Author: Sophia Afolabi, Ted McDonald, Pablo Miah
Year: 2026
Category:
Education and Training
Many students in New Brunswick take part in experiential learning (EL) opportunities during their university studies, including course-based placements, internships, and other hands-on activities. These experiences are intended to help students build job-related skills and connect with local employers. As EL opportunities expand across the province, understanding how they relate to student outcomes has become increasingly important.
This study looks at undergraduate students at New Brunswick’s four public universities between 2015 and 2022. By linking information from EL programs with university records and provincial data, the study compares who participates in EL, how participation differs across programs and institutions, and whether students stay in New Brunswick after graduating. The results show that EL participation varies widely across fields of study and institutions, and that students who take part in EL are somewhat more likely to remain in the province after graduation—especially those who originally came from outside New Brunswick.
The study also finds that retention patterns are strongly shaped by where students lived before starting university. New Brunswick residents tend to stay in the province at much higher rates, regardless of EL participation. Because the findings reflect correlations rather than direct cause-and-effect relationships, more research is needed to understand how different types of EL experiences influence graduates’ decisions about where to live and work.
