Tuition depends on the program, level and student status
All figures below are in Canadian dollars (CAD) for international students. A weekly language-school rate, a university average and a specific graduate-program fee answer different questions. Always check the period, inclusions and academic year before comparing them.
| Study level | Reference amount in CAD | Period, source and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Public primary or secondary school | 10,000–17,000 | Annual range, EduCanada, page updated August 2026. |
| Private day school | 15,000–30,000 | Annual range, EduCanada; confirm additional charges. |
| Private boarding school | 63,000–83,000 | Annual range, EduCanada; confirm accommodation, meals and holiday coverage. |
| Language courses | 340–425 | Weekly tuition range, EduCanada; multiply by actual study weeks. |
| College diploma | 16,000–25,000 | Annual range, EduCanada, including compulsory fees; books and materials extra. |
| Undergraduate degree | 41,746 | National 2025/26 average, Statistics Canada, in June 2025 constant dollars. A survey benchmark, not a 2026/27 fee quotation. |
| Research master’s example | 6,577.71 | SFU standard full-time research tuition, 2026/27: 3 × 2,192.57 per term. Compulsory fees extra; special-fee programs excluded. |
| Doctoral example | 9,570 | University of Toronto ECE PhD, September 2026–August 2027: international tuition and fees combined. Other departments may differ. |
The school ranges are orientation figures rather than quotes for a particular campus. For graduate study, compare the specific degree and funding offer. A professional master’s may have a different fee structure from a research master’s at the same university.
Ask whether fees are charged by credit, term, year or entire program. Also ask what happens during summer registration, a placement, a leave or an extra term needed to finish. For Canadian citizens and permanent residents, a different fee category may apply; do not reuse an international estimate without checking your assessment.
Two annual planning examples, with their assumptions visible
These are StudyCanada annualizations of SFU’s published 2026/27 planning figures, not SFU annual quotes or guaranteed residence packages. Example A uses two study terms of 15 units each; example B uses three research terms. Both assume 12 months in Canada and annualize the listed four-month housing and meal amounts over three terms. Future term prices and availability must be confirmed.
| Item | A · Undergraduate 30 units / 2 terms |
B · Research graduate 3 terms |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 37,888.00 | 6,577.71 |
| Supplementary fees | 1,056.00 | 1,362.00 |
| Books, technology and supplies allowance | 2,400.00 | 3,600.00 |
| Housing · North Towers / Hamilton Hall | 11,340.00 | 14,160.00 |
| Meals · annualized plan | 11,181.00 | 11,181.00 |
| Annual student health/dental plan | 365.00 | 592.00 |
| BC international student health fee · 12 months | 900.00 | 900.00 |
| Planning base · CAD | 65,130.00 | 38,372.71 |
Calculation: A tuition 18,944 × 2, supplementary fees 528 × 2, books 1,200 × 2, room 3,780 × 3; B tuition 2,192.57 × 3, supplementary fees 454 × 3, books 1,200 × 3, room 4,720 × 3. Meals: 3,727 × 3 in each case. Annual health/dental fees are counted once.
Housing is assumed available for the full year at the reference rate; this is not a reservation. The graduate meal plan is a budgeting choice, not a claim that every graduate resident must buy it. Adjust technology spending if you already own equipment. Supplementary fees include transit in the enrolled terms; add summer transport separately for example A. Annual levies and future housing prices may change.
These examples show why tuition alone is an incomplete comparison. They are Vancouver-area campus scenarios, not national minimums. Another city, shared housing, a different course load or a family accompanying the student can change the result considerably.
Complete the budget before calling it a total
Add actual quotes for flights, application and immigration fees, biometrics where applicable, initial medical coverage before provincial eligibility, phone service, personal expenses, settling in and emergency savings. Include program-specific equipment, fieldwork or placement travel. New-student charges and residence application costs may also apply.
Check insurance carefully: provincial health coverage, temporary arrival coverage and a student extended health/dental plan are not interchangeable. Avoid adding a housing deposit twice if it will later be credited against the rent already in your budget. Keep a separate cash-flow line for refundable deposits that still need to be paid initially.
Proof of funds is a separate immigration requirement
For applications submitted on or after 1 September 2026, IRCC lists 23,448 CAD for one person’s annual living expenses outside Quebec, excluding tuition and transportation. Accompanying family members change the amount. Quebec has its own financial requirements.
You must show the required resources without depending on work in Canada. For a longer program, the financing plan also needs to explain the remaining years. A regulatory threshold does not guarantee that it covers the rent, insurance and lifestyle of your chosen city.
Subtract confirmed support, not hoped-for income
Record a scholarship or assistantship only according to its written amount, period and conditions. Confirm whether the funding figure includes tuition, requires work or changes when another award is received. An advertised maximum or a funding statistic is not your individual offer.
For example, Toronto ECE’s 2026/27 standard MASc funding package is 57,200 CAD before tuition and fees, for students within the department’s guaranteed funding period. Its international tuition and fees are 36,700 CAD. The difference is 20,500 CAD before living expenses; that example cannot be applied to every Toronto master’s program or applicant.
Put scholarships awaiting a decision, possible family help and prospective student employment in a separate scenario. Your basic plan should show how you would meet committed costs if that additional income did not arrive.
Explore ways to finance your studies →Convert currencies without hiding the exchange-rate risk
Keep a CAD column as your reference. If your quoted rate is expressed as local-currency units per CAD, multiply the CAD amount by that rate, then add transfer charges. If the provider quotes the inverse, divide instead. Label the direction and date so that someone checking the spreadsheet can reproduce the calculation.
A published reference rate and a payment provider’s final quote may differ. Test a less favourable conversion for payments still outstanding; do not apply that variation to amounts already paid. Avoid presenting a fixed CAD-to-IDR, MYR, HKD, KRW or TWD rate as valid for the entire study period.
Plan when money must be available
A budget can balance over a year while leaving a shortfall on arrival. List admission deposits, tuition instalments, rent deposits and the first funding payment on a calendar. Keep access to enough usable funds for the interval before grants or wages are paid.
Read refund and cancellation conditions before booking travel or paying non-refundable charges. If your admission or permit is delayed, identify which payments can move to another intake and which would be lost. For a multi-year program, add renewal conditions and an allowance for possible fee increases.
Turn these references into your own comparison
- Choose a specific program and campus, with a written fee assessment.
- Use the same number of study terms and living months for each option.
- Record what is included, what is excluded and the date of each quote.
- Show the first-year cash need and the full-program cost separately.
- Compare confirmed funding and remaining costs, alongside academic fit.