In Canada, education is regulated by each separate provincial government through the individual ministries of education. The ministries of education oversee smaller bodies called boards of education or district school boards (such as the Toronto District School Board) which oversee the individual schools.

There are 10 provinces and three territories, each with their own way of organizing education, but there are some generalizations that one can make about Canadian education.

Most children attend publicly-funded schools which are run by the ministries, though some children do attend private schools. These private schools are run by independent operators who must conform to government guidelines regarding education.

Which school children attend most often depends on where they live. In the public school system, a certain school services a certain region; all the children who live within that region will attend that school. In some provinces, students from outside a school's region may apply to go to school there. This generally happens when a school has a reputation for excelling in a certain academic area.

Students attending a private school may come from many different areas. The schools may have dormitories for out-of-town and overseas students to live in.

Elementary / Secondary Schools

Elementary (or public) schools and secondary (or high) schools are the first step in Canadian education. The age of children in public school ranges from 3 - 13. The age of children in secondary school ranges from 14 - 18. In order to continue on to university or college, students in Canada must finish secondary school.

Public Secondary School (Public High School) - A secondary school funded by the provincial government run public organizations called boards of education or district school boards.

Private Secondary School (Private High School) - A secondary school funded through student tuition payments and run as a private organization which conforms to government guidelines and standards.
 

Undergraduate Schools

Undergraduate schools include universities, university colleges, colleges and career colleges. Degrees types granted by these schools include bachelor degrees, certificates and diplomas.
 

Graduate / Professional Schools

Graduate schools are publicly-funded schools that teach master's and doctorate (PhD) programs. Professional schools prepare people for careers such as doctors, dentists and lawyers.
 

Student Life

Life After School

Language Schools - All ages

Language schools may organize extracurricular activities for their students. These may include cultural activities such as trips to museums or historical sites, movie nights or game nights, or physical activities such as hikes or ski trips. Often, these trips are part of the school's curriculum. The purpose behind such an activity is to see a larger part of Canada, learning about geography, culture and history, and to give the students the chance to interact with a larger English- or French-speaking community. This interaction is a great way to improve conversational language skills.

Students from public school through post-graduate studies may spend their leisure time playing organized sports including softball, baseball, ice hockey, basketball, soccer, or informal sports such as Frisbee®, road hockey, tag or hide and seek. They may also spend their non-schooling hours shopping, seeing movies, going to concerts or plays, attending amateur or professional sporting events, or socializing with friends at restaurants, bars or coffee shops. As well, people may be involved in activities stemming from their place of worship.

Homestay

In most cases when international students are coming to Canada to study, they need a place to live. A homestay offers a unique environment for a student to get to experience Canadian life while providing a place for a student to say while they study.

A homestay is generally a room in the home of a Canadian family that an international student will stay in while they attend school. Sometimes the student and the family will work out the cost and the details of the homestay between themselves, but most of the time, it is the school that will make arrangements with the family to have its students stay with them.

Homestays are especially popular with students coming to Canada to study English or French as a second language, where the course of study may only be a few weeks or months long. In this kind of situation, living in a residence dorm or trying to find an apartment to stay in would not be practical because of the short amount of time the student will be in Canada. The student who stays in a homestay has the advantage of being surrounded by Canadian culture and English or French while they are away from the school environment.

International students coming to study at a post-secondary schools do sometimes stay in homestays, but this is more rare. More often, they live in university residences or in apartments or houses off-campus.

Many schools will have housing, homestay or residence offices and help students find places to live both on or off campus. If you know what school you want to go to, you may want to contact them to ask about where to live while you attend school.

Financial Aid

Attending school in Canada is more expensive for international students than for Canadian students, but that's the case in most situations when you are studying in a country that is not your own.

While there are some scholarships for international students wishing to come to Canada to study, there are not many and competition is very fierce.

Cost of Living

Insurance

When students come to Canada to study, they must have health insurance.

The following provinces cover international students under their Provincial Health Care Plans:

Alberta

Under the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan, students must register within three months of their arrival. Coverage costs approximately $44 CDN per month and is available for the term stated in the student authorization, which must be valid for more than three months. A letter from the student or educational institution confirming the intent of 12-month residency is required to determine eligibility. For more information, contact:

British Columbia

Under the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP), a student must hold a student authorization upon entering Canada to be eligible for medical coverage. As of January 1st, 1998, new medical regulations state that international students with student authorizations for six months or longer must be covered under the province's medical service plan. There is a three month waiting period and students should apply immediately upon commencement of studies. The cost is roughly $36 per month. Students should take out private medical insurance for the first three months OR if they will be studying for less than six months in total. Those studying for longer than six months should not acquire private medical insurance for any longer than this time period as it will still be mandatory for them to be covered by MSP.

Saskatchewan

Under Saskatchewan's medical plan, students must register immediately upon arrival. Coverage, which is free, is available for students and their dependants for the duration of the student authorization or visa.

The following provinces and territories do not cover international students under their Provincial Health Care Plans:

• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Québec
• Yukon

International students studying in these provinces must arrange for private medical coverage through private insurance companies. Please note however that international students attending an Ontario university or affiliated college will be required to purchase the compulsory University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP).

NOTE: All Ontario universities and their affiliated colleges, with the exception of the University of Windsor, require that international students and their dependents as well as international employees and their dependents studying and/or working at their institution purchase on a compulsory basis the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP).

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