Cost & Scholarship

Canada is among the most affordable of the leading destinations for international students; it offers lower tuition than the US, the UK, and Australia.

Given the excellent reputation and high quality of Canadian degrees and credentials, this affordability is exceptional and offers incredible value for money.

There are many scholarships and opportunities for financial assistance available for international students (especially students of top academic standing). Most of these are available at the graduate level, but there are some secondary school and undergraduate entrance scholarships available, particularly through individual institutions.

International students should apply early to ensure they are considered for scholarships.

Approximate yearly cost of full-time tuition in Canada (CAD):

• K-12 (public): $9,500 to $15,000
• Language: $14,740 (based on 44 weeks per year, $335/week average)
• College: $6,500 to $20,000 depending on institution and field of study
• University: $9,000 to $50,000+ depending on level and field of study (Statistics Canada)

The cost of studying in Canada will depend heavily on the program, institution, and level of study. Living costs, insurance, and textbooks should be considered as separate expenses, and are rarely included in tuition.

International students who choose to study at a Canadian college or university will notice that annual cost of studying will depend on their program and institution of choice. The same can be said for international students who choose to study at the K-12 level. Tuition and boarding fees for K-12 private schools in Canada, for example, range from $45,000 to $65,000. The costs for language study are based on an average tuition across 44 weeks of study; however, language course tuition will vary depending on the type of course, the institution, and the number of study weeks.

Scholarships

There are many programs and funding options for international students interested in studying in Canada: particularly international students of high academic standing or, in some cases, qualified students from certain areas or countries for whom scholarships or other financial assistance is in place.

The first place to look for information is the Canadian government’s international scholarships page. This online resource allows students to look up available scholarships based on their country of origin. Increasingly, Canadian provinces and territories are developing their own scholarship and award programs for international students. This is why we also recommend that students and agents visit the Ministry of Education website of their host province and continue to check for updates here.

Beyond these general search sites, most post-secondary institutions will have some sort of funding assistance available to international students, and some secondary schools will as well. Certain institutions and provincial governments may also have in place a reduced tuition rate for students studying in a particular language or in a particular field. It really will be the task of the agent and/or the student to determine if there is a scholarship or funding assistance opportunity available for the program or school under consideration.

There are two main ways of conducting a search to see if the international student may be eligible for a scholarship or other funding:

By institution: In this case, the student narrows down a list of program and institution options, then the agent and/or student searches the school’s website (or contacts the school directly) for suitable funding opportunities.

By available government funding: In this case, the agent/student goes to this Government of Canada site, selects their country of origin, then reviews the list of scholarships for which they are eligible to apply.