Education System

The Canadian education system comprises of :Elementary / Secondary

Universities & University Colleges

Canada has a large selection of universities and university colleges. Canadian universities are largely publicly funded; as a result they are of a consistently high quality, regardless of location or area of study. They all retain a high degree of academic autonomy. They offer a broad range of courses and a full range of degrees from undergraduate to doctorates, and can also offer certificates and professional degrees. The university year usually runs from September to May. Some universities are on a semester or trimester system, with all courses available even in the summer. University Colleges offers university degrees as well as college diploma and certificate programs.

Community Colleges

The Community Colleges offer certificate and diploma programs in career and vocational.training.

Career Colleges

A technical/career college is a privately owned and operated school with the main objective of preparing students for the job market after a short period of instruction.

Entry level

Admission Requirements vary from Institution to Institution, in Canada.

Successful completion of the equivalent of a Canadian secondary school academic program with strong marks. Proof of strong proficiency in English (or French if studies in French).

Students may be required to provide proof of language proficiency by way of a language proficiency test (For example TOEFL- Test of English as a Foreign Language administered by Educational Testing Service in USA, IELTS - International English Language Testing System administered by the British Council). Generally, Francophone universities require international students to complete their own test of French proficiency.

Some institutions have other forms of English or French language assessment; they may offer their own language proficiency test or, may admit students to academic programs on the basis of having successfully completed that institution's language program

There is no Canada wide entrance test as each university sets its own admission standards and assesses the qualifications of each applicant individually.

Undergraduate Programme

For seeking admission to an undergraduate course, a minimum of twelve years of education is the required qualification. Students pursuing the Indian School Certificate Examination (ISCE) have an advantage as ISCE system is similar to the British System and its is easy to interpret for the US colleges. In case of CBSE and State Boards the student may have to communicate course contents, level of study etc., to the university.

Postgraduate Programme

For any postgraduate programme, you need to have completed 16 years of education, i.e. 10+2+4. This means that you cannot pursue a master's course in Canada if you have completed a three year degree course in India. You therefore need to pursue a one year postgraduate diploma or a two year post graduate degree if you are interested in further studies in America/Canada.

Degree holders in Engineering and medicine however don't have any such problem.

Postgraduate Management Programme

Most colleges require an educational level of 10+2+3. The top colleges however insist on 10+2+4. In both cases, a minimum work experience of two years is also required.

Graduate Management Aptitude Test is required for the MBA aspirants. The test assesses the verbal, analytical and mathematical skills of the candidate. The test is held in a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) format and the candidate requires having the basic computer skills. Questions are displayed in the computer screen one at a time and system ‘adapts’ the level of the following questions based on the responses of the candidate. A score of 650 and above is considered excellent. The test is held in October, January, March and June all over the world and details on it are available in the test bulletin.