Canada

Why Study in Canada?

Canadians place a premium on education and demand first-rate schools. Canada spends more per capita on its education system than any other country in the G-7 and is among the top three countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A degree from a Canadian university is recognized world-wide and as a result, international students who graduate from Canadian universities enjoy successful and prosperous careers.

The Canadian education system encompasses both publicly-funded and private schools, from kindergarten through to university. Education is a provincial responsibility under the Canadian constitution, which means there are significant differences between the education systems of the different provinces. However, standards across the country are uniformly high.

In general, Canadian children attend kindergarten for one or two years at the age of four or five on a voluntary basis. All children begin Grade One at about six years of age. The school year normally runs from September through the following June but in some instances, January intake dates are possible. Secondary schools go up to Grades 11, 12 or 13, depending on the province. From there, students may attend university, college or Cégep studies. Cégep is a French acronym for College of General and Vocational Education, and is two years of general or three years of technical education between high school and university. The province of Québec has the Cégep system

There are no university or college entrance exams in Canada. For entrance into undergraduate programs, universities evaluate a student's high school transcripts. For most types of study, foreign students must prove fluency in the language in which they plan to study (English or French - but not both!).