Where to study in Canada

The Council for International Schools is bringing 15 universities and colleges to the region. This is an excellent occasion for students and their families to investigate courses of study, admission requirements and application procedures at some of the top educational institutions in Canada.

The University Fair will be held in Dubai.

Date: Monday, February 4
Time: 10am to 9pm
Venue: Traders Hotel

Here are the specifics on the visiting schools:

University of Alberta

Email: welcome@international.ualberta.ca
Web: http://www.international.ualberta.ca
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, MD, LLB, DDS
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent
Undergraduate Enrolment: 30,550
International Enrolment: 2,500 from 130 countries
Total Enrolment: 36,601
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $16,959
Room & Board $4,800 - $6,400
Scholarships and awards for international students:

The University of Alberta's student awards office gives out over $24 million in undergraduate scholarships each year to outstanding students. In 2007, the university granted nearly $2 million in entrance scholarships for international undergraduate students. Entrance awards range from $500 to $25,000.

The University of Alberta, founded in 1908, is one of Canada's leading research and teaching institutions. It is located in Edmonton, Alberta in Western Canada and has over 35,000 students. The university offers bachelors, masters and doctoral programmes in 17 faculties, with over 200 undergraduate programmes and 170 graduate programmes.

Camosun College

Email: inted@camosun.bc.ca
Web site: http://www.camosun.bc.ca/international
Degrees Offered: Associate degrees in Arts and Sciences, 4-year Applied Bachelors degrees in Business Administration with three focus options, 2-year Diplomas and 1-year

Certificates
Intitutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget (2 semesters):
Tuition $10,940
Room & Board $5,600

Scholarships and awards for international students:
International Student Award

International Academic Advancement Scholarship
Camosun College is located in Victoria, British Columbia. It is a community college with two campuses. Camosun is a publicly-funded institution with programmes in the areas of business, engineering, trades and technology, arts and science, health and human services and sports.

It serves as a bridge for international students who plan to transfer to a BC university to complete a bachelor's degree: University of Victoria, University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. BC offers a well-established college-to-university transfer system, known as 2+2 (two years in college followed by two years in university)

Carleton University

Email: international@carleton.ca
Web site: www.carleton.ca/admissions
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, MBA
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, suburban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $14,068-$15,955 (international)
$5,081-$6,891 (domestic)
Room & Board $6,300-$7,582

Scholarships and awards for international students:
For all students: Merit-based automatic entrance scholarships: $1,000-$16,000.
Number of students who received an award 2006/2007: 8,442

Founded in 1942, Carleton University is located in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. It is a comprehensive campus-based university on 62 hectares of parkland. Popular programmes include 13 streams of engineering, a wide range of science degrees, and commerce and international business.

Undergraduate and graduate programmes are offered in more than 50 disciplines across the faculties of arts and social sciences, public affairs and management, business, engineering and design, and science. Carleton offers a variety of hands-on experiences through many co-operative education programmes, work placements, field placements and internships.

Carleton University automatically offers entrance scholarships (ranging from $1,000 to $16,000 over 4 years) to qualified international students who are clear of any English language conditions. Similarly, co-operative education (co-op) paid work placements are also available to students maintaining a B average who have fulfiled English language requirements.

Dalhousie University

Email: admissions@dal.ca
Web site: www.discover.dal.ca
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, MBA, MD, Dentistry, LLB
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, and co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition and related fees US$14,060
Room and Board US$7680
International Student Health Plan US$610
Books US$1000

Scholarships and awards for international students:
Dalhousie University offers more than 3,600 diverse courses in over 180 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees — far more than most Canadian universities.

The academic offerings include strong programmes in arts, business, computer science, engineering, health related studies and science as well as a number of unique options such as community design, informatics and food science.

Numerous co-op programmes are available and are extremely popular with current students. Its research standing is so strong that in 2007, The Scientist magazine named Dalhousie the best place in the world — outside the United States — at which to conduct scientific research. Its collaborative learning community encourages Canadian and international students alike to interact with one another and with faculty experts to share ideas and share new perspectives.

Malaspina University-College

Email: study@mala.bc.ca;
Website: http://www.mala.ca
Degrees Offered: Certificate, Diploma, Bachelors and Masters
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent and co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition and related fees US$10,200
Room and Board US$4,800
Books US$1,200

Malaspina University-College is a fully-accredited, government-funded institution offering masters in business administration degrees, a variety of quality undergraduate degrees, university transfer programmes, two-year diplomas and one-year certificates in academic, career, technical and trades programmes.

Malaspina enrolls 10,500 students and hosts over 1,000 international students from over 40 countries. Malaspina also delivers a five-level ESL certificate programme which allows second language students direct access to academic programming in the top 3 levels.

One of Malaspina's distinguishing features is that small personal classes are taught by experienced and highly qualified instructors.

Students may also want to consider participating in a co-op work programme in the fisheries and aquaculture, hospitality management, tourism and recreation management programmes. This provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable paid work experience during the completion of their degree programmes.

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Email: shona@mun.ca; Web: http://www.mun.ca/become
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent and co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition and related fees US$8,800
Room and Board US$5,466
Books US$1,500

Scholarships and awards for international students:
Merit, $2,000 and $3,000 non-renewable.

Memorial University of Newfoundland was created in 1925. This publicly funded institution offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree options in arts, business, education, engineering and applied science, human kinetics and recreation, medicine, music, nursing, pharmacy, resource management, science and social work. English as second language programmes are also available for those who do not meet Memorial's English language proficiency requirements.

Memorial is distributed over four campuses, the largest located in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital city of St. John's. Memorial's Marine Institute, also in St. John's, is Canada's largest and most comprehensive marine training institute. On the west coast of the island is Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, a small, liberal arts and science campus.

Memorial also has a campus in Harlow, England. Memorial operates on a tri-semester system with semesters in fall, winter and spring. Most students apply for fall semester which has a general university application deadline date of March 1.

Ryerson University

Email: international@ryerson.ca
Website:www.ryerson.ca/undergraduate/admission/international Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, MBA
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $13,500 – $14,500
Room & Board $6,500 - $10,000
Scholarships and awards for international students:
For Canadian citizens/ permanent residents: Need-based and merit-based
For all others: Merit-based

Located in downtown Toronto, Ryerson University offers close to 80 bachelors, masters and doctorate programmes in the areas of: arts; business; communications and design; community services, engineering, architecture and science.

Undergraduate degrees include: bachelor of arts (BA), bachelor of applied science (BASc), bachelor of architectural science (BArchSc), bachelor of commerce (BComm), bachelor of design (BDes), bachelor of engineering (BEng), bachelor of fine arts (BFA), bachelor of health science (BHS), bachelor of interior design (BID), bachelor of journalism (BJourn), bachelor of science (BSc), bachelor of science in nursing (BScN), bachelor of social work (BSW), bachelor of technology (BTech), and bachelor of urban and regional planning (BURPl).

Saint Mary's University

Email: international@smu.ca;
WEB SITE: www.smu.ca
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, MBA, Graduate and PhD degrees
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $11,160
Room & Board $7,045

Scholarships and awards for international students:
For all students: Merit-based

Saint Mary's is a medium-sized university that has been nurturing minds for more than 200 years. Founded in 1802, the university has a long tradition of academic excellence, both in teaching and research. Saint Mary's is home to one of Canada's leading accredited business schools for bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, has a science faculty widely known for its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative arts faculty, pre-professional and engineering programmes, and a faculty of graduate studies and research. SMU is located in Halifax, a leading educational, business and cultural centre.

Saint Mary's University offers students three furnished residence buildings on campus housing over 1,100 students. Residence rooms are fully wired with internet and cable connections. Saint Mary's dedicates $3.8 million in scholarships, bursaries and international mobility awards for their students each year.

They guarantee a scholarship offer to any student with a scholarship average of 80 per cent and higher. In addition to the merit-based awards, SMU offers $3 million in on-campus student employment opportunities. Science and commerce students can take advantage of the cooperative education option and earn while they learn. Combining relevant paid work practicum's with academic programmes.

University of Saskatchewan

Email: international@usask.ca; courtney.gillan@usask.ca
Web site: http://explore.usask.ca/international
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, MBA, MIT, LLB, DMD, BSP, BScPT, MPAcc
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $11,388-17,784
Room & Board $5,872

Scholarships and awards for international students:
International students are automatically eligible for guaranteed entrance awards and transfer scholarships (based on academic performance), as well as numerous scholarships for continuing students.

Established in 1907, the University of Saskatchewan has the longest history of academic and research excellence in Western Canada. The university offers more than 58 internationally-recognised degrees in over 100 disciplines, including 9 biotechnology specialisations, 13 business majors, 12 engineering disciplines and 17 health science programmes.

The University of Saskatchewan is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Saskatoon is a 2-hour flight from Vancouver and a 2.5 hour flight from Toronto.

Simon Fraser University

Email: international_recruitment@sfu.ca;
WEB SITE: http://students.sfu.ca/ps/
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $14,958
Room and Board $5,400
Books $1,150

Scholarships and awards for international students:
For permanent residents: Need-based,
Merit-based: $4,500 – $34,000
For all others: Merit-based: $4,500 – $40,000
Some athletic scholarships available

Simon Fraser University is one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities. Best known for its ground-breaking interdisciplinary approach, SFU offers over 100 innovative programmes that facilitate study across various areas of academic interest.

There are six faculties: arts and social sciences, science, applied science, business administration and health science. SFU's flexible trimester system allows students an extraordinary range of choice in their studies, which might include participating in co-operative education programme, embarking on an international exchange, or going on a field school with fellow classmates.

Trent University

Email: tip@trentu.ca
WEB SITE:http://www.trentu.ca/international
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate
Institutional Characteristics: Public, small town, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $12,450
Room & Board $7,500
Books $2,000

Scholarships and awards for international students:
Largest scholarship programme for international students in Canada. Merit and some need-based scholarships from $1,000-$25,000 annually. 60 international students currently awarded full scholarships.

Trent University is one of Canada's leading undergraduate universities. Founded in 1963, Trent is home to a community of just over 7,000 full-time students. Our intimate tutorials, residential college system and outstanding scholarship support attract students from all corners of the globe.

A strong interdisciplinary approach to education, a commitment to high-quality teaching and a focus on research at the undergraduate level are all hallmarks of a Trent education.

Trent was recently named Canada's Undergraduate Research University for the third consecutive year. Trent is a residential campus located in picturesque Peterborough, located among the hills and pristine forests of the Kawartha Lake District.

The Trent International Programme (TIP) Camp grew out of Trent's deep commitment to personalised support. TIP Camp is a unique 3-day orientation programme providing cultural and transitional support to incoming international students and third culture kids. All TIP Camp participants are met upon arrival at Toronto's Pearson airport.

University of Victoria

Email: uvip@uvic.ca;
WEB SITE: www.uvic.ca
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, MBA, LLB
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $14,532 - $18,862
Room & Board $5,800 – $7,604

Scholarships and awards for international students:
For Canadian citizens/permanent residents: Need-based and Merit-based: $2,000 – $26,000 (renewable)
For all others: Need-based and Merit-based $2,000 - $8,000 year (students may apply in subsequent years)
Number international students aided: 201 (average award per student = $2,000 for 2006)

The University of Victoria was established in 1963, but its history spans 100 years and an entire continent. Today, UVic is ranked as one of Canada's leading comprehensive research universities. Nearly 19,000 students attend UVic's ten faculties: business, humanities, education, law, engineering, science, fine arts, social sciences, human and social development and graduate studies.

UVic is committed to integrated workplace learning and has Canada's third largest co-operative education programme. Last year UVic co-op students completed 2,709 paid work term placements — across Canada and in 31 other countries.

With over 105 partners in 25 countries, UVic offers a variety of international study abroad and work term opportunities. Recently the UVic faculty of business was honoured with two prestigious national awards for excellence in international education. UVic is located on Canada's spectacular west coast, in British Columbia's capital city.

University of Waterloo

Email: vkmclell@uwaterloo.ca;
Web site: http://www.international.uwaterloo.ca
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate
Institutional Characteristics: Public, suburban, independent, coeducational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $17,516 - $27,361
Room & Board $6,180 - $9,283

Scholarships and awards for international students:
For all students: merit-based

In just five decades, the University of Waterloo (UW) has become one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities with 6 faculties, 4 professional schools, a wide range of graduate programmes, and many research and teaching institutes. A pioneer in bringing industry and higher education closer together, UW focuses its programmes on practical real-world applications of knowledge.

Waterloo's cooperative education programme is the largest in the world with more than 10,000 students engaged in work/study programmes. For 15 years in a row, a group of senior administrators, company presidents, and academic counsellors surveyed by Maclean's, Canada's national magazine, judged the University of Waterloo to be the "most innovative" university in Canada, and "best overall" in 13 of the past 15 years.

UW has scholarships ranging from $500 entrance to $25,000 over 4 years. All students are automatically considered for scholarships and no application is required except for the accounting and financial management programme and some scholarships in the faculty of Mathematics. The results of competitions such as the Euclid Mathematics Contest are considered for some scholarships. Government financial aid and bursaries are available to permanent residents and Canadian citizens.

In addition to over 100 undergraduate programmes, UW also offers more than 100 master and doctoral degree programmes. Waterloo's alumni are spread over 136 countries around the world. These graduates stay connected to UW through the alumni community and local area alumni chapters.

Wilfrid Laurier University

Email: liaison@wlu.ca
Web site: http://www.chooselaurier.ca/international
Degrees Offered: Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, MBA
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student budget:
Tuition $16,300
Room & Board $4,159 (Room: $3,103 )
Scholarships and Awards for International Students:
For Canadian citizens/permanent residents: Need-based and Merit-based
For all others: Merit based Scotiabank International Entrance Scholarships — up to $5,000, merit based (all documentation must be submitted to admissions office by April 1)
Number international students aided: 40

Founded in 1911, Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) is one of Canada's foremost undergraduate universities. It has two campuses and seven faculties (arts, science, music, school of business and economics, graduate studies, social work and education) and offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. Laurier is known for academic excellence.

York University

Email: intlenq@yorku.ca;
Web site: http://www.yorku.ca/futurestudents
Degrees Offered: Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, Professional
Institutional Characteristics: Public, urban, independent, co-educational
Estimated Student Budget:
Tuition $15,278
Room & Board $5,686–$6,986
Scholarships and awards for international students:
For all students: Need-based, merit-based
Number of international students aided: 81

York University is the leading interdisciplinary teaching and research university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience in Toronto, Canada's most international city, and is host to a dynamic community of nearly 50,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff and 200,000 alumni worldwide. York offers bachelors, masters, doctoral and professional degrees in the humanities and social sciences, business, engineering, design, health studies, environmental studies, fine arts, international and language studies, science, social work, education and law.

The university is made up of two unique campuses: the Keele campus in Toronto's north end features extensive facilities in a modern, self-contained environment. This high-energy, urban setting provides access to five libraries, three theatres, two art galleries, a shopping mall, athletic facilities and a student centre. Glendon, its bilingual, liberal arts campus located in mid-town Toronto, was created to foster future leaders with a personalised, international and interdisciplinary education. Glendon differs from all other Canadian universities by offering courses within the context of two languages and cultures, English and French.

— The writer is the Director Counselling Point and Adjunct Faculty Sharjah Women's College