Fewer people are in their first year of college or university in Ontario than at any point in the past 15 years – but that experience isn’t entirely mirrored at local institutions.

According to the Ontario Universities Application Centre, enrolment is down by 2.9 per cent at Ontario universities and 3.5 per cent at community colleges compared to the 2012-13 year.

That trend is affecting admissions at Wilfrid Laurier University, where school officials estimate about a five per cent drop in students accepting offers from the school.

Deborah MacLatchy, the school’s vice-president of academic services, says some arts programs are seeing enrolment drops of 10 to 14 per cent, while business, science, social work, education and other arts programs are holding steady.

The other two post-secondary institutions in Waterloo Region, however, aren’t feeling the same effects.

A University of Waterloo spokesperson tells CTV News the school hit its admissions target for 2014-15, while Conestoga College actually admitted more students than it did in the previous year.

“We’ve experienced good, steady growth,” says Alan Vaughan, Conestoga’s vice-president of enrolment management.

“Students are really starting to see colleges … as a good option for career-focused degrees that lead to jobs.”

Conestoga also saw a 28 per cent increase in enrolment in its degree programs this year, Vaughan says.