student confirmations are up from 2018-19 by a remarkable 62 per cent, and that number will continue to rise as more students confirm their attendance in the coming weeks.

“Whether students are from Ontario, across Canada or around the world, they know Brock University can offer them a safe, affordable and high-quality post-secondary education experience that provides them with career-ready skills,” said Jamie Mandigo, Vice-Provost for Enrolment Management and International.

Brock set an enrolment record in 2018-19 with more than 19,000 full- and part-time students across its seven Faculties. For more information about enrolling at Brock, contact futurestudent@brocku.ca or visit brocku.ca