Canada

Country in North America

Canada is a North American country stretching from the U.S. in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north. Major cities include massive Toronto, west coast film centre Vancouver, French-speaking Montréal and Québec City, and capital city Ottawa. Canada's vast swaths of wilderness include lake-filled Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains. It's also home to Niagara Falls, a famous group of massive waterfalls.

Capital: Ottawa
Dialing code: +1
Currency: Canadian dollar
Prime minister: Justin Trudeau
Population: 35.16 million (2013) World Bank
Provinces: Ontario, British Columbia, Québec, Alberta, Nova Scotia,more

Information about Destination-Country

From untouched nature to vibrant metropolises, Canada is truly a country of contrasts. Though gigantic in size, this country has only a population of around 34 million. The rest is all unspoiled wilderness stretching on beyond your wildest dreams. A large part of the country is luckily still unspoiled but many exciting cities have also evolved, especially in the southern metropolitan regions.

Cosmopolitan, secure and clean- those are the words that can best describe both small and larger cities in Canada. The unique combination of wilderness, expanse and metropolitan areas will contribute to a unique experience while studying in this country. All of these reasons and more are why Canada is one of the most livable countries in the world.

Higher Education System

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Education is considered extremely important in Canada and is mostly financially supported by the government. This support ensures a consistent level of high quality that is not dependant on the particular institution or faculty. Canadian higher education institutions enjoy an excellent reputation worldwide.

Admission requirements and tuition fess can vary widely, as educational matters are regulated by the provincial governments. Universities in Canada offer a wide, innovative and diverse course program. Universities offer undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD degrees which are equal to American and other Commonwealth universities.

In addition to the diverse study programs, one of the biggest advantages of studying in Canada is that you can improve your skills in two languages, English and French. You can come into contact with each of these languages in your daily life and some universities offer courses in both. Outside of Québec, where French is the only official language, Ontario has the largest French-speaking population.

Canada has a very multicultural society influenced by its many groups of immigrants. Taking all of this into account, it should be not surprising that every year thousands of international students decide to study in Canada where they always receive a warm welcome.

Beginning of the Semester

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September and January

Expenses per Semester

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Tuition fees for international students vary according to the university and study program. You should expect around 3,000 to 6,000 EUR in tuition fees. Living costs vary between 3,000 and 6,000 EUR per semester. Details on tuition fees and living costs are listed in each specific university profile.

Visa

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A student visa is not required if you study for one to six months in Canada. For more than 6 months a permission to study must be requested at the Canadian embassy.

Health Insurance

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Students can take out Canadian health insurance when studying longer than 3 months.

Work

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If granted a permission to study you will be allowed to work on campus. As of only recently have students who study at least 6 month fulltime in Canada been allowed to also work off campus once they applied for a work permit (up to 20 hours a week, unlimited in the semester break). This work permit will be granted under the condition of satisfactory grades and must be signed off by the university. All ESC partner higher education institutions will provide a work permit under these conditions.

Languages

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Canada has two official languages, English and French. ESC only cooperates with English-speaking universities. However, some universities offer their courses in both languages. Students do not have to be fluent in both languages to study at Canadian universities. For students whose mother tongue is not English, a language test is required. The TOEFL test is generally accepted, but in Canada other English language tests are also accepted such as the IELTS test.