Studying at University in Canada
Canadian universities have been through some turbulent times of late due to huge cuts in funding coupled with increased enrolment, but tuition is still relatively low in contrast to comparable US schools. Every possible programme is offered somewhere, but most schools fall under specific categories such as medical/doctoral, primarily undergraduate or liberal arts only. Therefore not every programme is offered at all of Canada's 40-plus universities. Most have extensive full-time, part-time and continuing education programmes. The academic year lasts from September to mid-May although some programmes run through the summer. Some courses are also offered in the summer if you choose to accelerate your studies or if you unfortunately fail a course.
A general undergraduate degree, if done full-time, usually takes three years while an honours degree takes four years and often involves doing a thesis. Masters programmes vary from one to three years and PhD programmes range from four to seven years. Professional degrees like medicine or law usually require an undergraduate degree while other professional degrees like engineering (PEng) or a Masters of Business (MBA) require a couple of years of working in the relevant field either before or after the degree programme. Basically, graduate studies are more research-based, the admission materials required are more extensive and tuition often much higher.
The study period for a law degree (LLB) lasts three years after which the student articles with a law firm for one year before taking the bar examinations to become a licensed lawyer. There are graduate degrees in law as well. Lawyers who move to another province must pass the bar exam for that province. Degrees in medicine (MD) take three to four years, then a student interns for one to two years after which they are licensed by the provincial medical boards. However, for speciality medicine (heart surgeons, neurologists, etc) internships are far longer. Students are paid while interning.
Programmes such as business, engineering and architecture are offered at some universities as a co-op degree, which means part of your study includes working during your course in your relevant field. You study for two or three terms (a few months each) and then work for a term, then study for another couple of terms and work another term. The degree takes longer to obtain (eg architecture can take seven years) but in turn you get practical experience, make money to help fund your studies and hopefully get your foot in the door somewhere. Universities help students to find their work placements.
Universities range in size from a total enrolment of 800 to 60,000. Some are in a city's downtown while others are in more suburban or rural settings.
Applying
Canadian citizens and landed immigrants essentially go through the same process when applying to Canadian universities. There are application forms and varying fees for each university you apply for. For Ontario universities, because there are so many and because Ontario has the largest population, the limit on how many any one student can apply to is three. In applying to Ontario universities, students must go through a central application centre, the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) in Guelph, Ontario. OUAC requires students to rank their top three choices of school and programme and to pay one overall fee. For part-time studies, students need to apply directly to the universities.
Tuition
Full-time tuition varies greatly from school to school so it is difficult to put a general figure on it. Suffice to say it's far from free. For a liberal arts programme, undergraduate science degree or business degree a student could be looking at tuition from $2,000 to $14,000 per year. Some professional programmes have been deregulated so that the universities are no longer subject to government tuition caps, meaning tuition for such programmes is much higher. The federal government, through its Canada Student Loans Program, assists students who can prove that they do not have sufficient resources to fund their own studies. The provinces have complementary loan programmes but even with both a federal and provincial loan, most students will have to work part-time and in the summer to meet the costs of school and living. However, the way some of the provincial loan programmes are set up, the more you work the less loan money you get. Most loan payments are due in monthly instalments plus interest after six months from graduating, although during that six-month grace period, interest is accruing. However the annual interest you pay on your loans are tax deductible. Also, some loan programmes have a loan forgiveness option in extreme circumstances.
Universities and even some corporations offer scholarships and bursaries based on academic proficiency and/or financial need. Usually a portion of tuition fees, sometimes as much as 60 per cent, are due before you start classes.
Tuition fees for foreign students are higher than for Canadians or permanent residents.
