Canada is a fantastic destination for international students from all over the world. There are plenty of excellent universities and colleges to choose from in Canada, and the professors and campuses are of the highest quality.
Additionally, Canada has one of the highest numbers of foreign-born residents in the world, with over 22% of the population being immigrants. This has greatly added to the country’s cultural diversity and made Canada a welcoming destination for international students. In fact, Canada has become increasingly popular for international students, with over 640,000 international students currently enrolled in various academic programs.
This number is expected to rise in the coming years as Canada continues to promote its world-class education system and post-graduation job opportunities.
READ MORE: How will studying abroad improve my career prospects?
Yet another reason why many international students choose Canada is that it is relatively affordable. Tuition fees for international students are generally far lower than in other countries, and there are many scholarships available for international students who may need financial help.
There are also plenty of programs and short courses offered by Canadian institutes to help international students improve their English and make connections with others. In addition to its friendly atmosphere, Canada is a beautiful country with amazing natural scenery. There are mountains, forests, and lakes to explore and enjoy during your time away from the classroom.
Studying in Canada offers an opportunity for international students to learn, grow, and experience a new and wonderful country. So what are the best universities in Canada for international students?
| University | Location | QS World University Rankings 2024 | THE World University Rankings 2024 |
| University of Toronto | Toronto, Ontario | 21 | 21 |
| McGill University | Montreal, Quebec | 30 | 49 |
| University of British Columbia | Vancouver, British Columbia | =34 | 41 |
| University of Alberta | Edmonton, Alberta | 111 | =109 |
| Université de Montréal | Montreal, Quebec | =141 | =111 |
| McMaster University | Hamilton, Ontario | =189 | =103 |
| University of Waterloo | Waterloo, Ontario | 112 | =158 |
| Western University | London, Ontario | 114 | 201-250 |
| University of Calgary | Calgary, Alberta | 182 | 201-250 |
| Queen’s University | Kingston, Ontario | 209 | 251-300 |
The University of Toronto is a world-class institute located in Canada’s largest city of Toronto. It has three urban campuses in and around Toronto and is home to over 90,000 enrolled students including about 20,000 international students.
The University of Toronto is famous for its high-quality research and is home to world-class research centres including the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. The university has plenty of incredible professors who have made exciting innovations in their fields, and has partnerships with other schools around the world, allowing its international students to work on world-class research projects across the globe.
McGill University was established in 1821 and is located in Montreal. Today, McGill University operates on two campuses and has over 40,000 enrolled students, about 12,000 of whom are international admits.
McGill University is especially highly regarded for its faculty and research quality in the fields of medicine, law, and engineering. The university also offers a wide variety of interesting research institutes where students can perform high-quality research projects like the McGill Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics.
The University of British Columbia is mainly located in Vancouver, with a secondary campus about an hour away in Kelowna. UBC is home to more than 60,000 enrolled students including nearly 18,000 international students.
The University of British Columbia is known for its strengths in academic fields including forestry and medicine, as well as its world-class business school. Research at UBC also places special focus on sustainable development and lowering environmental damage.
Additionally, the picture-perfect region of British Columbia, with its endless hikes and seaside scenery makes for an amazing outdoor experience during your time away from the classroom at UBC.
The University of Alberta is situated in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The university is home to over 6,000 international students among nearly 23,000 enrolled admits.
The University of Alberta operates multiple research centres including the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, the Centre for Earth Observation Sciences, and the Centre for Quantum Computing. The university is ranked top 50 worldwide by the QS World University Rankings by subject in as many as eight subjects including mining, nursing and sports-related subjects.
In addition to its Edmonton campus, the University of Alberta operates satellite campuses in Calgary and Camrose.
The University of Montreal is situated in Canada’s french-speaking region of Quebec. The university is currently home to nearly 40,000 enrolled students, of which about 9,000 are international admits.
The University of Montreal, also referred to as the Université de Montréal, offers world-class programs in disciplines including medicine, law, and the social sciences. Top-quality research institutes at the University of Montreal include the Montreal Neurological Institute and the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer.
The primary campus of the University of Montreal is situated on 150 acres in the Outremont borough of Montreal. The university has two additional campuses, one in Laval and one in Longueuil. The campus is known for being very scenic, with plenty of trees and green space.
McMaster University, located in the city of Hamilton is home to nearly 27,000 enrolled students including almost 5500 international students. McMaster University is ranked in the QS global top 50 in nursing, medicine and education.
McMaster also offers world-class courses in engineering and the life sciences. In addition to its primary campus in Hamilton which spans nearly 300 acres, the university also has a secondary campus named the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington, Ontario.
Situated on a large-scale campus of over 1,100 acres in the city of Waterloo, the University of Waterloo enrols almost 35,000 students of which nearly 9,000 are international admits. The university also operates satellite campuses in the nearby cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Stratford.
Subject rankings by QS show that some of the strongest courses offered at the University of Waterloo are computer science and engineering, which are both ranked in the top 50 worldwide. Mathematics and physics courses are also highly ranked and are in the top 100 globally. What’s more, the university’s programs in environmental science, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering are also ranked in the top 150 worldwide. The university’s engineering faculty is especially well-regarded and is consistently ranked among the best engineering faculties in Canada.
Western University is a public research university located in London in the Ontario province of Canada. The university has a main campus covering an area of 380 acres and a student population of over 30,000.
Western University also operates multiple affiliated university colleges, including Brescia University College, Huron University College, and King’s University College, all of which are located on the same campus. Western University operates a program called the Western Research Parks which helps start-up companies get off the ground.
The Western University campus offers beautiful architecture and large-scale green spaces for international students to enjoy their time away from academics. Western University offers especially well-ranked courses in fields including Nursing, Anatomy and Law.
The University of Calgary was founded in 1966 in Alberta and has since grown to become one of Canada’s top research universities, offering over 250 academic programs. The University of Calgary hosts about 33,500 enrolled students including nearly 6,700 international students.
The university has five campuses, with the main campus located in northwest Calgary and covering an area of nearly 500 acres. The University of Calgary is well-known for its research facilities and has a number of world-class research centres including the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health. The University of Calgary offers particularly strong courses in subjects including nursing, environmental sciences and marine sciences.
Queen’s University is located in Kingston, Canada and is home to 25,000 enrolled students including over 5,000 international admits. The university’s main campus covers approximately 200 acres. Queen’s University runs many research stations in locations throughout Ontario.
A few of the prominent research centres operated by Queen’s University are the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research and the Centre for Neuroscience Studies. According to the QS World University Rankings by subject, programs for nursing and mining at Queen’s University are both ranked 2nd in Canada and among the top 30 worldwide.
Canada provides international students with an endless range of world-class universities which are well-regarded in a wide variety of subjects, from nursing and medicine to mining and environmental sciences. Be sure to review Canada’s best universities in detail and its specific visa policies for international students, especially for your home country.
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