Table — Academic and employment statistics for three Canadian universities

The table compares three Canadian universities across six academic and employment measures.

Overall, the largest institution performs worst on both teaching intensity and graduate outcomes, whereas the smallest offers the closest academic support. Maple University combines a substantial student body with the strongest employment outcomes of the three.

In terms of size, Northgate is the biggest by some distance, with 41,600 students, followed by Maple with 28,400 and Riverside with only 12,900. Their student populations differ in character as well. Riverside is much the most international, with 31% of its students coming from abroad, nearly three times the 11% recorded at Northgate. Maple, meanwhile, has the highest proportion studying full time, at 86%, compared with just 64% at Riverside.

The remaining measures reveal a clear trade-off with size. Riverside's staff-to-student ratio of one to nine is the most generous, while Northgate's one to twenty-one is the least favourable. Employment results follow the same order as teaching quality only partly: 91% of Maple graduates find work within six months and they command the highest average starting salary, at $58,200, whereas Northgate records both the lowest employment rate, 76%, and the lowest starting pay, $47,900.