Study in Canada: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

Canada's university system is public and provincial. Each of the ten provinces and three territories regulates its own institutions, so admission rules, grading conventions and tuition levels vary by province even though the federal government controls the study permit that lets a foreign student enter and stay. Most universities are public and non-profit; genuinely private universities are rare. Degrees follow a British and American hybrid pattern: a bachelor's degree usually takes four years (three years in Quebec after the CEGEP pre-university year), a master's one to two years, and a doctorate four to six years.

Two intakes matter most. Fall, starting in September, is the main intake and carries the widest choice of programs, scholarships and residence spaces. A smaller Winter intake starting in January exists at many universities for a narrower set of programs, and a few schools also run a Spring or Summer intake with limited offerings. International undergraduate applications for the most selective universities and programs close months before the Fall term starts, commonly between November and March of the preceding academic year, while some universities keep applications open on a rolling basis until programs fill.

Tuition for international students is set by each university individually and is several times higher than what domestic students pay. Statistics Canada reported a national average of about CAD 41,746 a year for international undergraduate programs and about CAD 24,028 a year for international graduate programs in 2025/26, with real figures at individual universities ranging from about CAD 30,000 a year at some public universities to more than CAD 70,000 a year for programs such as engineering, computer science or business at the most in demand universities. English is the teaching language outside Quebec and French medium programs; applicants who were not taught in English normally submit IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo scores, and each university sets its own minimum and its own list of exemptions.

A single applicant should budget at least about CAD 23,000 a year for living costs outside tuition, more in expensive cities such as Vancouver or Toronto and less in smaller cities in Atlantic Canada or the Prairies. A study permit lets most students work up to 24 hours a week off campus during term and full time during scheduled breaks, and many graduates of an eligible program qualify for a post graduation work permit lasting up to three years. Scholarships in Canada are mostly awarded by individual universities rather than through one national scheme, so an applicant should check each university's own entrance award rules alongside its admission requirements.