New Brunswick is Canada’s sole officially bilingual province, with both francophone and Anglophobe school districts.

The province annually ranks at the top of Canadian statistics on high school graduation rates, and its proximity to both Quebec and the American state of Maine provide exciting opportunities for cultural and educational exchange.

General Education Facts

  • Education in New Brunswick runs from Kindergarten (Year 0) to Grade 12.
  • Individual municipalities are responsible for operating schools within their jurisdictions through local school boards, in either French or English.
  • The provincial education ministry, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, is responsible for provincial curriculum development and management, as well as teacher certification.
  • All schools in New Brunswick must follow the same basic curriculum, regardless of religious, political affiliation or language of instruction, though many schools offer exciting courses and opportunities beyond the core requirements, in both French and English.

Post-Secondary Education Facts

In Canada, there are basically four types of post-secondary educational institution:

  1. Universities, which are empowered to grant all levels of post-secondary degree
  2. University Colleges, which are empowered to grant four-year and two year degrees, as well as technical degrees
  3. Colleges, which are empowered to grant two-year and vocational degrees
  4. Private schools that offer specific religious, vocational, technical or language training.

In Canada, post-secondary education is the responsibility of the provincial and territorial governments, and the provinces administer all funds provided by the Government of Canada for the express purpose of college and university administration.

In New Brunswick, the ministry responsible for managing higher education is the Department of Post Secondary Education, Training and Labour.

The federal government, however, still offers a variety of funding options to individuals and universities for research, student financial aid, and for various scholarships.

New Brunswick Opportunities for Higher Learning

The University of New Brunswick, the oldest English-language university in Canada, has two main campuses: the original 1785 campus in Fredericton and the modern 1964 campus in St. John.  A smaller university, UNB is often compared with Scotland’s famed St. Andrews.

The liberal arts-focused Mount Allison University in quaint Sackville is primarily undergraduate with degrees in a variety of subjects.

The 11-campus New Brunswick Community College system is renowned for excellent vocational and technical programs.

Read More:

Education in Quebec
Education in Ontario
Education in Nova Scotia