SAIT Polytechnic

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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Join us at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)

Overview
Finances
Eligibility
Department and Faculty

Overview

About SAIT Polytechnic

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is an education provider based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. SAIT was established in 1916 and is a leading institute in applied education that is home to international students from over 97 countries.

SAIT offers students various study options to choose from across its eight academic schools that cover areas including hospitality; business; information and communications technologies; energy; construction; health and public safety; tourism; manufacturing; and automation and transportation.

SAIT students excel with hands-on learning through its unique labs and classrooms, benefit from its collaborations with industry partners, and learn from solution-focused research.

It also offers more than 100 career programs, over 1,300 continuing education courses and training courses to over 200 companies year on year.

SAIT prepares career- ready students on graduation and it enjoys a 90 percent graduate employment rate, within nine months of course completion. 95 percent of SAIT graduates recommend the SAIT experience to other students and 97 percent were found to be satisfied with their program quality.

Graduate outcomes

At SAIT, action-focused learning, cutting-edge research and innovative collaboration with leading industry partners means that its students are ready to thrive in a graduate environment once they have completed their studies. The school’s reputation for excellence and prominence as one of Canada’s leading polytechnics means that its graduating students enjoy an employment rate of 87% percent when they leave the institution. In addition to this, is a recommendation rate of over 97 percent from SAIT students, which together make it one of the leading places for enterprising international students to learn.

While global employment markets appear increasingly competitive and fluid, it is clear that a diploma or certificate from SAIT can make a huge difference to a student’s graduate prospects. An individual’s commitment to world-class learning and readiness to challenge themselves is the perfect partner to the practical experience and networking opportunities that SAIT can provide.

In addition to this, SAIT is a fantastic employer, having been recognized among Alberta’s Top 80 Employers in 2024 and consistently ranked within the Top 75 in 2022 and 2023. SAIT offers excellent academic and learning benefits to its many staff.

What's new

Rankings

SAIT excels across several key areas. Currently SAIT is the only post-secondary institution in Canada that ranked on both the QS rankings and CEO World Magazine. Impressively, the School of Hospitality and Tourism is ranked 21^st by the CEO World Magazine, and 29^th by QS rankings.

Developments

SAIT has been the recipient of a hugely generous legacy grant from the O’Dell estate, who have been working in partnership with the institution to create The Randy O’Dell Centre for Electrical Trades. The modern facility is delivering huge benefits to the education on offer to thousands of apprentices and students across a number of programs, helping them stand out and drive innovative change in their industries once they enter the working world. The centre is an ongoing benefit for students at SAIT providing new curricular opportunities, bolstering the university’s infrastructure and equipment, as well as funding a new category of student awards.

A CAD 30 million donation from the Taylor Family Foundation will also support the construction of SAIT’s new Taylor Family Campus Centre. Once complete, the centre will provide students with more athletics and recreation, health and wellness, and community facilities.

The centre will also benefit academic programs, including helping to provide more work-integrated learning opportunities for students. For instance, the centre will allow first year students to observe medical procedures in a clinical setting, enabling faster integration of their knowledge with real world application.

It will also provide opportunities for students to develop skills with real patients, which will help improve the transition from the classroom to the working world. This observational experience will benefit more than 900 students each year, which will lead to increases in graduate numbers for health programs, and graduates with hands-on experience.

Finances

How much will it cost?

Average tuition fees per year

11,61,765 Undergraduate Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details

11,29,361 Postgraduate Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details

12,91,367 Vocational Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details

Scholarships & funding

Due to its extensive network of donors, alumni and industry partners, SAIT boasts over CAD 6 million in bursaries and awards to its students across 4,200 awards. Awards can be secured by any qualifying SAIT students for a range of activities or requirements, including: academic achievement, financial need, involvement in community or club activities, as well as a number of other areas.

SAIT offers over 4,000 awards to its students. Some of the awards available to international students include:

Entrance Awards – Up to $3,000 CAD. These are available to students who are starting a program. Some of these awards are program-specific while others are more widely applicable.

Global Student-Athlete Excellence Award – $4,500 CAD. For a Trojans athlete who demonstrates academic achievement and is in good standing with the Trojans Athletics department.

Global Ambassador Award – $2,500 CAD per semester for students who join the Global Ambassador Program.

Eligibility

Entry requirements

All programs of study at SAIT have specific requirements for admission that any prospective students must satisfy in order to be admitted to the institution. In addition to this, any applicant will need to demonstrate their proficiency in the English Language.

A number of programs at SAIT may allow early admission to prospective students who have attained higher grades than those set out in the admission requirements for that course. Where relevant, details for each course can be found on the program’s admission and selection webpage.

In some cases, departments or programs at SAIT may request supplementary information or additional documentation from applicants in order to determine suitability for a given course of study. This additional evidence may include academic rankings, aptitude tests or interviews.

In situations where applicants do not meet the admission requirements for their desired course, they may consider SAIT’s Academic Upgrading program to boost their achievements in core academic subjects. They may also seek to complete the English Language Foundation program if English is not their first language. Additional information may also be found on Admissions Testing to access a program at SAIT.

Department and Faculty

Teaching quality

SAIT is well known throughout Canada and the world for being an excellent place to gain a qualification which unlocks a world of research and employment opportunities. Whether it’s applied research, corporate training, connecting to business and industry, or more, SAIT’s programs are tailored to provide students with the confidence and skills they require to excel in their chosen career.

Through its provision of excellent laboratories and other specialized facilities, challenging classroom environments, or internships and industry opportunities, SAIT equips its students with a skills-focused education. This, combined with industry exposure and ample networking opportunities, means that SAIT graduates have an invaluable edge in the modern job market.

SAIT is a leader in working with employers to ensure programs teach the skills required in the workplace. SAIT prides itself on its exciting and intelligent collaborations with employers to make sure that its programs and diplomas offer the best skills to students.

The post-secondary institution is closely linked to a range of industries and innovators across a wide variety of sectors and works directly with them to provide hands-on learning and real-world experience. In addition to this, instructors at SAIT come from the industry they teach in. Besides their education and research interest, the staff at SAIT bring real life experience to student programs.

Department structure

SAIT hosts over a hundred career-oriented programs and over a thousand courses for continuing education. In addition to this, SAIT provides corporate training with over 200 companies every year.

Students attending SAIT are able to complete their studies across eight academic schools. These are: Hospitality and Tourism, Business; Construction; Manufacturing; Automation and Transportation; Energy; Health and Public Safety; and Information and Communications Technologies.

International prospective students are able to undertake a variety of courses, including baccalaureate and applied degrees, as well as diploma or certificate programs.

SAIT’s certificate programs are focused on identifying and delivering education and training that is in tune with the needs of the student’s industry as it develops in real time. These courses are shorter than a diploma program, delivering core skills and abilities at a pace suited to rapidly changing sectors.

SAIT also offers applied degrees, which blend practical training with classroom and theory-based education. These are typically two years long and require a diploma from a recognized post-secondary institution in order to undertake this program of study.

These programs of study are unique in comparison to conventional university degrees and deliver benefits far beyond that of a typical college diploma. SAIT courses emphasize the huge benefits of applied learning, technological advancements, and direct industry collaboration.