Overview

Colleges, universities and other partners in the postsecondary education system regularly collect and report information about student enrolment to the Ontario government. These institutions, and the government, use this information to plan and provide postsecondary education to you and your fellow students.

Information collected

Information collected and shared with the government includes your Ontario Education Number and your:

  • choice of program and student number
  • the credential you are pursuing, for example, a diploma, a degree, a certificate, or a graduate degree
  • personal information including legal name, preferred name, gender and date of birth
  • language spoken, stage of study, studying full or part-time, home address
  • citizenship

Ontario Education Number

The government gives each student in Ontario’s elementary/secondary education system a unique number called the Ontario Education Number (OEN). Colleges and universities use the OEN to track enrolment and to report it to the Ontario government. Since the number is randomly assigned, personal information about the student cannot be inferred from it. In addition, access to the data in the OEN Registry system is strictly limited to authorized users and is maintained by the Ministry of Education.

A student does not need to know their OEN to receive service from postsecondary institutions, or the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. Providing the OEN is not a requirement for the purposes of completing a Student Financial Aid application (that is, OSAP).

If a student would like to know their OEN, they are asked to contact their institution directly.

If you are from outside Ontario, an international or mature student, the postsecondary institution will give you a number. No fees will or should be charged by your institution for assigning you/and or maintaining your OEN.

Note that the Ministry of Education maintains accountability of a central OEN Registry that permits authorized users to validate and request assignment of a student’s OEN.

The OEN Registry does not contain information on a student’s academic performance.

Restrictions on collection, use and disclosure of the Ontario Education Number

It is an offence to collect, use, disclose or require the production of another person’s OEN except as permitted by section 16 of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act,or Education Act or otherwise by law.

In addition, personal information indirectly collected by the ministry is protected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

How personal information is used

Ontario uses your  Ontario Education Number (OEN) and other personal information to confirm that enrolment information is accurate.

Personal information is used only when necessary. Most often, information that can identify you is removed before data is used for statistical analysis.

Colleges and universities may share a student’s personal information with the ministry as permitted or required by law.

When the ministry indirectly collects this personal information from colleges and universities, the student’s information and privacy is protected under FIPPA . The ministry limits access to personal information to only authorized users.

How enrolment information is used

‘De-personalized’ data may be shared within the Government of Ontario and other governments, colleges or universities, and academic researchers such as the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario .

Ontario uses information from enrolment reports to confirm funding to colleges and universities, including grants to institutions and students. The information also helps Ontario plan for the future.

Your college or university uses these enrolment reports to plan for the programs and services you need on campus.

Researchers analyze the statistics to identify trends so that future students will have a quality education.

How statistics help

Your information, combined with data from other students, helps Ontario understand how students:

  • access financial aid
  • transition to postsecondary education, training and the workforce from secondary school
  • progress through and move around the postsecondary system
  • succeed in their studies and join the workforce

In turn, this helps Ontario identify trends and barriers that make it difficult for students to:

  • go to a college or university
  • complete their studies
  • transition to work or to further education or training

Statistics also help Ontario:

  • plan for a more affordable and accessible postsecondary system
  • study the quality and effectiveness of your education

The Notice of Indirect Collection of enrolment data gives details and information on the legal basis for the ministry’s collection of enrolment data from colleges, universities and other partners in the postsecondary education system.

Notice of Indirect Collection of enrolment data

April 2025

The Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (the “ministry” or “MCURES”) collects enrolment data on Ontario’s students, including personal information, from colleges, universities and other partners in the postsecondary education system.

In particular, the ministry requires publicly assisted Colleges of applied arts and technology (hereafter referred to as “colleges”) and Universities and university-level institutions (hereafter referred to as “universities”) to provide regular enrolment reports to the ministry.

Institutions federated or affiliated with colleges or universities may report their enrolments in funded programs as part of the reports of their parent institutions.

One of the major sources of data provided to the ministry by publicly assisted colleges and universities is regular reporting on student-level enrolment-related data on students attending postsecondary education in Ontario.

Colleges, universities and postsecondary partners such as the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) and the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) directly collect student enrolment information for their own purposes and are the official sources of such information.

Enrolment data is provided to the ministry by colleges, universities and postsecondary partners instead of directly from individuals and as such is called an “indirect” collection of information. OCAS and OUAC may also share aggregated information with the ministry concerning postsecondary application data.

Collection of personal information in enrolment reporting

The ministry collects enrolment data at the student level from Ontario colleges and universities at predetermined points in time during the academic year through the ministry’s Postsecondary Financial Information System – Enrolment Data Collection system.

Enrolment reports provided to the ministry by each college and university contain data elements which contain personal information as defined in the Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O 1990, c. F. 31((FIPPA). Personal information provided to the ministry, which includes an Ontario Education Number (OEN) for postsecondary students, is protected by the ministry in compliance with FIPPA.

The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O 1990, c. M. 19 (the “Act”), provides authority to the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (the “Minister”) to directly or indirectly collect and use personal information for specific purposes as stated in subsection 15(1) of the Act.

The ministry collects data on student enrolment and characteristics from colleges and the credentials students are pursuing (for example, diplomas, degrees, certificates, graduate degrees) such as:

  1. Ontario Education Numbers and institutional student identification numbers
  2. student biographical data (for example, , legal names, gender and date of birth)
  3. programs in which students are enrolled ( for example,  Arts and Science, Engineering, Health)
  4. information on educational outcomes, such as year of study and graduation and enrolments between institutions
  5. types of students enrolled in Ontario’s postsecondary institutions ( for example,  Canadian citizens, international students)
  6. data on student characteristics, such as gender, date of birth, language spoken, permanent residence, stage of current study, and full or part-time status
  7. other data that might be required from time-to-time to administer postsecondary policies and programs

The required enrolment reporting from universities is defined in the Ontario Operating Funds Distribution Manual and the required data elements are defined in the PFIS-University and Statistical Enrolment Reporting (PFIS-USER) Guidelines Manual, as amended from time-to-time.

The required enrolment reporting from colleges is defined in the College Enrolment and Graduate Operating Procedure and the PFIS-College Statistical and Enrolment Reporting and Audit Guidelines (PFIS-CSER) Guidelines, as amended from time-to-time.

The ministry requires that enrolment reports be audited annually and reserves the right to verify any information provided by an institution.

To obtain a copy of these policies or guidelines, contact:

Director, Financial Policy Branch 
Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security 
315 Front Street West, 16th floor
Toronto ON, M7A 0B8
Telephone Number: 1-800-387-5514
Email: FPB@ontario.ca

How the ministry uses the information it collects

The Government of Ontario provides grants to universities and colleges to assist in the provision of publicly assisted postsecondary education in Ontario. These grants, which are based primarily on enrolment data, when combined with student tuition contributions, are a major source of the funding used by colleges and universities to meet the cost of providing postsecondary programs, such as the costs of instruction and research, academic support services, libraries and administration. In addition, grants are provided to support a variety of government policy and program objectives.

The ministry requires the reporting of enrolment and graduation data to ensure the proper administration of the publicly assisted postsecondary education system in Ontario. Regular reports on enrolment are needed to administer government postsecondary funding, programs and policies, including planning, evaluation and monitoring activities.

Enrolment data is used to determine eligibility for grants provided to postsecondary institutions and/or students. Enrolment data reports support the determination by the ministry of the level, duration and eligibility for government funding and the total capacity of each institution to meet provincial enrolment demand.

The regular reports on enrolment and graduation that the ministry collects from colleges and universities are used for the purposes set out in s.15(1) of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act such as: ensuring the proper administration of and compliance with legislation in the scope of its responsibilities; planning, allocating and administering public funding to colleges, universities and other postsecondary educational and training institutions; planning or delivering postsecondary educational or training related programs or services, allocating resources to them, evaluating or monitoring them and detecting and preventing fraud and unauthorised receipt of services; monitoring and evaluating the quality, outcomes and delivery of postsecondary programs and services; implementing risk management, error management and activities to improve the quality of the programs and services; and planning and conducting research and analysis, including longitudinal studies and statistical activities, conducted by or on behalf of the ministry for purposes that relate to postsecondary education and training.

How the ministry discloses personal information it collects

The Minister has authority to disclose personal information when permitted or required by law pursuant to clause (e) of subsection 42(1) of FIPPA:

  • The Minister and the Minister of Education may disclose to and indirectly collect personal information from each other for the purposes of validating Ontario Education Numbers.
  • The Minister and the Minister of Education and other ministers that may be prescribed by regulation under the Act may disclose to and indirectly collect personal information from each other for the purpose of conducting research and analysis including longitudinal studies and statistical activities relating to limited and prescribed postsecondary education and training matters.
  • The Minister and the Minister of Education and the Government of Canada may disclose to and indirectly collect personal information from each other for the purposes of monitoring and evaluating the quality and outcomes and delivery of postsecondary education and training programs and services that are funded directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by both the Government of Canada and the ministry to ensure accountability in the use of public funds and support for the continued allocation of funding for the programs and services.
  • The ministry may disclose student-level enrolment and graduation related data it collects from the colleges and universities as required by Statistics Canada in accordance with the federal Statistics Act. Ontario’s universities have chosen to meet their required reporting requirements to Statistics Canada’s Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) through centralized reporting to MCURES. MCURES collects data elements it requires for its purposes using consistent data definitions with PSIS, wherever possible.
  • The ministry may disclose personal information to a member of a multi-sector data integration unit pursuant to Part III.1 of FIPPA.

Additionally, the Minister may disclose personal information where the person to whom the information relates has identified that information in particular and consented to its disclosure pursuant to clause (b) of subsection 42(1) of FIPPA.

  • Students who have applied to an Ontario university through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre  have given their written consent to allow the ministry, universities and OUAC to exchange the personal information provided on the application and registration information.
  • Students who have applied to an Ontario college through the Ontario College Application Service have given their written consent to allow the ministry, colleges and OCAS to exchange the personal information provided on the application and registration information.

The Minister will not collect, use or disclose more personal information than is reasonably necessary to meet the purpose of the collection. Additionally, the Minister will take steps to ensure personal information is protected from unnecessary disclosure, for example by entering into a data sharing agreement with recipients.

The ministry may conclude a data sharing agreement with external researchers to support its funding, planning and research activities. Data would normally be shared in a depersonalized format. The process by which such personal information would be transferred, anonymized, and eventually destroyed would be set out in the data sharing agreement with external researchers.

Legal basis to collect enrolment reports and personal information

Enrolment reports to the ministry are collected under the authority of the Act and the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Act, 2002.

Subsection 15(1) of the Act provides authority to the Minister to directly or indirectly collect and use personal information for specific purposes.

15 (1) The Minister may collect personal information, directly or indirectly, for purposes related to the following matters, and may use it for those purposes:

  1. Administering this Act and the regulations, and such other Acts and regulations as are assigned to him or her by the provisions of the acts or regulations or by the Lieutenant Governor in Council under the Executive Council Act, and implementing directives made under such legislation.
  2. Ensuring compliance with the acts identified in paragraph 1 and the regulations and directives made under such Acts.
  3. Planning for, allocating and administering funding to colleges, universities and other postsecondary educational and training institutions and detecting, monitoring and preventing any unauthorized receipt of or use of the funding.
  4. Planning for, allocating and administering funding to persons or entities for the purpose of administering or delivering employment programs or services and detecting, monitoring and preventing any unauthorized receipt of or use of the funding.
  5. Planning or delivering postsecondary educational, employment or training related programs or services that the ministry provides or funds, in whole or in part, allocating resources to any of them, evaluating or monitoring any of them or detecting, monitoring and preventing fraud and any unauthorized receipts of services or benefits related to such funding.
  6. Monitoring and evaluating the quality, outcomes and delivery of postsecondary programs and services provided by colleges, universities and other postsecondary educational and training institutions to their students to ensure accountability for the use of public funds and support for the continued efficient allocation of funding to such institutions.
  7. Implementing risk management, error management or activities to improve or maintain the quality of the programs and services that the ministry provides or funds, in whole or in part.
  8. Conducting research and analysis, including longitudinal studies, and statistical activities conducted by or on behalf of the ministry for purposes that relate to postsecondary education and training, including:
    1. understanding the transition of students from secondary school to postsecondary education and training
    2. understanding student participation and progress, mobility and learning and employment outcomes
    3. understanding linkages among universities, colleges, secondary schools and other educational and training institutions prescribed by regulation
    4. understanding trends in postsecondary education or training program choices made by students
    5. understanding sources and patterns of student financial resources, including financial assistance and supports provided by government and postsecondary educational and training institutions
    6. planning to enhance the affordability and accessibility of postsecondary education and training and the quality and effectiveness of the postsecondary sector
    7. identifying conditions or barriers that inhibit student participation, progress, completion and transition to employment or future postsecondary educational or training opportunities
    8. developing key performance indicators
  9. Conducting research and analysis, including longitudinal studies, and statistical activities related to the administration and delivery of employment programs and services funded by the ministry.

Pursuant to paragraph 6 of subsection 15(6) of the Act the Minister may require the Ontario College Application Service and the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre to disclose such personal information as is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in subsection 15(1) of the Act.

Legal basis to collect, use and disclose Ontario Education Numbers and associated personal information

Section 16 of the Act and sections 266.1 to 266.5 of the Education Act concerns the assignment, collection, use and disclosure of personal information related to the OEN.

The Act provides that colleges and universities or other postsecondary educational and training institutions prescribed by regulation made under The Act may collect, use, disclose or require the production of a person’s OEN for purposes related to the provision of postsecondary education and training to that person (subsection 16(6)).

The Act also provides that the Minister, colleges and universities may collect, use, disclose or require the production of the OEN for purposes related to postsecondary educational and training administration, funding, planning or research and for purposes related to the provision of financial assistance associated with the person’s postsecondary education and training (subsection 16(7)).

The Act also provides authority to the Minister to collect personal information, directly or indirectly, and to use and disclose personal information, for the purposes of assigning OENs and validating and updating the numbers and the personal information associated with them (subsection 16(2)). Colleges and universities have the same authority by virtue of being prescribed entities under subsection 266.2(2) and (3) of the Education Act.

All colleges of applied arts and technology, and all publicly assisted universities, as well as the federated and affiliated colleges and universities of those institutions have the authority under subsection 266.3(2) of the Education Act  to collect, use, disclose or require the production of a person’s OEN for purposes related to the provision of educational services.

It is an offence to collect, use, disclose or require the production of another person’s OEN except as permitted by section 16 of the Act, by the Education Act or otherwise by law.

Privacy and security of personal information

MCURES is committed to protecting privacy generally and specifically in relation to personal information included in the enrolment data collected from each college and university and from postsecondary partners like OUAC and OCAS.

Under the Act , the Minister will not collect or use personal information if other information will serve the purpose of the collection or use, or collect or use more personal information than is reasonably necessary to meet the purpose of the collection or use.

With regard to the personal information it collects, the ministry is bound by privacy protection rules under FIPPA  and takes all necessary steps including depersonalization of data for analysis and adoption of physical, technical and administrative safeguards for protection of personal information.

Personal information in the enrolment reports is collected by and reported to the Financial Policy Branch of the ministry.

Enrolment data included in the secure enrolment system is accessed only by authorized ministry officials in order to carry out their administrative responsibilities. Only a restricted number of authorized ministry officials have access to the personal information in the enrolment reports from each university or college.

MCURES retains electronic version(s) of current and historical enrolment and graduation data in accordance with the Government of Ontario’s records retention policy and maintains administrative, technical and physical safeguards in an effort to protect against unauthorized access, use, modification and disclosure of personal information.

The ministry requires reported data to contain student identification numbers, a correct and valid OEN, and other limited personal identifiers to ensure the accuracy of the student-level information and records to allow the ministry to verify that information.

The ministry has a ministry-wide data warehouse to store, use and report on data from a number of sources, including data from the enrolment collection systems.

The enrolment data which is collected goes through a depersonalization process which removes specific identifiers and sensitive fields that could lead to the identification of an individual, and then reported to the ministry data warehouse to be used for statistical or other analysis to support government policy development, program evaluation and to support its funding and planning activities for the postsecondary sector.

Depersonalized, anonymized student-level information may be shared with other Ontario government ministries and agencies and with universities and colleges of applied arts and technology, Ontario school boards, postsecondary stakeholder associations, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario and academic researchers.

The ministry retains enrolment data in a secure environment. Data may be shared within MCURES, with other ministries of the Ontario Government, other orders of government, postsecondary institutions and external researchers, normally in a depersonalized format. This means that the data are depersonalized to remove identifiers and all of the sensitive fields that could lead to the identification of an individual prior to being used for statistical or other analysis to support government policy development, program evaluation and to support its funding and planning activities for the postsecondary sector.

MCURES stores electronic records off-site as part of its disaster recovery procedures.

Contact information:

Director, Financial Policy Branch
Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security
315 Front Street West, 16th Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 0B8
Telephone number: 1-800-387-5514
Email: FPB@ontario.ca