Students from poorer families are less likely to enrol in university than children of wealthy families because of different parental expectations and weaker grades, suggests a new study released Thursday by Statistics Canada.

The perception that students from lower-income families can't afford university costs may be overstated, suggests Marc Frenette, a Statistics Canada researcher.

"Differences in long-term factors such as standardized test scores in reading obtained at age 15, school marks reported at age 15, parental influences, and high-school quality account for 84 per cent of the gap," Frenette said in his report titled, Why are youth from lower-income families less likely to attend university? "In contrast, only 12 per cent of the gap is related to financial constraints."

In 2003, fewer than one-third of 19-year-olds from low-income families attended university. By comparison, one-half of young people in the same age bracket from high-income families enrolled in university, the report found.

The study, which used data gathered in Statistics Canada's Youth in Transition Survey, found that young people from disadvantaged families on average had flagging standardized test results and lower overall school marks at age 15.

Higher-income families spend more on books, educational tools

Frenette says these issues may in fact be income related as higher-earning families are more able to spend on educational resources including books and museums. 

"These actions may result in higher performance on standardized and scholastic tests, and thus, in a higher probability of attending university in the future," the study says.

The attendance gap is also in part related to parental expectations and pressures, Frenette suggests. Those with at least one parent who attended university are more likely to follow their parent's example than those whose parents had no post-secondary schooling.

"[Students] whose parents expect them to complete a university degree enjoy a 12- to 16-percentage point advantage in university participation over other students," Frenette says.

The study notes that while financial constraints do not appear to be a large deterrent to youth from low-income families, this may or may not be related to current financial aid programs.

"[Even] if credit constraints could be 'ruled out,' it is important to note that this would be conditional on the existing financial aid system. Removing that system may [or may not] introduce credit constraints," Frenette says.

The study was released a day after thousands of college and university students rallied across Canada, demanding lower tuition fees and more education funding. More than 80 student unions participated in the protest with campus rallies and marches on provincial legislatures.

Tuition fees range widely across the country, with Nova Scotia having the highest fees of any province. A 2006 Statistics Canada study found that undergraduate tuition fees are outpacing the inflation rate, with students paying an average of $4,347 in tuition fees, up from $4,211 last year.