Living in another country with new economic and cultural conditions could be a bit difficult for anyone at first. Canada is one of the best destinations for students to continue their studies. Due to the high quality of its educational system, this country attracts many students from different countries of the world every year. In addition to the high quality of the educational system, the world ranking of Canadian universities has also been one of the reasons.

If you are planning to seek higher education in Canada, the first question in your mind is probably how much does it cost to study in Canada?

Stay with us in the rest of this article to learn about the costs of studying in Canada.

Is it expensive to study in Canada?

Canada is one of the more expensive countries for education, but this high cost of education is in balance with people’s income.

How much does it cost to get a visa?

The visa application process may take some time. From the decision stage to obtaining a visa, various factors such as receiving a language certificate, receiving admission from a university, official translation of documents, etc. can affect this process.

Every part of the process has its own individual cost. In the following sections, you will learn about the different costs the admission and visa process entail.

Certificate of financial ability

IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) expects all international students to be able to finance their studies in Canada. International students must provide proof that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and accompanying family members in Canada. This evidence can include written confirmation of scholarships, loans, or awards as proof of financial security. Apart from paying university tuition for one year or providing a scholarship, the student can provide a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) by depositing CAD 10,000 in any Canadian bank.

Application fee

When you send your application to the university of your choice, you must pay a fee to the university to review your application and documents. If your application is reviewed and the university's response to your admission request is negative for any reason, the amount paid will not be refunded in any way. Application fees vary in different parts of Canada, but on average, you have to pay a fee of 100 to 200 dollars per application.

Study Permit Fee

The applicant must pay a separate fee for the study permit. This student visa evaluation fee is currently around $150 per person.

The cost of fingerprinting

Another step in obtaining a study visa is fingerprinting. You have to pay this fee at the offices under the supervision of the Canadian Embassy. This fee is about 85 dollars per person.

How much does it cost to study in Canada at different levels?

The cost of education is very different in different parts of Canada. Among the cost of studying in Canada at different stages, the following can be mentioned:

The Cost Of High School Education

The cost depends on the field and the duration of the study. While high schools are free for Canadian and residents, foreigners (non-Canadian) who go to Canadian public high schools must pay tuition and fees.

The average tuition for high schools in Canada is around 15 to 18 thousand dollars per year.

The cost of studying a Bachelor’s degree

Compared to last year, the amount of tuition for local students for the bachelor's degree has decreased by about five percent, while for international students, it has increased by about 7.5 percent.

In 2020, the average tuition fee for international students at this level was about 30,000 Canadian dollars. For example, the tuition fee for engineering is about 30,000 Canadian dollars and for business and management is about 28,000 Canadian dollars.

The cost of graduate studies

Usually, the cost of studying in Canada at the postgraduate level is much lower than at the undergraduate level. The average tuition fee for international students is about 17000 dollars, but again, this amount could vary depending on the field.

The cost of studying at the doctoral level

The doctoral course lasts for three to five years. The average cost of studying for a doctorate in Canada in 2022 is about $20,000. Of course, this could vary for different fields.

How much does it cost to live in Canada?

Living abroad usually comes with many heavy expenses. These expenses consist of several parts, some of which we will discuss in the following section of this article. Among these, housing has the highest and clothing has the lowest cost.

The cost of renting a house

One of the heaviest expenses for people living in Canada is renting a house. About 30% of a person's income is spent on rent. The amount of rent in Canadian cities will be different depending on the economic conditions of the city. Currently, the cities of Toronto and Vancouver are among the most expensive cities in Canada, so the cost of rent in these cities is very high.

Cost of transportation

Canada has a high-quality transportation system. There is a good transportation system in the luxury and big cities of this country such as Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Of course, the transportation system and its quality are different in different cities. Stay with us to learn more about Canada's transportation system:

Using a public taxi

The Canadian public taxi system is very orderly. Usually, this system is managed by a company. All taxis must have a sign. If the sign is lit, they can pick up passengers, otherwise, they are not allowed to do so.

Uber

People who live in Canada can take a taxi and pay with credit by installing the Uber app. Uber taxis are much cheaper than regular taxis.

Car rental

In Canada, if you have a driver’s license, you can use your credit card to rent a car for as long as you want.

Usually, the rented car is available for a day and night at a certain cost. The rental fee starts at $30, which includes car insurance.

Public Transport (Bus and Subway)

Depending on the province, the monthly pass can cost around 80-150 dollars, but students get discounted fares between 50-120 dollars.

The cost of insurance and healthcare

In Canada, healthcare services are of a high standard, but the health and insurance law of this country does not include the cost of prescribed drugs and dental services. For these two items, you must have private insurance. In each Canadian city, the cost of paying private insurance to the employer or the government is different.

For example, in the province of Quebec, you can get full health insurance by paying 660 dollars annually. Special dental services and medicine purchases will also be included in this insurance.

Students can use insurance for the duration of their stay. Usually, the most important and first task of students after receiving a Canadian SIN number is to buy health insurance. Without insurance, healthcare costs will be well higher than the costs of education. People who go to Canada for a training workshop for less than 6 months can also use emergency insurance.

In general, treatment costs in Canada depend on the type of insurance and the number of people, which usually starts at $450.

Cost of food

One of the necessary expenses for every person is the cost of food. This will be different for each person according to the type of food they use. If we want to consider a correct average for this cost, we can say that to live in Canada, every person should allocate 50 to 60 dollars of their income per week to food, but if you splurge a little and go to a restaurant once a week, this cost will reach more than 80 dollars.

Cost of entertainment

Among the recreations of Canada, we can mention boating, ice hockey, various parks and museums, climbing, rafting, kayaking, etc. On average, the cost of these entertainments is about 25 dollars per person per month.

Other costs

Other living expenses for every person in this country include the cost of the Internet, sports, buying a car, water and electricity bills, etc.

To what extent do scholarships reduce the cost of studying in Canada?

A Canadian scholarship is actually a grant to continue studying in another country. With the scholarship, you can benefit from the universities and educational centers of the destination country without any obligation. A scholarship can reduce many of the living expenses in the destination country. In many countries of the world, a separate amount is considered for people who have been awarded a scholarship. This amount will be paid to individuals as an allowance.

How much does student work income cover the cost of studying in Canada?

The income of student work is very different according to the type of work, the city, and the student's working hours. The working hours of students of different levels in Canada are not the same, so it is not possible to consider a specific salary for them. But the income of students from full-time and part-time jobs is enough to compensate for a part of the cost of studying in Canada. In the table below, you can see some common student jobs with their hourly income:

The impact of choosing a university in reducing the cost of studying in Canada

Choosing a university can greatly affect the cost of studying in Canada. Of course, the university alone is not the only thing affecting these costs. In addition to the type of institution, educational background, and lifestyle that we talked about, the field of study and university are also effective. So you can reduce the cost of studying in Canada by choosing cheaper universities.

Final Word

Cost of living is one of the most important criteria you should consider while immigrating to another country, but what’s more important than anything else is cost management. When your expenses are high and you have a low income, if you don't manage it properly, you will face big problems. We recommend that you also read the article “introducing cheap cities in Canada” on the CanApply website. In this article, we tried to clearly explain the cost of studying in Canada, so that you have some background and knowledge about the types and amount of costs in case of immigrating to this country.