MBA in Canada: Living Cost & Tuition Fees, Eligibility & Colleges for Indian Students

According to the QS World University Rankings 2021, six of the world’s top 150 universities are in Canada. Canada is one of the safest places in the world, and has been tagged as the world’s most educated country based on OECD data; for these reasons, Canada is becoming an attractive destination for international students. In 2021, according to new Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data, 621,565 international students held study visas for programs of duration six months or more. In this article, we will look at studies in Canada for an international student, and we will focus more on MBA degree. We will also inform you about the duration of the course, fee-structure, cost of living, eligibility criteria and post-study opportunities with respect to MBA programs in Canada.

Why Canada?

A booming economy, cultural diversity, and pro-immigration policies of this country attract students from across the globe. High living standards, affordable and quality education, multicultural society, and a dynamic and well-integrated labor market make this country a hot favorite among the international students. It is amongst the top five destinations in the world for pursuing higher education.

Major cities in Canada

• Vancouver
• Montréal
• Québec City
• Toronto

Advantages of Pursuing a MBA?

Whether you want to work at a managerial position, or as an entrepreneur, a good MBA degree will always help you manage a business more effectively. MBA is fruitful for those who want to gain managerial acumen. Companies prefer professionals who have good communication and interpersonal skills, along with the ability to solve complex problems in a competitive business environment.

Benefits of pursuing MBA from Canada are:

• Admission and visa process are simple.
• Education institutes/Colleges in Canada offer internationally recognized degrees at a relatively affordable cost.
• Business programs offered by Canadian institutes give a boost to the careers of the MBA professionals, thus ultimately enhancing their earning potential.
• The internship programs help the students to get an insight into the industry.
• The MBA degree helps in gaining practical knowledge, which can be applied in real-world business scenario.

Cost/Quality of Life

Canada offers a high-quality lifestyle to its citizens and the state provides various social services such as world-class health service. The average MBA tuition fee in Canada costs around $30,000 - $40,000, with a range of $16,000 - $90,000, which is lesser in comparison to what US universities charge. The overall MBA in Canada costs less than in the US.

Note: Quality of life also depends on the city and individual lifestyle.

MBA in top Business Schools in Canada

College/University	Duration	Tuition Fee (for 1st year)
Rotman School of Management	2 years	CAD 66,210
Queen’s Smith School of Business	1 year	CAD 133,355
York University – Schulich	2 years	CAD 56,125
McGill Desautel	20 months	CAD 49,750
University of Alberta	20 months	CAD 30,000
HEC Montréal	1 year	CAD 59,000
UBC Sauder	16 months	CAD 73,642
Ivey Business School	1 year	CAD 123,500

(Source: Shikshastudyabraod.com)

Colleges offering MBA in Canada

• You can check out the most affordable colleges offering MBA in Canada here
• Apart from this, you can also check out the list of universities offering MBA in Canada here
• Check out the list of publicly funded MBA colleges in Canada here

Scholarships/Financial Aid

MBA, being a professional course, has a limited scope of fetching financial aid for international students. However, some students can get scholarships based on their excellent academic background, work experience, and other achievements relevant to the program. Many a times students are awarded part waiver because of their top score in GMAT and other academic achievements. Apart from this, candidates can apply to these popular scholarship programs:

• Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS): The aim of this fellowship is to provide quality education at the master's and doctoral levels. It is funded by the government.
• University of Waterloo Graduate Scholarship: The University of Waterloo offers this scholarship to meritorious students who are pursuing graduate studies.
• Central Sector Scheme of National Overseas Scholarship for SC etc. candidates- (All countries except UK): This scholarship is awarded to the meritorious students who wish to pursue master's or Ph.D. abroad.
• Scotiabank Scholarship: Scotiabank provides a scholarship of CAD 30,000.
• Go Clean Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded to meritorious students and want to pursue their higher studies abroad.
• There are various other scholarships such as Claude Winspear MBA Award, Accelerated Career Scholarship, Robert Krembil Scholarship of Merit, etc. which are provided by various institutions.

Check out the list of MBA colleges offering scholarships in Canada here

Eligibility/Requirements for studying MBA in Canada

Some of the basic requirements for getting admission in MBA programs:

• Bachelor’s degree: The candidate must have a bachelor's degree from a recognized university/institution.
• Work experience: For MBA admissions, universities usually give preference to those candidates who have work experience. It is not a mandatory requirement; however, it gives an edge to the aspirants over others. Some universities may keep work experience as mandatory criteria. It is advisable for the candidates to check the admissions criteria well in advance to avoid last minute confusion.
• English Language Proficiency: If the candidates belong to a non-native English-speaking country then they need to prove their English language proficiency. They need to secure a good IELTS or TOEFL score for securing admission.
• GMAT: A good GMAT score is required to get into a top university/college to pursue an MBA program in Canada. Not only does it increase your chances of selection, but also opens up the doors for possible scholarships.

Most universities require candidates to submit a GMAT score for admissions. You need to visit the official GMAT website and register for the test. Also, every college has a different GMAT score requirement. So, you must check the average GMAT scores of the universities that you want to target and study hard accordingly.

Application Process

As the whole application process is quite lengthy make sure to apply at least 15 to 18 months before the beginning of your target session. Also, you can get the application forms for most of the universities on their official websites.

Documents required for the application process:

• Academic record: It includes all documents related to your graduate program, including the transcripts.
• Standard admission tests: GMAT test scores and English language proficiency test (TOEFL/IELTS) scores.
• Bank statements and financial documents.
• Work experience: Documents highlighting your work experience.
• Letters of Recommendation from your existing and previous supervisors. It can be your current and previous managers/supervisors and your graduate faculty who have judged your work closely. Different universities have different requirements for Letters of Recommendation.
• Admission Essay or Statement of Purpose: It is one of the key elements of the application. This helps the admissions committee to evaluate the aspirant.  
• Visa documents: Documents related to visa.

Salary/Job opportunities after MBA

There is no dearth of opportunities for the right candidate. MBA graduates receive high salaries in various lucrative roles. After completing their MBA program, they can work in various sectors like:

• Finance and Accounting
• Consultancy
• General Management
• IT services
• Healthcare Management
• Education
• Oil and Gas
• Legal jobs

Apart from this, MBA graduates can also work for various departments of the Canadian government and help in running the administration effectively. Moreover, management graduates can also work in technical management, sales, marketing, product, and project management.

Post-Study Rules

International students who pursued their MBA from an institution approved by the provincial or territorial government are eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Those who are pursuing 2 year MBA program can stay up to three years after completion of their course. Also, the programs where time duration ranges from 8 months to 2 years, students can stay up to the length of the study program. Apart from this, qualified students can also apply for permanent residency through the Express Entry program.

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MBA in Singapore	MBA in Sweden
MBA in New Zealand	MBA in Ireland