Best Canadian Universities for International Students (Fall 2027)

Rankings tell you which schools are famous. They don’t tell you what you’ll pay, which scholarships you can realistically win, or whether the visa rules changed since the last article you read. They did, more than once. This guide puts the 2027 rankings next to verified 2026-27 international tuition, scholarship deadlines and city rents, so you can compare schools on the things that decide your four years.

Figures checked November 4, 2026. All amounts in Canadian dollars.

Average intl tuition

$42,062

Undergraduate, 2026-27

Proof of funds

$23,448

Living costs, outside Quebec

Off-campus work

24 hrs

Per week during terms

In QS 2027

Canadian universities ranked

Our picks

Each school below wins on one thing an international student cares about. We picked them from published rankings, verified tuition, scholarship rules and rents, and we say what each choice costs you.

Best overall

University of Toronto

Canada’s top school in THE 2027 (22nd in the world), 32nd in QS 2027, and first in Maclean’s 2027 reputational ranking. It also runs the country’s best-known international scholarship.

The catch is price: $66,110 for Arts & Science and $72,860 for Engineering in 2026-27, before about $2,100 in incidental fees and $948 for UHIP health insurance.

Best value in the top three

McGill University

McGill is Canada’s highest-ranked school in QS 2027, at 30th. A BA costs $54,000 in tuition, which is $12,110 less than Arts & Science at U of T.

McGill also guarantees your entry-year tuition rate for the whole bachelor’s degree if you don’t take a break or switch programs. Studying in Quebec means getting a CAQ and showing $24,617 for living costs instead of $23,448.

Best for co-op

University of Waterloo

Waterloo runs more than 120 co-op programs, and about 77% of students take part. Every international first-year student gets an automatic $10,000 entrance scholarship.

Since April 1, 2026, you don’t need a separate co-op work permit. Budget for it, though: first-year Computer Science runs about $73,000 and Engineering about $75,000, including incidental fees, plus an $836 co-op fee.

Best for need-based aid

University of British Columbia

UBC’s International Scholars Program gives about 50 awards a year, sized to your family’s financial need and renewable for four years. Tuition rises for new international students are capped at 3% a year.

Arts costs $51,530 and Engineering $66,200 in 2026-27. The U-Pass is built into student fees at $43.35 a month, which is far below the $177 retail three-zone pass.

Best lower-cost big city

Concordia University

Concordia charges $1,160 a credit for Arts & Science and $1,285 for Engineering and Computer Science. That works out to roughly $34,800 and $38,550 for a 30-credit year.

Montreal one-bedroom asking rents averaged $1,480 in September 2026, compared with $2,090 in Toronto. Concordia ranks lower globally (=497 in QS 2027), so you’re trading prestige for savings.

Best on a tight budget

Memorial University

New international students at Memorial pay about $22,500 in tuition. That is around half the national average and a third of U of T.

Newfoundland and Labrador also had the lowest one-bedroom rent of any province in CMHC’s October 2025 survey, at $1,105. Memorial is ranked in QS 2027 and in THE 2027, at 551–600.

Waterloo co-op participation and Memorial tuition come from secondary sources. Check them on the school’s own site before you rely on them.

How the top 15 rank in 2027

We sorted the schools by QS 2027 because it ranks the most Canadian universities. THE and Maclean's often disagree with QS, and the gaps are worth reading.

University	QS 2027	THE 2027	Maclean's 2027 reputation
McGill University	30	43	3
University of Toronto	32	22	1
University of British Columbia	45	44	2
University of Alberta	96	=118	4
University of Waterloo	=113	178	6
Western University	=142	=212	9
Université de Montréal	=162	132	19
McMaster University	=174	=116	7
Queen's University	=179	=269	5
University of Ottawa	=228	=185	13
University of Calgary	249	=185	8
Dalhousie University	298	351–375	10
Simon Fraser University	312	351–375	11
York University	=322	451–500	14
University of Victoria	=370	301–325	12

McMaster is the clearest example: 8th in Canada in QS but 4th in THE, which weights research citations heavily. Queen’s goes the other way, 5th in Maclean’s reputation survey but =269 in THE. If one ranking drives your shortlist, know what it measures. Our Canadian university rankings page covers all 56 schools.

What tuition actually costs in 2026-27

International tuition for a first-year undergraduate, from each school's 2026-27 fee schedule. Waterloo's figures include incidental fees. The others are tuition only.

Arts or general first year

Toronto (Arts & Science)$66,110

Waterloo (Arts)~$58,000

Includes incidental fees

McGill (BA)$54,000

UBC (Arts)$51,530

Queen’s (Arts & Science)$44,810

Concordia (Arts & Science)~$34,800

$1,160 per credit × 30 credits

Memorial~$22,500

University	Engineering	Computer Science	Notes
Toronto	$72,860	$69,030 (year 2+)	First-year CS pays the Arts & Science fee
Waterloo	~$75,000	~$73,000	Includes incidental fees; co-op fee $836
McGill	$65,168	$64,786 (BSc)	Rate guaranteed for the degree
UBC	$66,200	$53,082 (Science)	Increases capped at 3% a year
Queen’s	$59,284	Not published here	Plus UHIP $948
Concordia	~$38,550	~$38,550	$1,285 per credit × 30

The national picture: Statistics Canada’s preliminary 2026-27 average for international undergraduates is $42,062, up 4.0%. Ontario averages $50,088 and Newfoundland and Labrador $18,911. The same degree can cost more than twice as much depending on the province. Our cheapest universities guide covers the low end in detail.

Rent where these schools are

Average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment, September 2026. Most first-year students live in residence or share, so treat this as the ceiling, not the floor.

Vancouver (UBC)$2,280

Toronto (U of T, York, TMU)$2,090

Victoria (UVic)$2,040

Ottawa (uOttawa, Carleton)$1,900

Kitchener-Waterloo (Waterloo)$1,740

Hamilton (McMaster)$1,720

London (Western)$1,560

Calgary (U of C)$1,550

Montreal (McGill, Concordia, UdeM)$1,480

Saskatoon (U of S)$1,340

Winnipeg (U of M)$1,320

Edmonton (U of A)$1,260

Edmonton is the sleeper pick here. The University of Alberta is 96th in QS 2027, rent is about $1,000 a month cheaper than Vancouver, and Alberta charges no health insurance premium for students with a 12-month study permit. Ontario charges $948 a year for UHIP and BC charges $75 a month for MSP.

Scholarships open to international students

Most big awards close before the regular admission deadline. Several of these need a nomination from your high school, which means talking to your counsellor months ahead.

Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship (U of T)

Covers tuition, books, incidental fees and full residence for four years. About 37 students win it each year. Your school must nominate you, and each school can nominate only one student. For fall 2027, the nomination deadline was October 9, 2026, and the scholarship application closes November 6, 2026.

International Scholars Program (UBC)

Four awards, including the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award. They cover tuition, fees, housing and living costs minus what your family can pay, and renew for up to three more years. You need a nomination and a separate teacher referee. The fall 2027 deadline is November 15, 2026. Applying to this program means UBC won’t also consider you for its merit-based international entrance awards.

Waterloo entrance scholarships

Every international first-year student gets a $10,000 International Student Entrance Scholarship, paid $5,000 a term, with no application. The Faculty of Mathematics also gives up to 10 Global Scholarships worth $12,000 to $40,000, and Science gives up to 15 awards worth $25,000 to $80,000 by application.

McGill entrance scholarships

A one-year $3,000 entrance scholarship is automatic. Major Entrance Scholarships of $3,000 to $12,000 a year are renewable but need a separate application, which is due around January 21, 2027. These details come from a secondary source, so confirm them on McGill’s site.

English requirements and deadlines

University	IELTS Academic	TOEFL iBT	Duolingo	Fall 2027 deadline
Toronto	6.5 (6.0 per band)	4.5 (new scale)	120	January 15, 2027 (OUAC)
Waterloo	6.5 (Writing and Speaking 6.5)	90 (Writing and Speaking 25)	120	Engineering January 15, others February 1, 2027
McGill	6.5 (6.0 per band)	90	125 (130 for BCom)	January 15, 2027

Requirements can differ by program. We could not verify UBC’s minimums, so check its English Language Admission Standard directly.

The rules that apply to every school

The school you pick doesn't change these, but they shape your budget and your plans after graduation.

Undergraduates need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) from the province where they’ll study. In Quebec, the CAQ does that job. Master’s and PhD students at public universities have been exempt since January 1, 2026.
You must show $23,448 for a year of living costs on top of tuition, or $24,617 in Quebec.
You can work 24 hours a week off campus during term and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks.
Bachelor’s graduates can get a post-graduation work permit with no field-of-study restriction, but they need CLB 7 in all four language skills.
Spouses of undergraduate students no longer qualify for an open work permit.
The 2027 study permit cap had not been announced as of November 4, 2026.

The details are in our Canada study permit rules for 2027 guide.

How we chose

We didn't build one weighted score, because the inputs aren't comparable yet. Only some of the 55 universities in our directory have verified 2026-27 international tuition, and schools publish it in different ways: per year, per credit, with or without fees. A score built on those gaps would look precise and mean little.

Instead, each pick wins on one measure: global ranking, value for money among top schools, co-op access, need-based aid, big-city cost or total cost. We used QS 2027, THE 2027 and Maclean’s 2027 for rankings, school fee schedules for tuition, Rentals.ca and CMHC for rent, and canada.ca for immigration rules. We’ll widen the comparison as more schools publish 2027-28 fees.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best university in Canada for international students?

The University of Toronto has the strongest case overall. It is Canada's top school in the THE 2027 rankings (22nd in the world), second in Canada in QS 2027, and first in Maclean's 2027 reputational ranking. It also runs the Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship. It is also one of the most expensive options, at $66,110 a year in international tuition for Arts & Science.

Which top Canadian university is cheapest for international students?

Among the three highest-ranked schools, McGill is the cheapest for arts students: a BA costs $54,000 in 2026-27 tuition, against $66,110 at the University of Toronto. McGill also locks in your entry-year tuition rate for the length of your bachelor's degree. Outside the top tier, Concordia charges about $34,800 for 30 credits in Arts & Science.

How much money do I need to study in Canada as an international student?

You need your first year of tuition plus at least $23,448 for living costs if you apply for a study permit outside Quebec on or after September 1, 2026. Quebec requires $24,617 for one adult. Those amounts do not include tuition or travel.

Do university rankings affect my post-graduation work permit?

No. PGWP eligibility depends on your school being a PGWP-eligible institution, your program length, and a language test result, not on rankings. Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral graduates need CLB 7 or NCLC 7, and degree programs have no field-of-study requirement.

Can international students work while studying in Canada?

Yes. You can work up to 24 hours a week off campus during school terms and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks. Since April 1, 2026, post-secondary students no longer need a separate co-op work permit for a required placement that makes up half or less of the program.