Study in Canada Guide for Nepalese Students

CANADA: KNOW YOU STUDY DESTINATION.

A lot of questions arise in your mind about the destination country when you plan to study abroad. You might want to know some important things of the country of your choice. We will try to put some insight on Canada through this writing today.

Its true that not everything can be covered in few pages, but we have tried to include some important points. If you have any questions regarding studying in Canada, our expert counselors are always there to help you.

Know about Canada

Canada, the second largest country of the world lies in North America and covers around 40% of North America. Also being the largest country of North America, it shares the longest international border with USA and the longest coastline in the world.

Canada is politically divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories. Ottawa is the capital, not to be confused with the largest city Toronto. Its population is around 37.5 million which is low when compared to its size. When compared to Nepal, Canada is 68 times bigger, but its population is just about 8 million more.

About 50% of its population resides in Ontario and Quebec alone. You may be surprised to hear that this great white north has more than 2,000,000 lakes among which more 563 are over 100sq.km. and also shares the longest land border with USA.

Canada is considered as a cold country and most people picture it as a land covered with all white snow and people walking around with heavy winter clothes and snow boots. If you have the same picture in your mind about Canada, you are imagining a partially correct picture. Canada has wide variety of climate.

Most of the northern part have cold winters and short cool summers. Quebec and Ontario cold and snowy winters and hot and humid summers. The west coast of Canada is generally wet and cool in winter and moderate in summer.

One of the developed, peaceful and safe country to live, Canada ranks 10^th in the nominal GDP and 13^th in HDI.

It also ranks 1^st in quality of life. Very transparent governance, strong economy and inclusive multiculturism have made Canada one of the most preferred countries for immigrants as the Canadian administration has always been liberal towards immigrants.

Canada is also one of the diverse countries and multiculturism is taken as one of the accomplishments.

Historically influenced by British and French, you can still see this influence along with American culture. English and French are the official languages of Canada. Canadians are friendly and polite in nature and believe in equality.

They have respect for different cultures. They are nature loving and of course do not forget ice hockey. Canadians feel most passionate about ice hockey and is an important part of local communities.

If you love travelling, Canada has vibrant and culturally rich cities along with incredible natural wonders which you can enjoy while you are there.

Niagara Fall, Rocky Mountain, Polar bears of Churchill, vibrant life of cities won’t let you down. You can say that Canada has everything you love from natural resources to quality of life, safety to development and not to forget top celebrities to popular leader like Justin Trudeau.

Top 10 Universities and Ranking Bodies

There are many reasons for students to choose Canadian Universities for their higher education. There is no doubt that Canada provides the world class education. Canada is home to small universities with intimate learning environment to large research-intensive universities.

Canadian Universities offer programs at both graduate and undergraduate level. Beside universities, colleges are also popular in Canada. Most of the Canadian universities hold world class reputation. Canada has more than 100 universities offering more than 15,000 courses among which 96 are public universities.

Though there are some private universities offering quality education, public universities are popular and recommended. 11 Canadian universities are under top 250 universities of the world. Provincial government regulates the education system in Canada including these universities.

When you plan to plan to study in Canada, its definite that you might want to know about the top universities in Canada. There are many national and international ranking bodies who rank the universities based on teaching metrics, funding, research excellence, graduate employment, specialization, admission etc.

Some of the most prestigious global ranking are QS world University Ranking, Times Higher World Education Ranking and Academic Ranking of World Universities. Let’s see the top universities of Canada as ranked by Times Higher World Education Ranking and Academic Ranking.

(source: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-canada)

Similarly, MACLEAN’S have ranked some of the universities as Canada’s top primarily undergraduate schools. They are:

RANK UNIVERSITY

(source: https://www.macleans.ca/education/university-rankings-2020-canadas-top-primarily-undergraduate-schools/)

When it comes to ranking and prestige, you should have ever heard of U15? If not, U15 is the association of 15 top Canadian Research Universities.

Its main purpose is to support research and development as Canadian universities conduct research at one of the highest rates in the world. The universities under U15 are as follow:

1. University of Alberta
2. The University of British Columbia
3. University of Calgary
4. Dalhousie University
5. University Laval
6. University of Manitoba
7. McGill University
8. McMaster University
9. University de Montreal
10. University of Ottawa
11. Queens University
12. University of Saskatchewan
13. University of Toronto
14. University of Waterloo
15. Western University

Top 10 Universities preferred by Nepalese Students

Canada has been able to attract Nepalese students resulting the increasing graph of Nepalese students in Canadian Universities and Colleges. Programs offered, tuition fee, admission requirements, scholarship opportunity and the job opportunity are primary things most Nepalese students look for while choosing the university.

Considering these factors, 10 universities preferred by Nepalese students are

🟦University of Regina

🟦University of Manitoba

🟦Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador

🟦Royal Roads University

🟦University of British Columbia,

🟦Nipissing University

🟦York University

🟦Ontario Tech University

🟦University of New Brunswick and Trent University.

Beside these elite universities, colleges like Lambton College, Seneca College, Selkirk College, ICM are also preferred by Nepalese students.

Top majors

Canada offers a wide range of majors to international students. Information Technology, Engineering, Nursing, Business and Biology are most demanding majors worldwide today. Nepalese students are no exception of these majors.

Computer Science, Software Engineering, Civil Engineering/Construction Management, Mechanical Engineering, Computer engineering, Nursing, Business Administration, Environmental Science, Biotechnology, Hospitality and Tourism are some of the majors most preferred by Nepalese students. These majors seem to have immense job opportunities in Nepal and worldwide.

Annual fees (tuition +fees)

Affordable tuition fees and living expenses are also one of the important factors that attracts international students towards Canada. However, your tuition fee and other expenses depends on type of degree/program, school and place you opt for.

You can expect somewhere around CAD $ 30,000 per year in average to cover your all the expenses including tuition. Remember, this is only an average figure, you might end up paying more or even less.

Average undergraduate tuition fee ranges from $12,000 to $20,000 whereas graduate tuition fee generally ranges between $15,000 to $20,000. Doctorate degree ranges from $9000 to $15,000 which is way less than USA, UK or Australia.

Similarly, you will have to estimate around $10,000 to $15,000 per year for your living expenses which includes accommodation, groceries, transportation and communication bills. The cost of accommodation ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 per year and this cost varies with location and time of the year.

It is always a good idea to get a shared accommodation which helps you drop down this cost. You might end up spending around $350 a month for groceries and other couple hundred dollars a month for other expenses. Besides these expenses, you shouldn’t forget your health insurance charge and book and supplies.

Generally, an international student pays around $600 t0 $900 for health insurance and it differs according to respective province. Health insurance is mandatory for all international students. You can estimate around $1,500 to $3,000 for books and supplies. Remember, the figures above are not exact but in general.

Benefit of studying in Canada

There are numerous benefits of studying in Canada. As an international student, getting a world class education and earning a worldwide accepted degree is one of the most important benefits of studying in Canada. As mentioned above, Canada is also more affordable than other popular destinations.

Compared to countries like USA, Australia, and UK, the tuition fees and living expenses are cheaper in Canada. International students can also take an advantage of work while studying to make some money and gain experience.

As an international student, you may be allowed to work 20 hours per week during regular academic sessions and full-time during vacations and breaks. You can also apply for your spouse or common law partner as your dependent and they may also be eligible to work full time.

Co-op is a special program you might be benefitted with while studying in Canada. Co-op program allows you to work at the time of your studies which is a part of your study. Another benefit you will earn from studying in Canada is a post-study work permit.

You can live and work in Canada up to 3 years after you complete your studies. We will discuss more about this in next paragraph. Studying in Canada is also often termed as a pathway to Canadian Permanent residence.

There are many ways you can apply for permanent residence after you compete your studies. Along these, you will benefit a lot from living in one of the most diverse as well as one of the safest countries of the world.

University and Visa application process

Your journey to Canada as an international student starts with the application to university of your choice. Most universities and colleges have the application fee which generally ranges from $50 to $150.

Once you apply with all the required documents by university like transcripts and test scores along with recommendation letter, SoP, work experience etc. if required, and meet the criteria mentioned by the university, you will get an offer letter.

This offer letter means the university accepts you as a student. The standard time you will receive an offer letter is 3- 4 weeks.

There are two kinds of offer letter; conditional and unconditional. Conditional offer letter comes with some conditions to be fulfilled before you join as a student while unconditional offer letter has no conditions or obligations.

After you get your offer letter, you will have to pay the tuition fee at least of a semester and sign the offer acceptance letter.

In return, the university will send you a Letter of Acceptance which means now you are the student of that school. This only completes the part of the process to your Canada journey and you still have the most crucial part i.e. visa application part.

Study permit is a term often used interchangeably with Canadian study visa. You can apply for study permit both online and paper based.

Online is the most popular, fast and recommended option these days. Collect and arrange all the necessary documents like valid passport, Letter of Acceptance, English language score, Letter of Intent as well as all other supporting documents. Apply online or through VFS Global Nepal which is the nearest Visa Application Centre. You will have to pay $150 as visa application fee and $85 for biometric.

The normal visa processing time for Nepal is 7-9 weeks. If your application is accepted, you will be asked your passport for a visa to be stamped. If your visa is rejected, you will be given a paper that mentions the main reason for the denial.

You can work on the mentioned point and apply again for the visa. You might feel the application process long and full of hassle for the first time but if you get a proper guidance, its pretty simple until you have all the required documents. Here is the list of documents for your quick review.

Documents required to apply to a University/College

• Academic Certificates
• Test Scores
• Statement of Purpose (if required)
• Recommendation Letter (if required)
• Copy of passport

Documents required to apply for a student visa

• Academic Certificates
• Test Scores
• Letter of Explanation
• Passport
• Proof of funds (bank balance or bank loan, source of income and property)
• Relationship verification certificate with sponsors
• Police report
• Medical report (if required)
• Supporting documents (if any)

Scholarships and financial support

Canada offers a wide range of scholarships and financial aid to the international students. Financial support is provided to international students on merit based and need based in the form of scholarships, bursaries, grants etc. by both Canadian government and university.

The most common type of financial supports that an international student receives are university entrance scholarships, faculty funding, various scholarships under university, graduate assistantship etc. Canadian universities have their own list of scholarships and bursaries.

Student’s academic excellence and test scores are the primary criteria for most of the financial support and scholarships.

These are also the subjects to availability. Thus, the application deadlines for scholarships are an important factor to consider. The amount of money you receive as a financial support varies upon university, program of study and the session.

Beside university’s own scholarship programs, there are some other popular scholarships that you can apply. Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program, Trudeau Foundation Scholarship are few to name.

We recommend students to explore the intended university website for scholarships. You may also take a help from our experienced counselors.

On campus/off campus jobs

As an international student, you can work both on campus as well as off campus in Canada as stated in your study permit. You can work 20 hours during regular classes and full-time during vacations and breaks. You can only start working in Canada once your studies begin.

You are not required to get a separate work permit while you are in study permit. However, you need to have a valid study permit and a Social Insurance Number. Café, restaurants, retail stores, etc. are some of the places where international students generally work off campus.

Library, cafeteria, administrative offices, faculty offices, student organizations etc. are common workplace if you work on campus. Hourly wages for international students range from$10 – $15 in general.

After Studies (Post Studies Work)

Post study option is an important concern of the students planning to study abroad. Canada offers favorable post studies option to international students. Postgraduate Work Permit Program (PGWPP) allows you to work up to 3 years after you complete your studies.

However, the length of your post study work depends upon the length of your studies. If the duration of the course you studies is equal to or more than 2 years, you may get 3 years of work permit.

If the duration of your studies is less than 2 years, the duration of your post study work is as much as the length of your studies. Remember, to be eligible for post study work permit, you should be a full-time student and the duration of your course of study should be more than 8 months.

You can also explore settlement opportunities in Canada after you complete your studies as there are many permanent residence pathways to international students after graduation.

Related Read: Study in Canada from Nepal

Please complete this form to talk to an Advisor at Edwise Foundation. You can ask any questions relating to the application process, universities, majors, costs, funding (scholarship, TA/RA), F-1 interview, etc. Please note that we can work with any universities for you as long as you fit in well in respect to your academic interests and financial capacity.