Canada is one of the very few countries that provide the right standard of education, top-notch educational amenities, and a conducive learning environment while maintaining a reasonable cost of studying.
This singular fact is the reason Canada receives a massive influx of international students every single year.
Other countries like the UK and USA raised tuition fees to the roof for international students, this discouraged a lot of international students from applying to study abroad.
Thankfully, Canada has a number of universities that offer a great quality of education and very reasonable tuition fees.
Of course, there are also a number of scholarships, bursaries, and financial aid available to study in Canada as an international student, and I’ve talked extensively about those opportunities in this article; Fully funded scholarships in Canada for international students. You can head over there and check it out right now.
However, if you’re not able to land a scholarship then your next line of action should be to opt for a very affordable university where you can still get the best quality education.
In today’s post, I have researched and provided you with a list of the top 10 cheapest/most affordable universities in Canada for international students in 2023/2024.
If you’re thinking of applying for 2024 admissions, then you really need to pay close attention and read this article till the end as the application portal for 2024 is set to open sometime around November.
Also note that all the schools listed below are Designated Learning Institute (DLI), accredited and recognized by the educational body in Canada.
And, the programs they offer are Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) Eligible, this simply means that after your study, you’ll be eligible to apply for a work permit that allows you to work in Canada for a certain amount of years.
So, you can easily build work experience after studies that can qualify you to live in Canada and even become a permanent resident in the long run.
These universities offer a variety of programs ranging from Bachelors to Masters, Ph.D., and even Diplomas.
Before we dive into the list, it’s important for you to know that the tuition varies between courses with courses in the arts, business, and social sciences being relatively cheaper than courses in the sciences, engineering, and health.
Now that all that is said and done, let’s dive in:
University of Northern British Columbia
Located in the beautiful landscape of North British Columbia, UNBC was named the best small university by Maclean’s Magazine Rankings. This school provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate learning opportunities that explore cultures, health, economies, sciences, and the environment.
UNBC’s largest campus is located in Prince George, but they have other campuses spread across regional areas and satellite locations.
The average tuition is as follows:
Undergraduate: 25, 994 CAD per year
Graduate: 11,000 CAD per year
Memorial University Of Newfoundland
Famous for being one of the largest educational institutions in Canada, Memorial University is one of Canada’s top teaching and research institutions ranking 3% in the world ranking.
This school offers over 300 programs at the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and diploma levels.
Its main and largest campus, St. John’s Campus is located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, it has a total of 5 campuses.
An interesting fact about this school is that it has the highest percentage of full-time international graduate students in Canada, with almost 40% of the graduate students being international students.
The average tuition fees are as follows:
Undergraduate: 20,790 CAD per year
Graduate: Between 6,390 – 17,988 CAD
Mount Allison University
Located in the easternmost part of Canada, New Brunswick, Mount Allison University has been ranked Canada’s #1 Undergraduate University by Maclean’s Magazine 23 times in the last 32 years!
The university is known for combining a great educational experience with professional learning opportunities.
Mount Allison University is home to about 2,300 students with 12% of the population being international students from all across the world.
The average tuition fee for international students is as follows:
Undergraduate: 20,210 CAD per year
Graduate: 1,670 CAD per term (6 terms make up 2 years)
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a public research institute located in Burnaby, British Columbia. Its main campus is located in Burnaby but it has other campuses in Surrey and Vancouver.
SFU is actually ranked #1 as Canada’s top comprehensive university by Maclean’s University ranking.
The average tuition fee is as follows:
Undergraduate: 16,523 CAD per term
Graduate: 2,067 CAD per full-time research term
University of Saskatchewan
The university is located in the middle of Saskatoon which happens to be the largest city in Saskatchewan. The University of Saskatchewan is home to 26,155 students, with international students making up about 11.47% of the total student population.
The university is one of the top research-intensive, medical doctoral universities in Canada. A number of world-leading research of global importance are being carried out here.
Despite being such a renowned institution, it is still one of the most affordable universities in Canada.
The average tuition fees are as follows:
Undergraduate: Ranges between 30,480 – 45,419 CAD per year
Graduate: Doctoral – 4,932 CAD per year; Masters (research) – 11,097 CAD per year, Masters (course) – 1,794 CAD per 3 credit unit
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Saskatchewan, it was founded in 1911 and is home to 10 faculties, 25 academic departments and schools, 18 research centers and institutes, and three federated colleges.
The average tuition fee is as follows:
Undergraduate: 11,845 – 13,888 CAD per semester for 5 standard classes
Graduate: 2,124 – 6,435 CAD per semester
University of Victoria
Also known as UVic, this is one of the oldest higher institutes in British Columbia founded in 1963. UVic is famous for its research activities with over 1,145 invention disclosures, and more than 580 patents recorded.
The average tuition fee is as follows:
Undergraduate: 30,857 – 34,775 CAD for 2 terms
Graduate: 5,384 for 2 terms
Brandon University
Brandon University is located in Manitoba and was founded in 1889. The university is home to over 3,000 students, with international students making up 12.3% of the total student body.
The university has 6 faculties including Graduate Studies, Faculty of Arts, Education, Science, Health Sciences, and Music.
The average tuition fee is as follows:
Undergraduate: 17,930 – 19,572 CAD per year
Graduate: 6,812 – 8,671 CAD per semester
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is located in Nova Scotia and was founded in 1818. It is made up of 13 prestigious academic faculties dedicated to building understanding through excellence in teaching.
It has three campuses in Halifax, Bible Hill, and Saint John, New Brunswick.
This university attracts $190 million in research funds every single year and they are Atlantic Canada’s primary research-intensive university.
The average tuition fee is as follows:
Undergraduate: 9,273 CAD per term
Graduate: Masters (Non-Thesis based) – 18,546 CAD per year; Masters (Thesis based) – 7,613 CAD per year
University of Guelph
Known as Canada’s Food University, The University of Guelph is one of Canada’s top comprehensive and research-intensive universities.
Established in 1964, the University enjoys a reputation for innovation and excellence dating back more than 150 years to its founding colleges: Ontario Veterinary College, Ontario Agricultural College, and Macdonald Institute.
It has three campuses in Guelph, Ridgetown, and Guelph-Humber.
The average tuition fee is as follows:
Undergraduate: 10,703 – 30,317 CAD per year
Graduate: 5,650 – 16,311 CAD per year
Conclusion
Now you see that the cost of studying shouldn’t stop you from pursuing an excellent education in Canada either as an undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, or diploma student.
If you’re unable to secure a scholarship then you have this of very affordable universities in Canada to explore and find your best fit.
If you found this article helpful, let us know in the comment section. Also, feel free to check out our other article on Fully funded scholarships in Canada for International Students, it’s a must-read!
I wish you the very best!
Until next time!