Higher Education in Canada and the United States

Abstract

Canadian and U.S. higher education share some commonalities, such as historical denominational influence while provincial and state governments played important roles in the development of colleges and universities. Both federal governments supported research, primarily in the sciences, during World War I and II, leading to continued support in the postwar years. Both nations experienced substantial enrollment growth, at different times, growth aided by community colleges, although U.S. enrollments have long been much larger. Student experiences were to some degree similar, including among college women who experienced discrimination while enrolled and as graduates, and that there were constraints on the opportunity to attend college. There are also important differences. College sports, for instance, have been very important in the United States, though not in Canada. Also, the remarkable wealth of several U.S. colleges and universities provides them with some autonomy, though this is far less common among historically black institutions and many other colleges.