Canada is home to around 800,000 international students, which is one of the world’s largest student populations. So, if you also wish to come for further studies, here’s how you can pick your university in Canada.

Well, much of this popularity is because of the nation’s excellent educational institutions & promising employment & immigration possibilities after graduation. 

While having an abundance of education alternatives has benefited international students, it can make the task of selecting a college/ university in Canada a bit daunting. So, follow this guide as we will tell you how to pick your university in Canada. 

Part 1: Meeting Prerequisites 

Before selecting your ideal university & program in Canada, you will need to ensure that your institution of choice is a DLI. DLIs are the only educational institutions in Canada that are allowed to accept foreign applicants & offer them housing. 

In addition, international students have to ensure with their DLI that their chosen program meets the Post Graduation Work Permit requirements. A PGWP is given the duration of the length of study & is an open work permit. Moreover, it allows international graduates to work in most industries & for most employers. 

PGWPs are also vital for students who wish to settle permanently in Canada after their studies, as more PR pathways open to the students require a minimum of one year of full-time relevant & eligible work experience. 

Part 2: General School & Program Considerations 

Even before looking at the specific faculty/ program, students should take the time to assess more general characteristics of potential colleges/ universities to get a better idea of their post-secondary experience. As a result, students can select their university/ school based on overall merits & possibilities, which can be essential as 75-80% of undergraduates change their degree/ program at some point during their studies. 

Some of these considerations include:

  • Campus/ Student Life

In order to pick your university in Canada, you must keep certain things in mind. Well, campus/ student life encompasses factors like – what is life on a school campus? Where is it located relative to other amenities/ population centers? What school clubs & societies can be joined? What culinary options are available on or close to campus?, etc. 

  • Student Services 

Closely related to student life are services that students can avail: this can encompass students from medical assistance to access to alumni networks, preferable pricing & offers on services & goods, bus passes, etc. In addition, student services can be an excellent added bonus to one’s program & student life, with additional services potentially available to those who need them. 

  • Ratio Of Faculty To Students 

Another significant consideration is the ratio of faculty to students. This ratio can impact everything from quality to teaching to access to office hours, medical & health resources, & wider student services—usually, the more equal the ratio, the better.

  • Possibilities For Cooperative Learning

Co-op possibilities throughout the program can be a critical factor for many students. These programs offer students the ability to obtain placement in a business & gain valuable job & career experience. Often, these work opportunities are paid, thus offering students a valuable opportunity to earn money & significant professional in-roads before graduating. 

  • Job Prospects Upon Graduation   

The most significant consideration for many international students is job prospects upon graduation. One of the best resources to learn about this is from the specific college/ university that you are considering. Moreover, students can use websites like JobBank.ca to better understand labor & market conditions relevant to them. 

Part 3: Getting Specific 

In order to pick your university in Canada, it is vital to note that many international school ranking organizations post rankings of post-secondary institutions, both by school as well as program. These can be excellent resources to help narrow your search, specifically with the ability to filter rankings by numerous considerations like region/ nation, faculty/ field of study, etc. Moreover, both international students seeking to do general research on a school & those who wish to learn more about a specific faculty in a school can benefit from the data provided in these rankings. 

Three of the most widely cited are the QS university rankings, the Times Higher Education university rankings, & ARWU. Each of them uses a unique methodology to get their outcomes:

 

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings  

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings uses 13 metrics categorized into five sectors for evaluating universities. Moreover, institutions that do not offer undergraduate studies or underperform in research productivity are excluded from consideration in these rankings. 

The evaluation process includes the following five categories: 

  • Education (30%): 

This is determined by reputation survey (15%), faculty-to-student ratio (4.5%), ratio of doctoral to undergraduate degrees (2.25%), ratio of doctoral degrees granted to academic staff (6%), & overall institutional income (2.25%).

  • Research (30%):

This includes reputation survey data (18%), research income (6%), & the number of research papers per faculty member (6%). 

  • Citations Of Research (30%):

This is judged by the number of times a university’s research is cited, taking into account the specific academic field. 

  • International Perspective (7.5%):

International Perspective is based on the number of international versus domestic students (2.5%), international v/s domestic staff (2.5%), & the extent of international research collaborations (2.5%).

  • Income From Industry (2.5%):   

This is derived from the income from industry, calculated relative to the number of academic staff employed, & adjusted for PPP, i.e., Purchasing Power Parity. 

QS University Rankings 

QS University Rankings evaluates six key performance metrics related to research, teachings, student employability, & international outlook. In order to qualify for these rankings, a university must offer undergraduate & postgraduate programs. Further, they must engage in research across at least two of the five broad faculty sectors. 

The overall of the overall score is as follows: 

  • Academic Reputation (40%): 

This is obtained through a global survey of academic professionals, who are tasked with pointing out the top institutions in their respective fields. 

  • Employer Reputation (10%):

This data comes from a worldwide survey of graduate employers who specify the universities that yield the best graduates for their industry. 

  • Student-To-Faculty Ratio (20%):

This indicates the quality of teaching & support provided by the institution. 

  • Research Citations Per Faculty Members (20%): 

It is normalized by discipline. This reflects the effectiveness of a university’s research. 

  • Shares Of International Faculty (5%):

This demonstrates a university’s ability to recruit faculty from abroad. 

  • Shares Of International Students (5%): 

This demonstrates a university’s ability to recruit students from overseas. 

The Academic Ranking Of The World Universities/ Shanghai Ranking 

The ARWU gauges six measures of research excellence. The rankings consider all universities with Nobel Laureates, much-cited academics, Field Medalists, or a substantial volume of papers indexed by the SCIE or SSCI.   

  • Alumni (10%):

The total evaluation is determined by the count of an institution’s alumni who have obtained Nobel Prizes & Field Medals, placing emphasis on the most recent recipients.

  • Awards (20%):

This assessment is determined by the court of staff tied to an institution who have obtained Nobel Prizes in the divisions of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, & Economics, along with Fields Medals in Maths, thus emphasizing on the most recent recipients. 

  • Highly Cited Researchers (20%):

The evaluation is determined by the courts of an institutions’ highly cited researchers, aligned with the most current list publicized by Thomson Reuters. 

  • Papers In Nature & Science (20%):

This assessment relies on the number of papers issued in these two influential publications within a four-year window. This category does not apply to institutions specialized in social science & humanities. 

  • Papers Indexed (20%):

The evaluation is determined by the tally of papers indexed in the previous calendar year in the Science Citation Index – Expanded & Social Science Citation Index, with papers indexed in the Social Science Citation Index given twice the weight. 

  • Per Capita Performance (10%):

In this, the aggregate weighted scores from other indicators are divided by the total number of full-time equivalent academic staff within the institution. 

Location Considerations 

The final consideration before you pick your university in Canada is towards the location of the selected college/ university. The location might be a crucial factor in immigration, as it can qualify an international student for their local PNP. PNPs are designed to offer benefits of immigration across Canada & many provinces have specific streams for international graduates of institutions in their province. 

Moreover, many provinces further have a list of in-demand professions for applicants who have experience in those occupations. As a result, this can aid an international student’s ability to gain PR in Canada after their studies.