Types Of Higher Education Institutes In Canada

Canada always extends the heartiest welcome to all international students. The country provides a high standard of life as well as magnificent academics from the top educators of the world. You will experience a distinguished experience of life and culture that is beyond comparison. The most important factor that matters to everyone while planning overseas education is the cost of education which is quite inexpensive in Canada. So you can study within your budget. But you should be aware of the higher education system prevailing in Canada while planning. There are two types of post-secondary education institutes in Canada:

1.   Degree-granting institutes

2.   Non-Degree granting institutes

1. DEGREE GRANTING INSTITUTES

As the name suggests, these institutes offer courses or programs in which students are awarded degrees after completion. This type of institutes includes Universities, colleges, institutes of technology, and some specialized institutes. The degrees are accoladed at three continuous levels i.e. bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral. And the academic year for these degrees is divided into two semesters. Liberal Arts Colleges are also present in Canada offering undergraduate degrees. They aim at imparting general intellectual knowledge in diverse subjects apart from professional and technical knowledge. These institutes including Liberal Arts colleges can be either public (funded by the government) or Private (funded by other donations excluding the federal government). Masters and Ph.D. programs are offered by Universities only in Canada. As of 2016, there are 96 universities in Canada offering courses in two languages – English and French. According to the IRCC reports as of December 2019; 642,480 international students were enrolled in Canadian Universities at all levels out of which 172,625 are Indian students which accounts for 30% of overall international students.

2. NON-DEGREE GRANTING INSTITUTES

This type of institutes includes schools, academy, community colleges, regional colleges, colleges of applied arts, private career colleges. These institutes primarily offer certificate or diploma courses in numerous subjects. They also provide technical training in diversified subjects. They offer these courses from large urban cities to remote areas. These institutes provide advanced learning and vocationally oriented programs in multiple disciplines such as business, agriculture, science, technology, health, and skilled services. Some of the institutes also offer apprenticeship programs that mostly result in certificates. There are many colleges and institutes which offer specialized postgraduate diplomas for those students who have completed their graduation. So, these institutes provide an alternative option for higher studies to those students who do not want to pursue undergraduate or graduate programs. The main benefit of these diploma courses is that they provide customized training skills for industry and that leads to professional upgradation. Their admission requirements are more malleable than those of universities. They require their own academic standings and qualifications and some standardized tests. All these things are considered to be paramount for admissions.