The Top Canadian Universities for Foreign Students 2015

أفضل الجامعات الكندية للطلبة الأجانب والمهاجرين للعام 

2015

Canada now ranks 7th among destinations for international students seeking to study abroad, often in an English-speaking country like Australia, New Zealand, or the USA and the UK.  From 2003 to 2013 there was an 84% increase in international students in Canada, from slightly over 159,000 to about 290,000. In post-secondary education, international students make up about 8% of total enrolment. But wait, here’s the best part. Canada now earns around $8 billion annually from foreign students, including tuition and living expenses. 

BRING YOUR MONEY AND LEAVE WHEN YOU'RE DONE

And why is that? Well, as any international post-secondary student in Canada knows, they pay way more tuition than Canadians. In fact, international post-secondary students pay fees that are often several times more than the made-in-Canada fees applicable to native-born and naturalized Canadians. For example, in Ontario, you have the following

University/College	Domestic tuition¹	International Tuition¹	Percentage Increase for Internationals
Brock University	CAD$5,926	CAD$19,483	229%
The University of Guelph	CAD$5,924	CAD$14,080	138%
McMaster University	CAD$5,952	CAD$19,235	223%
Ontario College of Art and Design	CAD$5,900	CAD$18,880	220%
Queen's University	CAD$6,039	CAD$25,517	323%
The University of Toronto	CAD$8,235	CAD$31,260	280%
The University of Waterloo	CAD$6,687	CAD$21,508	222%
The University of Windsor	CAD$5,882	CAD$18,350	212%
York University	CAD$6,026	CAD$13,176	119%
Ryerson University	CAD$5,989	CAD$20,115	236%
Royal Military College of Canada	CAD$5,560	CAD$17,500	215%

¹ Average Tuition. Specific rates, depending on what courses/programs are studied, may differ slightly, especially for international students. Does not include living expenses. 

From the above table, we can see that these Ontario schools are no bargain for international students. The worst offender is clearly Queen’s University which is not even among the top globally-ranked Canadian schools anymore. York University, however, seems to have a policy of making tuition for international students more accessible than the others do. This would fit with its philosophy of supporting diversity in as many ways as possible.

Looking at examples of tuition differentials across the rest of Canada, we have the following results:

University/College	Domestic Tuition¹	International Tuition¹	Percentage Increase for Internationals
The University of British Columbia	CAD$4,890	CAD$23,286	376%
Simon Fraser University	CAD$5,217	CAD$19,648	277%
The University of Alberta	CAD$5,321	CAD$19,645	269%
The University of Calgary	CAD$5,386	CAD$18,338	241%
The University of Manitoba	CAD$3,679	CAD$12,878	250%
McGill University	CAD$4,457	CAD$16,243	264%
Bishop's University	CAD$4,453	CAD$16,233	264%
The University of New Brunswick	CAD$6,187	CAD$13,680	121%
Dalhousie University	CAD$6,014	CAD$15,234	153%
St. Francis Xavier University	CAD$6,213	CAD$13,970	125%

¹ Average Tuition. Specific rates depending on what courses/programs are taken, may differ slightly, especially for international students. Does not include living expenses.

VALUE FOR MONEY¹

 Average Tuition. Specific rates depending on what courses/programs are taken, may differ slightly, especially for international students. Does not include living expenses.

From the above tables, one can see which universities charge international students the most relative to Canadian students, with UBC followed by Queen’s at the top of the list. But which of the above schools offers the best value? To answer this question we took the QS World Rankings of the Canadian schools, which is one of the most broad-based rankings (rather than the THE survey or the ARWU survey), and compared the relative cost of tuition for international students at each Canadian University we looked at. We arrived at the relative cost of tuition by comparing tuition at each Canadian University with an average of the top 10 globally ranked schools in the QS survey. In other words, how much bang for your buck are you getting as an international student? Here are the results of the top 10 value plays among Canadian Universities:

University	Relative cost compared to Top 10 global universities¹	QS global ranking
The University of Manitoba	US$27,950 less than Global Top l 10 tuition average	Below 700
York University	US$27,682 less	421-430
The University of Guelph	US$26,868 less	431-440
Dalhousie University	US$25,829 less	235
McGill University	US$23,297 less	21
The University  of Calgary	US$22,991 less	171
McMaster University	US$22,229 less	113
The University of Alberta	US$21,860 less	84
Simon Fraser University	US$21,857 less	222
Ryerson University	US$21,437 less	Below 700
The University of Waterloo	US$20,183 less	169
The University of British Columbia	US$18,583 less	43
Queen's University	US$16,575 less	187
The University of Toronto	US$11,406 less	20

¹ Tuition is based on the average of Undergraduate degree costs and does not include costs for Postgraduate degrees. 

While one would expect a University’s ranking to be lower as the savings on tuition compared to global top 10 tuition costs increased, there are exceptions clearly visible. On the good side, McGill University is great value for the money. You pay far less in tuition than at a global top 10 university but get a QS global ranking of 21. Queen’s University comes up looking lousy again with a QS ranking of only 187 and yet it is the 2nd most expensive school compared to global top 10 tuition costs. And Ryerson is relatively expensive but ranks below 700, a clear disappointment.¹ Tuition is based on the average of Undergraduate degree costs and does not include costs for Postgraduate degrees.

York and Guelph are good bargains on the cost side, but rank below 400. University of Calgary, McMaster, and University of Alberta are solid mid-table choices both in terms of cost and quality of education. And at either end of the table, University of Manitoba is cheap and ranks poorly while University of Toronto is the most expensive by a long shot while the top in the rankings, if only by 1 point ahead of McGill at 20. University of British Columbia is expensive but offers good quality with a QS ranking of 43.

SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!

Finally, we have a best buy for bargain hunters; the cheapest Canadian schools for international students. These are the cheapest 5 schools based on their Canadian dollar tuition fees for international students.

University	Tuition	Increase for Internationals	QS ranking (if applicable)
The University of Manitoba	CAD$12,878	250%	Below 700
York University	CAD$13,176	119%	421-430
The University of New Brunswick	CAD$13,680	121%	Not Ranked
St. Francis Xavier University	CAD$13,970	125%	Not Ranked
The University of Guelph	CAD$14,080	138%	431-440 (5 Stars)

Manitoba, York, and Guelph Universities are all in the best value table as well, while UNB and St. Francis Xavier are not because of their lack of QS global rankings. That does not mean you can’t get a good education at UNB or St. Francis Xavier, just that you might get a better deal elsewhere. And as an international student faced with discriminatory tuition fees in Canada, your smartest choice is always to go for value.