Tuition fees in Canada

While Canada boasts one of the strongest education systems in the world, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that cost of studying in Canada for international students is quite low here when compared to their North American cousins, the USA, as well as similarly-popular study destinations such as the UK, Australia and New Zealand. In fact in some cases you may find yourself paying half of what you would were you to study elsewhere.

The fees below are a guide; we always recommend checking with the institution or department for the exact fee for the course you’re interested in.

Note: £1 = US$1.49 = CAD$1.83

Tuition fees across universities

The cost of studying in Canada (i.e. how much you’ll pay in tuition fees) will depend on the Canadian province you are studying in, as well as study level and prestige of the university.

Here is a rough breakdown of the average annual tuition fees for international students across the various provinces for both undergraduate and graduate programmes (in Canadian dollars):

Source: The Directory of Canadian Universities, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Additional fees you may pay

You may also be charged something called ‘Student Activity’ fees, in addition to normal tuition fees. These go towards funding student activities on campus such as campus newspapers, radio stations, clubs & societies etc. While technically free to students to participate in, this is how they are funded (i.e. through students).

Paying tuition fees

Usually students are required to pay tuition fees per semester to spread out how much they pay in one go which might leave you a bit empty-pocketed if you were to pay a full year’s fees in one go. Students can pay these online using a credit or debit card. However when applying to an institution or for your Canadian visa, you will be required to demonstrate you have access to the necessary funds through various documents.