CourseCompare Releases New 2026 Education Data on Resilience Across Canada’s Education Sector Amid Policy and Market Pressures

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As policy limits, funding pressure, and a tech hiring slowdown reshape Canadian education, CourseCompare’s latest analysis highlights the institutional traits associated with strong learner outcomes.

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TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CourseCompare, Canada’s marketplace for education, which served more than three million prospective learners from more than 100 countries in 2025, has released new 2026 education sector data and analysis examining how schools and programs are responding to mounting policy and market pressures across Canada.

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Spanning more than 50 in-demand education categories across universities, colleges, and professional training providers, the 2026 analysis—grounded in learner demand data, employment and graduation outcomes, employer reputation, and verified student feedback, with methodologies tailored by discipline—reflects a sector that has moved beyond short-term disruption into a period of sustained adjustment.

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“For decades, school performance has been judged primarily on research prowess and reputation,” said Robert Furtado, CEO of CourseCompare. “CourseCompare’s work is designed to complement that view with a clearer measure of economic return, grounded in real learner behaviour, employment outcomes, and how quickly institutions adapt to changing needs. In a year marked by financial pressure and labour market shifts, we’re looking beyond reputation alone to highlight institutions delivering results at the program level.”

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A Sector Under Sustained Pressure

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Over the past year, pressures that had been building across the education sector have become harder to ignore, showing up not just in planning documents but in program offerings, staffing decisions, and institutional balance sheets.

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“What changed this year is that the constraints became unmistakable,” said Furtado. “Policy limits on international enrollment are now locked in. Funding pressure is structural. The tech correction is still being absorbed. And uncertainty around AI is no longer speculative—it’s something institutions and learners are actively planning around.”

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In some segments, the pressure has been especially visible. Several large coding bootcamp providers have ceased operations or scaled back offerings following financial shortfalls, reflecting a broader pullback in parts of the tech education market as hiring slowed and employer demand shifted.

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Across the publicly funded system, colleges have implemented significant layoffs and program reductions, with sector reporting—including figures cited by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union—indicating that roughly 10,000 faculty and staff positions are expected to be affected in Ontario alone, alongside hundreds of courses suspended or cancelled due to declining international enrollment and ongoing funding pressures.