Canada is a large country-more than two and a half times the size of India, but with only 30% of our population. There are six primary time zones. Both English and French are official languages.
There are over ninety universities most of which maintain fine quality. The tuition fees are, in general, less than those in the US. There are several other educational institutions operating at different levels in diverse areas. Facilities exist for work experience part-time jobs. No wonder, thousands of international students choose Canada as their destination. More than 150,000 students fly abroad every year for studies. The atmosphere is multicultural, offering excellent opportunity for developing a truly global outlook. The quality of life is good.
Many universities offer the option to live on- campus residence. You have to apply for campus housing. The student adviser would normally provide information on off campus housing as well.
You would be allowed to work on campus, as in a library, without a formal work permit and earn money. Universities permit off-campus work up to 20 hours a week during the school year, full-time during study breaks. This helps you not only to earn income but to gain work experience of quality. For this facility, you should have a work permit. Such permits have validity during the tenure of your study permit. You have to get your Social Insurance Number (SIN) if you need to work in Canada or to have access to government programs and benefits. You have to submit an application for the number, in the prescribed form downloadable from the website.
Canadian universities are largely publicly funded; they enjoy a high degree of academics autonomy. The academic year is usually from September to May. There would be semester or trimester systems. Each university has its own norms for entry qualifications to different programs of study. The attainments of each student would be assessed individually for the purpose of admission. The Canadian educational institutions are familiar with the qualifications in most other countries including India. Those who have passed the 12th standard examination in India would get admission to the undergraduate programs. The Bachelor’s degree and scores in GRE would normally enable you to enter Graduate program in Canada. Final decisions in the matter are taken by individual universities or other institutions. Normally undergraduate applications will have to be submitted by January-March in the year of admission.
You will have to see whether a university offers through English or French and make an appropriate choice. You may be asked to sit in a French language test by the university, if you choose the French medium.
The universities offer a wide range of courses and awards undergraduate. Graduate and doctoral degrees, professional degrees and certificates. The assessment of a student’s performance is not pivoted on a single annual examination. It is based on the results in assignment, classroom presentations, projects, periodical tests, and term papers.
AUCC(The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, 350 Albert Street, Suite 600, Orrawa, Ontario K1R 1B1 , ensures research-enriched quality in the university education system, interaction with industry, information sharing , facilitation of scholarships , and recognition of the qualifications at a global level. The provincial authorities also have measures for quality assurance. This dual system guarantees quality of university education in Canada.
Top Universities in Canada:
University of Alberta, Edmonton
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
University of Calgary
Dalhousie University, Halifax
Universite Laval, Quebec City
McGill University, Montreal
McMaster University, Hamilton
Universite de Montreal
University of Ottawa
Queen's University, Kingston
University of Toronto
University of Waterloo
University of Wester Ontario
Simon Fraser, Acadia and York are among the other universities that are rated high
You can look for Colleges and Universitites . You can know whether a university stands authorized to grant degrees or diplomas by going through the listing in the directory. Detailed information’s on the programs in any university or college can be drawn from the concerned website, or from the university or college calendar, which will sent to you on request by the admission office. The calendars usually highlight not only the programs, but also the entrance qualifications, facilities for accommodation, tuitions fees, scholarships, and matters of interest to prospective students.
To be eligible for study in Canada, you must be accepted by a university or other educational institution. Further you have to prove that you have sufficient money for travel, fees and living expense in Canada. Sound Health and absence of criminal records, as proved by medical and police certificates. You should convince the Canadian officials that you will leave Canada after completing your studies.
Community Colleges and Technical Institutes in Canada offer vocational programs that enable you to get a job. The programs may last from 1 year to 3 years. There are also privately owned 'Career Colleges' that provide job-oriented training programs in areas such as animation, film technology, secretarial skills, and hospitality.
Most of the universities run four-year undergraduate programs. An Honours program may be a bit harder in the sense that more courses may have to be done in the same amount of time compared to a regular bachelor's program in the same discipline.
Fees in Canadian Universities are generally less than thise in US. The fees in private institutions is more than the public institutions. The annual fees may vary from 8,000 to 19,000. The living expenses would be around CAD 10,000 a year.
Scholarships which cover your tution fees or Cost of Living or both by the Universities or Candian Government often depend on your academic merit.
