Canada is a favoured destination for international students for the following reasons.
- Compared to the high cost of higher education in the US and UK, Canada presents an affordable alternative
- There are no language barriers that you usually encounter in countries like Germany and China.
- The level of education imparted in Canada is of high quality.
- International students can easily assimilate into the Canadian culture.
Let us glance at the top 30 most affordable universities in Canada (not in any particular order) for international students.
| Name of University | 1. Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| Location | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Salient features | · One of the cheapest universities for international students
· Diverse educational programs available · Availability of scholarships for brilliant students · Campus job opportunities |
| Approximate fee structure | Tuition fees
· Graduate Diploma – CAD 710 per semester – 9 semesters · Master’s programs – CAD 1611 per semester – 6 semesters · Doctoral programs – CAD 1,499 per semester – 12 semesters |
| Website | www.mun.ca/ |
| Name of University | 2. Mount Allison University |
| Location | Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Salient features | · One of the best research-oriented universities
· Quality teaching · Scholarship for meritorious students · Job opportunities for students |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees – CAD 17,600 (Full Year)
· Other fees – CAD 14,598.50 (Full Year) |
| Website | www.mta.ca |
| Name of University | 3. Acadia University |
| Location | Wolfville, Nova Scotia |
| Salient features | · One of the largest regarding international students
· Small Class size of 1:15 faculty-student ratio · Scholarship for deserving students · Diverse educational programs |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fee – CAD 16,975 (Full year) |
| Website | www2.acadiau.ca/ |
| Name of University | 4. University of Prince Edward Island |
| Location | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island |
| Salient features | · Students from more than 50 countries study here
· Affordable tuition fees · Small Class size · Diverse educational programs available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees – approximately CAD 10,000 per annum |
| Website | www.home.upei.ca/ |
| Name of University | 5. Université Sainte-Anne |
| Location | Pointe-de-l’Église, Nova Scotia |
| Salient features | · Primary choice of French-speaking students
· Variety of educational programs · High-quality teaching staff · Small Class size |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees – approximately CAD 10,000 annually |
| Website | www.usainteanne.ca/english |
| Name of University | 6. Mount Saint Vincent University |
| Location | Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia |
| Salient features | · Students from over 70 countries study here
· Faculty to student ratio is 1:21 · Scholarship available for bright students · On-Campus jobs available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees in the range of CAD 12,000 annually |
| Website | www.msvu.ca/ |
| Name of University | 7. York University |
| Location | North York, Ontario |
| Salient features | · One of the top-ranked universities in Canada
· Lots of successful graduates in the job market · Diverse educational programs · Scholarships available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees about CAD 18,000 per annum |
| Website | www.yorku.ca/ |
| Name of University | 8. Concordia University of Alberta |
| Location | Edmonton, Alberta |
| Salient features | · One of the least expensive universities for international students
· A small university, but has an excellent success percentage · Diverse educational programmes · Low faculty to student ratio |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fee approximately CAD 18,500 per annum |
| Website | www.concordia.ab.ca |
| Name of University | 9. Brandon University |
| Location | Brandon, Manitoba |
| Salient features | · Courses conducted by the university include arts, science, education, music, and nursing
· Both undergraduate and graduate students study here · Extremely low fees for international students · Scholarships available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fee for graduate students – CAD 6,000 annually and undergraduate courses – CAD 17,500 |
| Website | www.brandonu.ca/ |
| Name of University | 10. Athabasca University |
| Location | Alberta |
| Salient features | · One of the best universities for online distance learning
· First Canadian university to introduce this facility · Diverse educational programmes available · On-campus jobs available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fee approximately CAD 17,500 for undergraduate students and $ 9,000 for graduate students |
| Website | www.athabascau.ca/ |
| Name of University | 11. Redeemer University College |
| Location | Ancaster, Ontario |
| Salient features | · Christian missionary-run college specializing in ethics and philosophy
· Quality teaching staff with a small class size · Scholarship available for students with an excellent academic record |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fee – approximately CAD 18,500 for undergraduate students |
| Website | www.redeemer.ca/ |
| Name of University | 12. University of Northern British Columbia |
| Location | British Columbia |
| Salient features | · An excellent university to conduct research
· Extremely knowledgeable faculty · Diverse educational programs · Fees are comparatively high, but there are ample scholarships available to offset the cost |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees in the range of CAD 25,000 for graduate students |
| Website | www.unbc.ca/ |
| Name of University | 13. Saint Paul University |
| Location | Ottawa |
| Salient features | · Offers education in French as well as English
· A renowned university that provides a variety of subjects and courses · Quality teaching with a highly favourable faculty to student ratio · Scholarships and on-campus job facilities available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fee about CAD 14,000 for undergraduate students and around CAD 12,000 for graduate courses |
| Website | www.ustpaul.ca/ |
| Name of University | 14. Trent University |
| Location | Peterborough, Ontario |
| Salient features | · One of the best universities for research
· Offers both graduate and undergraduate courses · Excellent faculty to student ratio · Scholarships available for meritorious students |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees for graduate courses around CAD 18,500 and undergraduate courses in the range of CAD 20,000 |
| Website | www.trentu.ca/ |
| Name of University | 15. University of Lethbridge |
| Location | Lethbridge, Alberta |
| Salient features | · A quality university for conduction research
· A lot of international students prefer this university · The chances of getting a job after the completion of a degree at this university are incredibly bright. · Hundreds of diverse educational programmes available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees for undergraduate programs are in the range of CAD 14,000 |
| Website | www.uleth.ca/ |
| Name of University | 16. Cape Breton University |
| Location | Nova Scotia |
| Salient features | · One of the better universities in Canada to do your MBA
· Beautiful campus with an excellent scenery all around · University is flush with funds, hence the superb infrastructure · Scholarships available for students with a good record |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees around CAD 14,000 for graduate students and in the range of CAD 16,000 for undergraduate students |
| Website | www.cbu.ca/ |
| Name of University | 17. University of Western Ontario |
| Location | London, Ontario |
| Salient features | · Good university with a world ranking of 152
· A high percentage of international students · Quality teaching with an exceptional faculty to student ratio · On-Campus jobs available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees in the range of around CAD 20,000 |
| Website | www.uwo.ca/ |
| Name of University | 18. St Francis Xavier University |
| Location | Nova Scotia |
| Salient features | · Renowned for its excellent success rate of 95% and above
· Hundreds of diverse educational programmes · Faculty to student ratio of 1:20 · One of the least expensive of all universities in Canada |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees in the range of nearly CAD 16,000 per annum |
| Website | www.stfx.ca/ |
| Name of University | 19. McMaster University |
| Location | Ontario |
| Salient features | · One of the oldest universities in Canada
· Offers a range of educational programmes like engineering, MBA, nursing, humanities, and so on · Continually ranks among the top 100 universities in the world · One of the least expensive of universities in Canada |
| Approximate fee structure | · Graduate courses – CAD 24,000 for undergraduate courses and CAD 16,000 for graduate courses |
| Website | www.mcmaster.ca/ |
| Name of University | 20. Saint Mary’s University |
| Location | Nova Scotia |
| Salient features | · Many international students prefer this university
· Lots of diverse educational programmes · Scholarship available for brilliant students · One of the inexpensive universities in the country |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees for graduate programmes are around CAD 18,000 and for undergraduate courses is around CAD 16,000 |
| Website | www.smu.ca/ |
| Name of University | 21. University of Ottawa |
| Location | Ottawa, |
| Salient features | · One of the largest universities offering bilingual options as a medium of teaching
· More than 40,000 students in the university · A member of the U15 Group, it is renowned for its research opportunities · Scholarship available for meritorious students |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees for graduate courses are around CAD 14,000 whereas it is around CAD 24,000 for undergraduate courses. |
| Website | www.uottawa.ca/ |
| Name of University | 22. Ryerson University |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Salient features | · One of the lesser renowned universities in Canada, but does offer cheap educational facilities
· Quality teaching because of an excellent faculty to student ratio · A range of educational programmes to choose from |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees for undergraduate courses are about CAD 16,000 whereas for the Master’s courses; it is around CAD 21,000 |
| Website | www.ryerson.ca/ |
| Name of University | 23. Dominican University College |
| Location | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Salient features | · Reputed college in Canada
· Cheapest education facilities for international students · Diverse educational programmes · Scholarships are available in plenty |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees for undergraduate programs are CAD 11,200, and for graduate programs, it is about CAD 17,000 |
| Website | www.dominicanu.ca/ |
| Name of University | 24. Algoma University |
| Location | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario |
| Salient features | · One of the best universities in Canada
· Many courses available to pursue · Quality teaching staff |
| Approximate fee structure | · Undergraduate students need to pay CAD 11,200 |
| Website | www.algomau.ca/ |
| Name of University | 25. Lakehead University |
| Location | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| Salient features | · Good university with inexpensive options
· Quality teachers · Favourable faculty to student ratio · Om campus job opportunities available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees are around CAD 23,000 for Masters programmes and CAD 20,000 for undergraduate programs |
| Website | www.lakeheadu.ca/ |
| Name of University | 26. Southern Alberta Institute of Technology |
| Location | Calgary, Alberta |
| Salient features | · One of the reputed universities offering technological courses
· A variety of technical courses available · Qualified teaching staff · One of the cheapest universities for international students |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees for undergraduate programs are around CAD 14,000 and CAD 16,000 for the Master’s courses |
| Website | www.sait.ca/ |
| Name of University | 27. University of Victoria |
| Location | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Salient features | · International students love this university more than any other university in Canada
· Students from about 110 countries study here · Hundreds of quality educational programmes · Scholarships available for brilliant students |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees for the Master’s programs are a bit expensive at around CAD 28,000 whereas it is affordable for the undergraduate courses at around CAD 14,500 |
| Website | www.uvic.ca/ |
| Name of University | 28. University of Saskatchewan |
| Location | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Salient features | · One of the most preferred universities for international students
· High acceptance rates · Great academics · Campus job opportunities |
| Approximate fee structure | · Undergraduate fees are higher at CAD 19,000 whereas the graduate courses cost CAD 7,500 |
| Website | www.usask.ca/ |
| Name of University | 29. New Brunswick Community College |
| Location | New Brunswick |
| Salient features | · The first choice of many international students
· One of the least expensive of all community colleges and universities in Canada · Quality education at a fantastic price · Scholarships available |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees are in the range of CAD 10,000 for undergraduate programs |
| Website | www.nbcc.ca/ |
| Name of University | 30. Durham College |
| Location | Oshawa, Ontario |
| Salient features | · Among the least expensive colleges in the country
· Excellent teaching staff and a 1:20 faculty to student ratio · Scholarship for brilliant students |
| Approximate fee structure | · Tuition fees are around CAD 16,500 for the undergraduate programmes and CAD 21,000 for the Master’s courses. |
| Website | www.durhamcollege.ca/ |
The most significant advantage of studying in Canada is that students get attractive scholarships. The higher your education credentials, the higher are the scholarship amount. Hence, the scholarship amount plays a role in reducing the total tuition fees. Students also get the opportunity to do on-campus jobs thereby helping them to meet their expenses for accommodation and food.
We have seen 30 universities and colleges that offer good quality education at affordable rates in Canada.