Figures may not add to total due to random rounding.

^a A CEGEP is a post-secondary education institution exclusive to the province of Quebec. CEGEP is a French acronym for Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, meaning "College of General and Vocational Education". Students in Quebec who want to continue to post-secondary education must attend a CEGEP prior to enrolling in a Quebec university.

Highest Level of Schooling

Highest Level of Schooling refers to the highest grade or year of elementary or secondary (high) school attended, or to the highest year of university or college education completed. University education is considered to be a higher level of schooling than college education. Also, the attainment of a degree, certificate or diploma is considered to be at a higher level than years completed or attended without an educational qualification.

With High School Certificate Only

Includes persons who have graduated from a secondary school or equivalent. Excludes persons with a post secondary certificate, diploma or degree. Examples of post secondary institutions include community colleges, institutes of technology, CEGEPs, private trade schools, private business colleges, schools of nursing and universities.

College, CEGEP or Other Non-University Certificate or Diploma

Replaces the category 'Other non university certificate or diploma' in previous censuses. This category includes accreditation by non degree-granting institutions such as community colleges, CEGEPs, private business colleges and technical institutes.

Total (Highest Certificate, Diploma or Degree)

Refers to the highest certificate, diploma or degree completed based on a hierarchy which is generally related to the amount of time spent 'in-class'. For post secondary completers, a university education is considered to be a higher level of schooling than a college education, while a college education is considered to be a higher level of education than in the trades. Although some trades requirements may take as long or longer to complete than a given college or university program, the majority of time is spent in on-the-job paid training and less time is spent in the classroom.

Highest Certificate, Diploma or Degree

This is a derived variable obtained from the educational qualifications questions, which asked for all certificates, diplomas and degrees to be reported. There is an implied hierarchy in this variable (secondary school graduation, registered apprenticeship and trades, college, university) which is loosely tied to the 'in-class' duration of the various types of education. However, at the detailed level a registered apprenticeship graduate may not have completed a secondary school certificate or diploma, nor does an individual with a master's degree necessarily have a certificate or diploma above the bachelor's degree level. Therefore, although the sequence is more or less hierarchical, it is a general rather than an absolute gradient measure of academic achievement.

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