HOW TO APPLY AND STUDY IN CANADA
Whether you are looking for a multicultural environment, global exposure, or high-ranked international Universities to study, Canada could be an ideal destination for you to study. Canada is full of Universities and colleges, technical schools, as well as applied arts and science institutions that provide a wide range of study options you can choose from.
According to worldwide rankings made by Times Higher Education, Shanghai University, and QS Rankings, over 30 Canadian universities are ranked in the top 300 global universities in the world.
If you’re planning to study in Canada and thinking of starting the admission process? then this is for you, all the information needed for easy processing:
- How to Search for a Program to study in Canada
- Admission Requirements to study in Canada
- Cv/Statement of Purpose
- Finding a Research Supervisor
- Program Options for Applicants with Low CGPA/Grades
- How to Fund Your Study in Canada?
There are questionnaires you need to answer before you start your study in the Canada application
- What program/course do you want to study and at what level? ( undergraduate or graduate)?
- Check if any Canadian institutions are offering the program of your interest.
- The cost and requirements
- Are you qualified?
- How will you fund your study?
- How do you intend to apply and when?
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Let’s talk about the questionnaires you need to answer before you start your study abroad application
1. What Program/Course do you want to Study and at What Level? (Undergraduate or Graduate)?
Give answer to the following questions yourself:
- What’s my educational level?
- What professional job am I doing presently?
- What are my future goals or where do I see myself in the future?
- Which programs suit my future goals?
- What is my interest?
Think about this very before you proceed with your study application
2. Check if any Canadian institutions are offering the program of your interest?
At this point, obviously, this is where google will be helpful. For example, if you want to study a Master’s in economics just search for a Master’s in economics program in Canada, and google will bring up enough information you can choose from.
3. Know the Cost and Requirements to Study in Canada
Narrow your options based on the information you found on Google and check the specific requirements at each university that offers the program. Check for the required average grade, tuition, available funding, application fees, intake, deadlines, etc.
4. Are you Qualified to Study in Canada?
Now that you know the admission requirements, you will know whether to proceed with the application process or not. Admission requirements vary by program/university, but if you are applying for an undergraduate program, your high school results will be the main focus. The type of program/university you can study will be determined by how good your high school result should be.
A minimum average of C4 in English is what most Institutions required if you are applying from Nigeria. If you have anything lower than that, it will be advisable you try some universities in Atlantic Canada or colleges that offer undergraduate programs.
If you are applying for a graduate study like a Master’s or PH.D. program. there are 6 requirements needed:
A. Your grade
B. Statement of purpose
C. Cv
D. Letter of recommendation
E. Proposed research if applying for thesis-based programs
F. English proficiency if your previous degree was not taught in English
Additionally, some business/finance-related programs may require standardized results such as GMAT or GRE. make sure you check the requirements for every course/program/university and provide the requirements accurately before applying.
A. Your grade
Your credentials do not need to go through the evaluation and assessment stage before you can apply for admission into any Canadian university. But certificates and transcripts from your previous degree will be needed for a successful application.
master/PH.D. in Canada are also competitive. Gaining admission depends on your CGPA. The minimum grade required is a CGPA of not less than 70-75% on a scale of 5.0% CGPA or at least 3.5, successful applicants that get entrance funding are those with higher grades.
If you couldn’t get this, there are other options.
ALSO READ: Guide on How to Convert CGPA to Percentage in 2022
Masters/PH.D. for students with low grades
Note that they always attached more importance to the cumulative average in the last two years of undergraduate study when reviewing graduate study applications.
therefore if you have a strong grade for the last two years or evidence of professional experience and research productivity, you may decide to give it a trial.
Additionally, you might decide to apply to schools that are not popular or schools that required you to get a research supervisor before you can apply for admission. This can increase your chance because your supervisor might back your application with more words during the application reviewing stage.
Summarily, here are some things you can do to increase your chances of studying abroad with low grades:
- Acquire professional working experience could be volunteering.
- Applying to a lower-ranked institution
- Build research and publication portfolio
- Apply for other degrees that are higher than a bachelor’s degree, not a master’s degree
- You can write exams like GRE, GMAT, or IELTS and score high marks
- Get a research supervisor
- Apply to government-based institutions in the USA or Europe/Australia
- Build your skills as you earn your degrees
In addition, there are some schools in Canada that international students with lower grades ( like 2:2 or second-class lower) can apply to for a master’s degree program.
Examples:
- Royal Roads University
- University of Canada West
- Saint Mary’s University
- University of Regina
- Memorial University
- Mount Saint Vincent University
- Thomson Rivers University
- Crandall University
- Saint Paul University
- University of Prince Edward Islands
More also, most students that got admission into the Master’s and PH.D. programs in Canada with low grades backed it up with a well-prepared admission application. They also complimented their low grades with one or more of the followings:
- Proof of higher grades from the last two years
- Taking the required standardized test like GMAT, GRE, and IELTS.
- Well-prepared documents like SOPs, recommendation letters, and CVs
- Research productivity, publication, and good research proposal portfolio
- Getting a research professor that is ready to supervise them
You can do numerous things to get into a graduate program like Master’s/PHDs in Canada with low grades.
Getting admission into graduate programs in Canada is tough but showing the admission committee more than the grades why you fit for the programs, and why you are a choice candidate is what it takes to succeed in getting admission.
The work is in your hands now that you have to know the basics things needed.
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Options for Students to Study in Canada with ND/HND
Being an ND or HND holder does not make you unqualified to study abroad, with both diplomas you are qualified to apply for a graduate certificate program.
B. Statement of Purpose
This part is where you sell yourself. like how you are fit for the program, why you want to study the course, your goals, why you are choosing the specific school, your professional background ad experience, and how the program will help you in achieving your goals.
You can reach out to our professional teams for a well-written statement of purpose and guidance.
3. CVs/Resume
Your CV is where you will show proof of all your professional experience, academic, and research. Make sure all your experience fits the program you are applying to. note that every school in Canada has a template of how a CV should be written. Google can be of help here.
4. Letter of Recommendation
This document is very important for your application. Here your referee should be someone who can asses your ability for graduate study and is able to state your potential to excel if granted admission.
Before submitting the name of your referee confirm first if they are able to write the letter individually.
They should be someone that can write most things about you like; your leadership traits, social attributes and extracurricular activities, your academic performance when they taught you, your ability to write and speak English fluently, how you handle work and life, and how you work well with others, name some projects you both have worked on before, they should also state everything that makes you qualify for the program.
5. How will you Fund your Study in Canada?
Studying abroad expenses such as tuition, living, and accommodation will cost you a lot of money. Also, you will need to show your financial standing (proof of financial support) to the visa consulate before your visa can be approved. the required funds for a Canadian study visa are at least your first-year tuition, this will depend on the program/school you applied to, and CAD 10,000 for living expenses. if you want to know more about the total amount of money you and your family will need to study in Canada kindly visit the IRCC websites here.
Therefore in a nutshell what will cost you to study in Canada is the total tuition plus living expenses as explained above.
How you can fund your study:
- Personal savings
- Universities scholarship (internal)
- External scholarship (individual/NGO/government)
- Grants
In Canada, students can be offered a scholarship with the offer letter but is strictly based on merit. However, you do not have to apply for a scholarship separately.
6. When and How do You Intend to Apply to Study in Canada?
Firstly to start your admission processing, you will apply directly to the university/college of your interest. You will find how to apply for each program on the school portal.
It is time to submit your application as soon as possible. you can process your application earlier to give admission, funding decision, and visa application.
In Canada, there are three intakes for international students, fall, winter, and summer. So applications for the fall term which is September are to be processed as early as August/September of the previous year through January/February of the resumption year.
If you want to fast-track your admission processing starts early, and confirm the deadlines to submit the application and then apply.
All the admission processes are strictly online, even the application fees are to be paid online, including the submission of the necessary documents such as the electronic and scanned copies of the transcript, certificates, and any other document as required on the school portal.
After your admission has been approved and the letter of acceptance has been issued, you might be asked to provide original copies of your results. if you’ve come this far, you have done well now you know a few things about studying in Canada, admission requirements, documents, requirements, possible sources of funding, etc.
If you have been offered a letter of admission and you are planning to apply for the study permit, kindly check the Canada immigration portal here or contact our professional team to help you through the process.
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