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According to a new study, more than 40 per cent of students at universities in the Maritimes leave the province they studied in after graduation.

, which was conducted by the , looked at five universities in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick over a stretch of 15 years. Provincial retention rates, they noted, remained relatively consistent over that period. In 2014, when the most recent data was collected, N.S. retained 54 per cent of its university graduates while N.B. kept 57 per cent and P.E.I. held onto 59 per cent.

N.S.鈥檚 lower retention rate, the study said, is because of the higher proportion of non-Maritimers studying at the province鈥檚 universities -- 36 per cent in 2014, to be exact, compared with 17 per cent in N.B. and 11 per cent in P.E.I.

鈥淲e know from our research that students who come from away are much less likely to stay in the province where they studied after graduation,鈥� Catherine Stewart of the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission told CTV Atlantic.

Eighteen per cent of non-Maritimers, however, could still be found in N.S. two years after graduation, the study noted, while only four per cent remained in N.B. No data was available for P.E.I.

Located in Sydney, N.S., Cape Breton University says that it is above the provincial average when it comes to retaining students.

鈥淭he students that are coming to Cape Breton want to either remain in Cape Breton as students who started their educational journey here,鈥� John Mayich, the university鈥檚 director of student affairs, told CTV Atlantic. 鈥淥r we have many local students who want to remain in the area as well.鈥�

One such student is Lindsay Brown, who is in the fourth year of her nursing studies. Brown told CTV Atlantic that she plans to work as an R.N. in the province after graduation.

鈥淎 lot of my friends are staying here,鈥� she added. 鈥淎 lot of people got final placements sorted out with nursing.鈥�

Like Brown, students who are originally from the Maritimes, the study shows, generally stay close to home after graduation, with N.S. leading the way at 76 per cent, followed by N.B. at 74 per cent and P.E.I. at 66 per cent.

The Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission says its mission is to provide data and information to governments and universities to inform their policy making. Officials from Cape Breton University say that the key to retaining students after graduation is creating quality economic opportunities in the Maritimes.

With files from CTV Atlantic