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Access to postsecondary education by traditionally under-represented groups is recognized as a priority by the federal government as well as provincial and territorial governments across the country. Canadian colleges and institutes have a pivotal role in postsecondary systems in this country given their extensive reach across rural and urban regions and the diverse client groups served through a wide range of programs that include basic literacy, high school equivalency, career and technical diplomas/ certificates, and baccalaureate and applied degrees. In recent years, the Association of Canadian Community Colleges has profiled the types of programs and services that colleges and institutes are offering, specifically for students from the under-represented groups examined in this report - Aboriginal, visible minority and immigrant students, and students with disabilities. This report adds depth to these efforts by highlighting the perspectives provided directly by learners within these under-represented groups, as respondents to the two surveys conducted in 2005 as part of the Pan-Canadian Study of First Year College Students: the Survey of Student Characteristics (College Entry Survey) and the Survey of Student Experiences (End of Term Survey). The results presented in this report confirm that colleges and institutes have significant proportions of students from each of these four groups. Results pertaining to these four groups are presented separately, rather than comparing them to each other, in recognition of the fact that students from each of these groups come from different life experiences that impact upon the educational pathways they choose and their experiences at colleges and institutes. As a result, college and institute administrators and staff who are responsible for programs and services for students from these four groups can easily consult the specific profiles and make use of the data for each group as required.

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