Canada

Study in Canada

One of the most sought-after education destinations, Canada is a land of knowledge and progress. Featured in the list of best countries for quality of life, the country of Canada opens its arms to people from around the globe. Canada follows Russia as the second-largest country in the world; but for a country its size, it is sparsely populated. English and French are languages spoken, making the country particularly bilingual.

Why study in Canada?

There are many benefits to studying in Canada – students get to learn from intellectual faculties, interact culturally, and experience world-class education at costs more budget-friendly when compared to UK and USA. Canada was chosen by around 70,000 students as a preferred education destination and globally enjoys the 3rd rank in attracting students from abroad. The number of students being admitted into the Canadian education system has tripled over the decade.

Indian students amount to 34 percent of international students Canada intakes. Despite the higher tuition fees paid by overseas students, the overall living expenditure is lower when compared to countries like the UK, US, and Australia.

Popular cities, provinces, and regions

The country of Canada is comprised of 10 provinces and 3 territories.

The ten provinces of Canada are:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan

The three territories of Canada are:

• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut
• Yukon

The Constitution Act of Canada awards provinces with certain exclusive powers, the Federal Government exercises the remaining. The territories of Canada are delegated powers and responsibilities by the Federal Government.

Five Canadian cities are listed on the QS Ranking best cities in the world for studying abroad, 2019 –

• Montreal
• Toronto
• Vancouver
• Ottawa
• Quebec

The cities mentioned are judged on factors contributing to safety, job opportunities, scholarships offered to international students, transportation, and more.

Climate of Canada

Canada enjoys a diverse climate, much like the diversity it holds. Typically, Canada characterized as a cold country with snow. Summers are not as long as winters, but summer daytime temperatures are recorded at being around 35 degrees. Popular regions of Canada are along the southern periphery of the US border, and experience four seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter. Rainfall is light to moderate.

Vancouver and Victoria enjoy wet and mild winters. The “Chinook” (warm dry wind) carried from the Rocky Mountains mellows and cuts through the snow of southern Alberta.

Education System in Canada  

Globally, Canada enjoys the reputation of being one of the most educated countries in the world. The education system in the country is divided into primary, secondary, and post-secondary or tertiary education. Education provided is public, though, funded by governments at the provincial, territorial and local levels. Provincial influence is seen on education, and the province oversees the curriculum.

Research universities and vocational institutions offer tertiary education in Canada. Study in Canada for Indian students is possible over a wide variety of courses offering degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, professional and doctoral levels. Universities offer students the opportunity to take up courses offering post-graduate certificates and diplomas. Vocational institutions allow students to pursue programs, offering associate degrees, certificates, diplomas, and even apprenticeships.

Home to some of the best universities worldwide, Canada boasts of featuring 30 of its universities in the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2021. Graduates from institutions in Canada enjoy preferential global employment. Academic institutions in Canada provide education that runs shoulder-to-shoulder with their counterparts in the US and other commonwealth countries.

Top Universities & Colleges in Canada

Indian students over the years have pivoted their attention to Canada. Various reasons attribute Canada to being the country of choice – comparatively economical tuition fee, the standard of living, job opportunities, and a healthy environment.

Study in Canada for Indian students comes with the opportunity for them to enroll in diverse courses offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Canadian institutes of education strive to provide their students with eminent research facilities and academics. The country has increased its per-student spending by 3.8 percent. Mentioned are some colleges to consider for study in Canada for Indian students –

• University of Toronto
• McGill University
• University of British Columbia
• University of Alberta
• Université de Montréal

The University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia feature on the list of top 50 universities globally, according to the QS World Ranking.

Popular Colleges of Canada among students

• George Brown College
• Sheridan College
• Seneca College
• Centennial College
• Fanshawe College
• Conestoga College
• Niagara College
• Humber College
• Lambton College
• Lawrence College
• Duoglas College

Top courses

Study abroad in Canada gives students a hard time discerning between courses. Canada offers a variety of courses to choose from, leaving students spoiled for choice. Students in Canada can graduate from universities with bachelor’s, master’s, professional or doctoral degrees. Vocational institutions offer students skillful training as semi-professionals -the courses are career-focused and expose students to practical learning.

Students that have completed their undergraduate studies are eligible for a postgraduate program. Diploma courses at a tertiary level are completed in one to a maximum of two years. Universities master’s program runs for tenure of three years.

An Indian student planning to pursue further education in Canada can choose from a plethora of courses. However, students from India tend to gravitate towards courses in:

• Information technology
• Business Management
• Health Science
• Math, Data Science and Analytics
• Science and engineering
• Media and Journalism
• Practical Nursing
• Pharmacy Technicians

Study in Canada after 12th can be considered by a student pursuing a degree at the undergraduate level. Study in Canada for International students is open to programs at the undergraduate level; these courses run for a duration of three years, undergraduate diploma courses can be as long as six months to a year.

Popular courses among Indian students studying in Canada are-

• Engineering
• Information technology
• Business management
• Pharmacy technician
• Hospitality management

80 plus universities feature in the top 20 of their subjects – QS Top Universities.

A student with an undecided study path can choose to study at both colleges and universities. Universities of Canada give students the option to complete their final academic year with top universities, post completion of a bachelor’s program from a college – preferably a 2-year advance diploma or a 3-year advance diploma. The advantages for a student – reduced tuition fee when compared to a 4-year full-time university fee and the chance to acquire hands-on experience while pursuing their 3-year course at a college.

Career outlook 

Canada is a student-friendly country that offers lenient immigration and post-study work (PGWP) schemes. Study in Canada can be coupled with working on campus. Working on campus is a privilege awarded to full-time students studying at a university, college, or a private institution – operating under the same rule as public institutions. Students can work on campus after the commencement of their course. The campus offers many lucrative avenues for students to earn.

Canada has employment options for students that are willing to work off-campus. A student of an accredited Distance Learning Institution (DLI) is permitted to work 20 hours per week while the course term progresses and full-time on holidays – this opportunity is subjected to criterion.

9 Canadian Institutes are affirmed by Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020 as top universities for graduate employability. Healthcare, banking and commerce, information technology, education, engineering, and the pharmaceutical sectors, show the highest employment potential.

CO-OP Programs

Canada gives students the option to acquaint themselves with Canadian labor markets by offering study programs that include work; these programs are called CO-OP programs.

A student is offered work aligned to their career goals. In most cases, a student is paid for the work they perform. Students can leverage this offering through university workplace partners.

Advantages of this program include –

• Students gain an understanding of which career suits them best
• Gain experience in their area of study while making money
• Familiarizing oneself with the job market in Canada
• Developing contacts

Cost of Studying

Of the many reasons students choose to study in Canada, cost takes second precedence. Tuition fee contributes largely to the education cost, which, however, is more economical when compared to the US, UK, and Australia. Course fees are subjected to change with the choice of university and are affected by the degree intended. Course fees average between CAD 13,000 to CAD 35,000 per year, tuition expenses for an MBA program could average between CAD 22,000 – 40,000.

Cost to study in Canada for Indian students in INR

 

Undergraduate program	CAD 13,000 – CAD 20,000	Approx INR 7,51,000 – INR 11,57,000
Postgraduate degree	CAD 17,000 – CAD 25,000	Approx INR 9,83,000 – INR 14,45,000
Doctoral degree	CAD 7,000 – CAD 15,000	Approx INR 4,05,000 – INR 8,67,000
MBA	CAD 22,000 – CAD 40,000	Approx INR 12,71,000 – INR 23,12,000

Note: The prices and exchange rates may vary in future

Study in Canada for Indian students entails costs other than the course fee. While budgeting for study in Canada, a student must account for living expenses like emergencies, social activities, food, and other expenses. Expenses other than tuition fees can be supported by taking up part-time opportunities, but it should not be the only source for support. Meritorious students can also avail themselves of scholarships offered.

Scholarships 

Scholarships to study in Canada provide Indian students with the opportunity to fund their education. The criterion to be eligible for a scholarship in most cases depends on the merit of the student. Scholarships also vary with institutes applied for, courses, and destinations. Study in Canada from India with scholarships, in some cases, are attributed to the student’s participation in volunteering, extracurricular activities, and sports.

Security and Living

Canada wears the badge of being 6th on the Global Peace Index – making it a preferred destination for Study in Canada as an Indian student. Campuses in Canada are under the watch of vigilant security forces at all times.

Overseas students planning to pursue education in Canada should do comprehensive research on the health care system in their province of study.  The health care system in Canada varies across provinces. Some provinces cover students under their provincial insurance health covers, but that is not necessarily the case with the majority of provinces. While studying in Canada, students can opt for insurance packages offered to international students by their educational institutions – this could be a mandatory offering in some universities; other universities allow students with private health insurance.

Visa Application

An Indian student would receive their study permit on arrival in Canada. To make it into the country, a student is required to apply for a study permit. Study permits are issued by the Canadian High Commission and are made possible by Visa Application Centers. Canada follows a streamlined visa application process, which is fairly less tedious than applying for visas in the UK and US. The visa process with Canada does not mandate an interview, a student can write a letter of intent sighting reasons to study in Canada.

The Student Direct Stream (SDS) allows eligible Indian students to fast-track their study permit – the time taken to process SDS application could be 40 days but can vary by case.

A student should produce their passport and other documents to the Border Control Agency; a study permit is issued after the said documents are checked and verified.  Eligibility for a student visa would require an offer to study with a Designated Learning Institute (DLI), sufficient finances to meet tuition and living expenses, a criminal-free background, and proof of good health as a comprehensive health checkup, and a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC)

Facts –

• Jaques Cartier, a French explorer, was invited by natives into their ‘kanata’ (‘village’). Jaques Carteir, mistook the name of the country be as Canada or ‘Kanata’.
• The world’s smallest jail measuring only 24.3 sq meters, in Ontario.
• The Hotel de Glace in Quebec is built every winter using 400 tons of ice and 12 000 tons of snow. The hotel melts away and is rebuilt the following winter.
• Canada is the second-largest country in the world and measures 9.984 million square kilometers.
• More than half of the total population of Canada has earned educational degrees after high school.
• Canada has the longest coastline in the world.
• Approximately 90% of the land in Canada is uninhabited.
• Canada is one of the happiest countries in the world.
• St Paul, Alberta, is the world’s first UFO landing pad.
• The maple leaf is the symbol of Canada