Mrs. Prugh's Visit to the Embassy of Canada

Canada, eh? A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an event at the Embassy of Canada to learn more about a few Canadian universities. The first thing that I learned is that in Canada, the word “college” is used for what we would call a community college so the schools that offer bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees are referred to just as “universities.” There are around 90 universities in Canada and I was able to learn about five specific universities.

According to a report done in 2012, there are over 10,000 Americans earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in Canada and it is becoming a more popular option because even with the extra fees for international students, the universities in Canada often cost less than private universities in the United States. The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada found that annual tuition costs for international students in Canada ranged from about $14,000 to $26,000 last year.

I heard from admission representatives from Concordia University, Queen’s University, the University of Toronto, the University of St. Thomas and Dalhousie University. Here are some brief facts about the five universities:

Concordia University

·         Located in Montreal, Quebec

·         Over 45,000 students that are involved in 500 different academic programs

·         Students can participate in a co-op program where they gain a year of work experience before completing their undergraduate degrees

·         They have four faculties of study- arts and sciences, business, engineering and fine arts

·         There are two main campuses that are three miles apart near downtown Montreal

·         For admissions, they do not require the SAT or ACT

 

Queen’s University

·         Located in Kingston, Ontario

·         They have 15,000 undergraduate students

·         They have the following faculties of study- arts and sciences, commerce, computing, fine art, music, nursing and engineering

·         Study abroad (beyond Canada!) is very popular- they have 180 programs in 45 different countries

·         Their second campus is a castle in England and students are offered the option to spend a summer, semester or even a year living in the castle

·         The province of Ontario has one application for all universities in Ontario and applicants can apply to three different programs at one university and be offered admission to all three

·         Seven percent of their student body are international students and over half of those are American

 

University of Toronto

·         Located in Toronto, Ontario

·         Canada’s largest university- they have over 33,000 undergraduate students

·         They have three different campuses and students can choose which campus they want based on what they want to study and the type of environment they want

·         The largest campus is the St. George campus, which is located in downtown Toronto

·         The other two campuses- Mississauga and Scarborough- are both about 30 minutes away and house a smaller number of undergraduate students

·         Their largest faculty is the faculty of arts and sciences but they also have computer science, life sciences, architecture, engineering, music and kinesiology

·         Students can apply using the universal application for all universities in Ontario

 

University of St. Thomas

·         Located in Fredericton, New Brunswick (about two hours north of Maine)

·         They are an exclusively liberal arts university with only 2,400 students

·         They offer over 30 majors and specialize in interdisciplinary studies

·         Some of their more unique majors are human rights and journalism

·         They do not require the SAT or ACT but they do require an essay

 

Dalhousie University

·         Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia

·         They have over 18,000 students and approximately 13,000 are undergraduate students

·         They have twelve different faculties, including a new faculty in agriculture that offers a pre-veterinary program

·         They have a very popular environmental sustainability program and have a large focus on undergraduate research opportunities

·         They have a very international student body and students hail from 110 different countries

·         Applicants can apply to three different academic programs at one time

 

Many of the universities offer scholarships for American students and Americans studying in Canada are eligible for U.S. Federal Student Aid. These universities sounded like a great option for students who want to experience a world-class education at what could be a slightly lower cost. There are great universities in each of Canada’s provinces and many of them are not located too far from home! There are several members of the Class of 2013 who have applied to (and been accepted by) Candian universitites. If you are a junior who is interested in learning more about Candadian universities, talk to your college counselor!

Published by: LP