All universities in Canada fall under the provincial management of the respective province the institution is in. The federal government does provide financial support through grants, scholarships, and some blended transfer payments; however the vast majority of funding comes from the provincial Ministry of Education and of course tuition payment.

Accredited Universities in Canada

There are countless educational institutes in Canada, but none are more familiar than Canadian Universities. Accredited universities in Canada number (at time of writing) number 83. That is to say these are ‘degree-granting’ institutions. The AUCC (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada is the organization that differentiations all of Canada’s post-secondary learning institutions.

So where do you go if you’re goal is a bachelor degree, masters degree, or doctorate? As you’ll soon see there is a lot of choice depending on your goal, budget, location preferences, etc. Canada boasts some of the best-kept-secrets when it comes to universities.

It is also important to note that because universities are governed and funded largely provincially, there are wide ranging differences in the various institutions across Canada. But I’ll get into this in more detail later.

FUN FACT: Did you know that Canada has one of the highest university-educated workforces in the world? It’s about 1 in 4 ratio!

Canada is home to some of the oldest and world-recognized institutions in North America. Not only are Canadian universities popular with Canadian students, but also foreign students wishing to study abroad. With a stable democracy, safe environment, and multicultural focused society, living and studying in Canada is seen as a very attractive option for many, many international students.

We offer a complete list of universities in Canada, but also encourage you to check out the university websites thoroughly to get a feel for the school and their programs. Research is the key when choosing where to study.

In terms of cost, tuition is usually the inverse of what the province covers for their universities. Universities in the east provinces (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick) tend to have higher tuitions as there is less public funding. Quebec on the other hand has some of the lowest tuition rates in Canada. For specific details though, I highly encourage you to check out the university list in Canada and contact the admissions office.

Finally, here’s a spread of universities across Canada and their respective concentrations. You will notices that the larger city cores have more than one (and in some cases several!) degree-granting university. I’ve indicated the number of city core universities out of the total to give you an idea of proportion).

UNI IN CANADA

• Newfoundland and Labrador Universities – 1
• Prince Edward Island Universities – 1
• Nova Scotia Universities – 11 (6 in Halifax)
• New Brunswick Universities – 7 (2 in Fredericton/2 in Moncton)
• Quebec Universities – 17 (8 in Montreal/2 in Quebec City) (Note: 14/17 of Quebec’s Universities are francophone/French Language)
• Ontario Universities – 23 (5 in Toronto/4 in Ottawa)
• Manitoba Universities – 5 (4 in Winnipeg)
• Saskatchewan Universities – 3
• Alberta Universities – 5 (3 in Calgary/3 in Edmonton)*** (***Note: University of Lethbridge has campuses in both Edmonton and Calgary)
• British Columbia/BC Universities – 11 (5 in Vancouver/3 in Victoria)