2006 Census: Educational Portrait of Canada, 2006 Census: Provincial and territorial highlights

Nova Scotia: Highest proportion of adults with a university degree in Atlantic Canada

One-fifth (20%) of the adult population of Nova Scotia aged 25 to 64 had a university degree in 2006, the highest proportion of all four Atlantic provinces.

About 22% of the province's adult population had a college diploma, while 14% had a certificate in trades, 21% had a high school diploma, and 19% had not completed high school.

Among the Atlantic provinces, Nova Scotia also had the highest proportion (5%) of its postsecondary graduates who studied outside Canada.

Of the Canadian adult population who studied at a university in Nova Scotia, only 57% still resided in the province in 2006. This was the lowest proportion among all provinces or territories that remained in their province or territory of study. About 18% lived in Ontario in 2006, while 6% lived in each of New Brunswick and Alberta. This is in large part due to the fact that a large proportion of university students who study in Nova Scotia come from another province or a territory. According to the data from the Postsecondary Student Information System, 30% of Nova Scotia university students had a permanent residence in another province or in a territory in 2005/2006 – substantially more than the national average of 8%.

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