This post is a comprehensive list of free university degrees in Canada for international students who wish to pursue a degree at no expense in a Canadian institution.
Keep reading this post to see more details on list of tuition free universities in canada for international students, 2 year masters programs in canada for international students, cheap universities in canada for masters, and affordable universities in canada.
Free Masters Degree in Canada
Canada is internationally recognized as one of the top education hubs thus many people from all corners of the earth flock there annually in search of quality education and degrees. The country – Canada – has some of the best universities in the world and they are well known for their contributions to some of the major developments the world is enjoying today.
Canadian universities offer quality education in the arts, physical and natural sciences, engineering, and business studies.
This quality also goes on to reach the degrees these institutions offer, they are among the top recognized degrees in the world and are recognized by every institution and organization all over the world.
Whether it is a bachelor, master’s, postgraduate, or doctorate program you want to pursue, Canadian universities offer them all. Students from all over the globe are also welcome to partake and enjoin in her quality education services.
About Tuition Free Universities in Canada
To be honest, there are no tuition-free universities in Canada, either for international or domestic students all universities in the country are paid for. But, you can still enjoy a tuition-free education in your favorite Canadian university by applying for fully-funded scholarships that will fund your education all through the years.
To boost student encouragement, the Canadian government, charity organizations, wealthy individuals, and institutions in Canada come together annually to offer scholarship opportunities to students.
These scholarships come in different forms, such as bursaries, fully-funded and partly-funded scholarships, fellowships, and other forms of financial aid.
However, we won’t be going into the other forms of scholarships, and financial aid asides from the fully-funded scholarships.
This article is designed to help you study for free in Canada as an international student. Fortunately, some scholarship opportunities are designed for this specific purpose, while some of them are offered directly by the school, others are provided by some organization that then makes it available through the school you’re applying for.
Nevertheless, we will provide you with a list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students. Not “tuition-free institutions” per se, but universities that offer full scholarships to international students.
Students who are selected for these full-tuition scholarships school in these Canadian host universities fully for free without any tuition fees.
With a fully-funded scholarship, you won’t have to pay tuition if you keep up with the scholarship requirement that is put in place to maintain the scholarship till the end of your studies.
Thus, you may go on to complete your degree at that university without paying tuition fees. So the universities I have provided here are institutions that offer fully-funded scholarships to international students.
Well, you may have to pay living expenses – that is if the scholarship doesn’t even cover it – and other expenses but tuition fee is the major expenses that are covered by these scholarships.
Without further ado, let us dive into the main topic.
List of Tuition Free Universities in Canada for International Students
The following is the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students or you may refer to them as universities in Canada that offer fully-funded scholarships to international students. These universities are;
1. Saint Mary’s University
Saint Mary’s University is included in the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students as it provides a series of fully-funded scholarships to international students who aim to pursue an undergraduate degree at the institution.
This higher institution of learning annually provides up to eight different scholarships to international students seeking to pursue an undergraduate degree program at Saint Mary’s.
All of the scholarships are renewable, thus you can be on them till the end of your program as long as you keep up the renewal requirement.
The scholarships are also available only to newcomers (first-year students) who show excellent academic performance and to those who show verifiable financial needs.
2. Concordia University
Concordia University joins in the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students as provides a newly established full flight award known as the Presidential Scholarship.
Just as you may have guessed, the award is fully-funded and renewable for up to four years assuming the winner maintains the renewal requirement.
The Concordia Presidential Scholarship is only for international students seeking to pursue a degree in any of the undergraduate programs.
Students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership skills, and motivation to make the global community better are highly suitable for winning this scholarship.
The award is granted annually and is highly competitive, and aside from tuition it also covers books and living expenses.
3. Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology is one of the many institutions in Canada that can make it on the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students.
This higher institution of learning sets aside $5 million annually for scholarships awarded to international students across all programs of study.
The awards are for incoming students who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, involvement in their various communities, and other areas of success and support.
The scholarship is also renewable for up to four years as long as winners maintain the renewal requirement, thus you can study a program of your choice tuition-free at a top institution like the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
4. The University of Toronto
There are a series of funding opportunities available at the University of Toronto which are partially funded, fully funded, and also available to all student types on all degree programs and levels of study.
However, this prestigious institution can make it to the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students because of the Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship Program that they offer.
The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship Program is actually offered by some top-ranking institutions in Canada, and the University of Toronto is one of them.
The scholarship program is fully funded going on to cover tuition, books, incidental fees, and full residence support for four years which makes winners of this award tuition-free students of the University of Toronto.
The scholarship is awarded annually to incoming students who want to pursue an undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto.
The award is mainly targeted at international students who are critical thinkers, have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership abilities, and are enthusiastic about learning and intellectual exploration.
5. The University of Calgary
The University of Calgary makes it to this list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students because it has a lot of government and individually funded scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students offered through the school.
Although the scholarships are both fully funded and partially funded, while some are fellowships, bursaries, and other forms of financial aid.
But since we are providing you with scholarships that will make your education in Canada as an international graduate student tuition-free, then the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) is the best option for you.
The VCGS scholarship is meant for only graduate students and it is renewable for up to three years of graduate studies. The scholarship is a government-funded one and is provided via various universities across Canada, the University of Calgary also happens to be one of them.
Fortunately, we recently prepared an article on the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships which you may find useful as it includes all details like application requirements and deadline, the application process, eligibility, and universities that provide the scholarship.
That aside, undergraduate international students aren’t left out as they too can pursue any bachelor degree program of their choice tuition-free through the University of Calgary International Entrance Scholarship.
The award is renewable for up to four years as long as the winner maintains the renewal requirement.
6. The University of Waterloo
Wondering why this institution made it to the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students? Here’s why?
The top two fully-funded scholarships for international students in Canada are offered via the University of Waterloo. They are the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Scholarships and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, which are available to both masters and graduate students till the end of their study at Waterloo.
Fortunately, we have a fully detailed article on both the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Scholarships and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship which contains all useful information including the application process, requirements, and deadline.
7. Carleton University
Here’s another top Canadian university on the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students, where you can pursue an undergraduate degree program at zero cost. This is made possible through the Carleton University entrance awards for international students and it is only for students entering the institution for the first time.
The scholarship will be renewed for an additional three years if you meet up the renewal requirements.
8. York University
York University is a top Canadian citadel of learning and provides a series of scholarship opportunities that international students can apply for. However, there are only three of these scholarships that are completely fully funded which allows international students to study tuition-free at York University.
These scholarships are York University Automatic Entrance Scholarships, International Entrance Scholarship of Distinction, and the Global Leader of Tomorrow Award for International Students.
These scholarships are only for international students who want to pursue an undergraduate degree program at York University. These scholarships are renewable for three additional years to students who win them, which is why York University is on the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students.
If after you’ve won the award and can maintain academic standing each year, you’d study and complete your bachelor’s degree at York University without paying tuition fees.
9. The University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is one of the top-ranking higher institutions of learning in Canada and provides three prestigious need and merit-based scholarships program available via the UBC’s International Scholars Program.
These awards are fully funded and if you get to maintain the renewal requirements after you’ve been selected for the scholarship, they can be renewed for an additional three years.
You’ll see yourself pursuing and getting your preferred bachelor’s degree program at a top-ranking institution without having to worry about tuition fees.
This brings an end to the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students or as you have come to see it, a list of universities in Canada that offer fully funded scholarships in Canada. More universities in Canada offer scholarships too, but the ones here are handpicked because they offer fully-funded scholarships and serve as you going to a tuition-free Canadian university.
Conclusion
You may have noticed that there are more of these scholarships for undergraduates than graduate students. This is because most of them are reserved for Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. There are also other scholarships funded by private individuals and organizations which are then funneled to students via some universities.
Some of them are the Vanier CGS, Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Scholarships, and others that aren’t listed here.
However, we do have various articles concerning all kinds of scholarships that you can apply for as an international student entering either the bachelor, master’s, postgraduate or doctoral programs of study.
The links to details of these scholarship opportunities I have shared in the recommendation below. Also, note that the requirements of the scholarship for the list of tuition-free universities in Canada for international students listed in this post vary by program of study, and in some cases, the country you’re coming from.