Canada is a very attractive destination for students throughout the world. Canada welcomes immigrants with open arms. Thus, those who complete their education can decide upon staying back and complete the immigration process to enjoy the best life in the world! As a country of immigrants, Canada places a high-demand on multicultural diversity.
Canada is a bilingual country with two official languages - English and French. Most of the French-speaking inhabitants live in Quebec. However, almost all non-Quebec based universities offer education instruction in English only.
Once students complete elementary school which is up to 8thstandard, they would take up High school education comprising of classes 9thto 12th. There are more than 150 post-secondary institutions that offer a variety of programs i.e. Certificate, Diploma and Bachelor's. These institutions are known as Community colleges, Technical Institute, University College and ce`gep. All these colleges are members of the Association of Canadian Community colleges.
Undergraduate programs are of 4 years, except in Ontario, where there is three-year Bachelor degrees and three-year Master's degrees. In the other parts of Canada, post-graduate programs (Master's) are of two years duration
Admission requirements differ from one university to another. However, as a general rule, Canadian institutions prefer applicants with very good academic background and required scores in TOEFL or IELTS for admission.
September and ends in May. Some universities that run on the semester system conducts courses even in the summer, and have intake in January (winter). June to August is the period of vacation.
Canadian institutes / universities accept TOEFL or IELTS scores as proof of English proficiency. Depending upon the institution, the score requirements may differ - between 213-250 for TOEFL and 5.5 -7.5 bands in IELTS.
For Master's level admission GRE is required, and some universities and programs may need a good score in the Subject Test also. However, for MBA admission, good score in GMAT is necessary, in addition to academic performance, other tests' scores and requirements as prescribed by the B schools individually.
The average cost for a international student for one school year (8 months) in an Arts & Science program is Canadian $ 11,903.
Students have a number of options available that can be on-campus or off-campus such as home stay hostels, rented housing etc.
Cost of living in Canada would be between Can. $ 10,000-12,000, depending upon the location of their residence.
Full-time students registered in a degree or diploma-granting course are allowed to work on the campus of the institution at which they are registered without the need for an employment authorisation. This includes on-campus employment for graduate, teaching or research assistants. Spouses of full-time students are eligible for open or open/restricted employment authorisation, depending on medical requirements having been met. Students whose intended employment forms an integral part of their course of study such as undergraduate co-op programs, some programs offered by career colleges or language schools and some high school programs.