As an international student, you might avail full ride scholarships for various programs and academic levels in Canada. The scholarships to study in Canada are generally offered by the universities, external donors, or home country. The university scholarships are merit based and need based and might need separate application at the time of admission. Meritorious students unable to avail the fully funded scholarships might avail partial scholarships.
The amount of funds required to avail Canada student visa are provided in the following table:
Individual Visiting Canada | Fund Required Per Year (CAD) | Fund Equivalent for Indian Students (INR) |
---|---|---|
Student | 10,000 | 60,690 |
First family member | 4,000 | 2.42 lakhs |
Any additional family member accompanying the student | 3,000 | 1.82 lakhs |
The average cost of living in Canada for an international student is around 12,000 CAD per year. For an Indian student, this cost is equivalent to 7.28 lakhs INR per year. This cost includes rent, meals, travel, personal expenses and academic miscellaneous expenses.
The cost of undergraduate programs in Canada ranges from 1,800 to 20,000 CAD (1.09 to 12.14 lakhs INR) per annum. The cost of graduate programs in Canada depends on the university, program type and degree type. In general, you can estimate spending between 15,000 to 20,000 CAD (9.10 to 12.13 lakhs INR) per annum.
The application deadlines for Fall intake in Canada ranges between September of the previous year to July of the year of enrollment. International students are advised to apply to their desired programs at the earliest to increase their chance of getting selected. This is because several universities offer admission on a first-come-first-serve basis.
International students mostly prefer Fall intakes while studying in Canada. The top universities in Canada accept the majority of the students through the Fall intake. This allows the students to acclimatise with the weather of the country before the arrival of winter season. Winter is the second most preferred intake in the country for international students.
In Canada, international students are generally accepted in the Fall, Winter and Spring/Summer. A majority of the international students in Canada are accepted through the Fall intake.
Explore: Intakes in Canada
IELTS is the majorly accepted standardised test score in Canada. International students with an IELTS score of 6.0 to 6.5 are commonly accepted by the top universities in Canada. The universities also alternatively accepts TOEFL iBT scores of 80 or above for admission to the program. Other English proficiency test scores accepted by the top universities in Canada include TOEFL PBT, Duolingo, PTE among others.
International students need a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (83-86%) for admission to the top universities in Canada. Students also get admission across some of the universities in Canada with a lesser GPA but a good GPA makes your application strong.
Students need to demonstrate a 500 word Statement of Purpose, multiple LORs from academic and/or professional supervisors as supporting documents. Some universities might ask for samples or copies of published work/ portfolio. Graduate applicants in Canada need an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with band scores of 6.0.