Canada is an extremely popular destination for international students for a number of reasons:

• It offers world-class education at a fraction of the cost of the US.
• It provides more flexibility in specialization compared to the UK.
• It has a diverse population and the potential to stay and work after studying.

Here are a few things for you to bear in mind as we go through the guide to applying to university in Canada:

1. As a country, Canada is enormous and home to both city and vast countryside. Many of the universities are very far from each other, although there are some clusters. This means that just because your friend is going to Canada doesn’t mean you’re likely to see them!
2. The cities that many universities are in (e.g. Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto) are widely considered to be some of the most pleasant ‘liveable’ cities in the world.
3. Some Canadian universities are nowhere near cities and can be hard or expensive to travel to and from.
4. Canada can be seen as a hybrid between the flexibility of the US university system, and the specificity of the UK university system.
5. Canada’s university system is not centralised, so the requirements and deadlines will vary from province to province, as well as from university to university.

Provinces of Canada

Alberta is in the ‘prairies’ - like British Columbia, it borders the Rockies and therefore draws hikers and skiiers from all over the world (although this could be said for most of Canada). Similar to British Columbia again, Alberta has both metropolitan cities like Edmonton and Calgary, as well as picturesque natural beauties like Banff and Jasper.

British Columbia has both coastline and mountains, which is a big draw for adventurers. It has both big cities (Van­couver) and quaint old towns (Victoria), as well as a thriving wine region! Manitoba is the polar bear campital of the world, and it’s one of the best places to see the Northern lights. Need we say more?

New Brunswick is very small and very close to the US state of Maine, meaning it has a beautiful coastline and con­nects to the Appalachian Range.

Newfoundland and Labrador is also relatvely small population-wise. It’s known for glaciers and whale-watching, and is another place where it’s possible to see the Northern Lights!

Nova Scotia is small but relatively populous. The province is known for its history, seafood and wildlife (puffins and seals).

Ontario is the most populated province in Canada. It boasts natural beauties such as Niagara Falls, as well as lakes and forests. Prince Edward Island is very small in both size and population. It is known for its seafood and as the setting of the novel Anne of Green Gables!

Quebec is primarily French-speaking and has a French-influenced culture and history. It is the largest province and second largest in terms of population size. Beautiful old architecture can be found in Montreal, and a step back in time to cobbled streets in Old Quebec.

Saskatchewan is landlocked and is known for its rich agricultural industry. The province is known for hunting, fishing and hiking. The campus of Saskatchewan is considered one of the most beautiful in Canada.

Why Study in Canada?

Price Tuition fees at Canadian universities are typically a lot lower than out-of-state fees in the US, for both private colleges and public universities.

Quality

Canada has established itself as a place of academic excellence to rival the more famous US and UK. At the time of writing, 13 Universities from Canada (over 10% of the total number!) are rec­ognised in the world’s top 200 by QS, including 3 that appear in the Top 50. Diverse with Citizenship Opportunities Canada is extremely popular with international students, not only because of the high quality education for a lower price-tag, but also because it is culturally diverse and offers more opportu­nities for students from overseas to stay and work in the country after they have completed their higher education. Being a college student can put you on a fast track to becoming a permanent resident, which can then lead to citizenship.

Not so Test and Transcript-Heavy! The Canadian admissions system can be good for ‘late bloomers’. If your test scores weren’t so hot in grade 9 and 10, but they’ve been getting stronger and stronger in recent years, you can still get into a top university in Canada because more recent grades are typically given more weighting compared to the US admissions process. Canadian universities also place a lot less emphasis on test scores, so while SAT or ACT may sometimes be required, this is the exception rather than the rule.

LGBTQ Friendly

Universities and cities differ, but as a general rule most people agree that Canada is more LGBTQ friendly than the US. Do your research and find the right environment for you if this is important to you.

Natural Beauty Canada is home to some of the natural wonders of the world, such as the Northern Lights (which can be seen in Alberta), Niagara Falls, Lake Superior, not to mention incredible mountains for hiking and skiing.

SPEAK FRENCH? Canada is a bi-lingual country with both English and French as official languages. Through study, you can become a bilingual professional!

Lifestyle

Canada is known the world over for its ‘livable’ cities, as defined by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Calgary and Vancouver, for example (which made the Top 10), both have a relatively low popu­lation density that allows them to offer an abundance of recreational activities without leading to high crime rates or overburdened infra­structure.

Entry Requirements

Every University is Different

In Canada, each university has its own entrance requirements and will assess you on an individual basis. However, gradu­ation from a secondary school and good academic standing are typically the minimum requirements for undergraduate study. Below, we’ll talk about some general trends in Canadian university entry requirements, but because each university has their own method, it’s important to look them up and fully understand them before you apply. High School Transcript/ Diploma/ IB/ A Level etc.

Canadian universities will generally accept international diplomas. In fact, high achievement on the IB Diploma can even translate to university credits. For the IB, most Canadian universities have similar requirements (at least three HL passes out of six passed subjects; a minimum number of diploma points ~28). However, for particular subjects, these requirements may be more stringent, or may have subject-related requirements.

Language Tests

You will need to prove your proficiency in English or French (depending on the language your university operates in. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is a world-recognized language assessment to ensure you have the required English skills to survive in a English-only educational environment. If you’ve had English as your medium of instruction at high school, you can apply for a waiver, which would mean you don’t need to take this test - check with your college coun­sellor if you’re unsure (e.g.: If you recently transferred to an English or French-speaking international school).

Standardized Tests

As a rule of thumb, Canadian universities do not normally require SATs or ACTs, unlike their US counterparts. However, there are some exceptions, notably the University of Toronto. Because Canadian universities (like UK universities) admit students with different academic profiles and grades depending on the course/ program of study, some programs require higher scores in the SAT/ACT than others. The table below will help you figure out which one is the best for you:

SAT	Criteria	ACT
Reading (65 mins) Writing & Language (35 mins) Mathematics 1 (25 mins no calculator Mathematics 2 (55 mins with calculator) Essay (50 mins - optional)	Test sections	English (45 mins) Mathematics (60 mins) Reading (35 mins) Science (35 mins) Writing (40 mins - optional)
3 hours (or 3 hours 50 mins with Essay)	Length	2 hours 55 mins (or 3 hours 35 mins with Writing)
Reading; relevant words in contenxt; numeracy (maths); grammar; writing	Skills tested	Grammar & usage; numeracy (maths); science reasoning; writing
Questions are in context and can be complex	Test method	Questions can be long, but are typically less complex to understand than the SAT
Two sections (math & evidence-based reading and writing) each scored out of 800 to arrive at a compos­ite score out of 1600.	Scoring	Four sections are scored from 1-36. The final ACT score is the average of the 4 sections.
Arithmetic, problem-solving & data analysis, alge­bra, geometry, pre-calculus, trigonometry (formulas provided).	Math focus	Arithmetic, algebra, functions, geometry, trigonometry (no formulas provided).
Mathematics questions increase in difficulty as you progress through a section. Reading questions are chronological, rather than ordered by difficulty. Writing & Language questions are random and not ordered by difficulty.	Difficulty	Mathematics and Science sections increase in difficulty as you progress through the test. English & Reading questions are random and not ordered by difficulty.
None - you only get scores for correct answers (not deductions for incorrect ones)	Guessing penalty	None - you only get scores for correct answers (not deduc­tions for incorrect ones)
March/April; May; June; August; October; November; December	Offered	February; April; June; July; September; October; December