Masters (MS) in Canada for Indian Students: 2026-27 Fees, Eligibility & PGWP

  • Last Updated on: October 12, 2026 by
  • Mavya Kunapareddy
Masters in Canada for Indian Students
Masters in Canada for Indian Students

For 2026-27, a masters in Canada for Indian students costs from about CAD 10,082 a year in tuition for a standard master’s at the University of British Columbia (UBC). At the top end, UBC’s MBA costs about CAD 108,421 over its minimum four instalments. The whole 16-month MScAC (Master of Science in Applied Computing) at the University of Toronto (U of T) costs about CAD 90,050 for the September 2026 intake. If you apply for a study permit on or after 1 September 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) wants proof of living money: CAD 23,448 a year for one applicant outside Quebec. Tuition and travel come on top. A master’s that runs at least 8 months then earns a 3-year PGWP (post-graduation work permit).

Check your route first, then eligibility, then fees. Most master’s programs start in September; some also admit students in January. For cities and intakes, see our guide to study in Canada.

Written by
Mavya Kunapareddy
Country Head-Canada
Canada head with 6 years of experience and guided over 600 students
89% Visa Success Rate
Reviewed by
Sridhar Kongara
Managing Director
Mr. Kongara Sridhar, Director of AOEC India, has over 12 years of experience in overseas education consulting, admissions, and student visa guidance.
Over 12 years Experience

Key Takeaways

  • Tuition runs from about CAD 10,082 a year (approx. INR 6.81 lakh) at UBC to about CAD 108,421 (approx. INR 73.23 lakh) for UBC’s whole MBA.
  • Living funds: CAD 23,448 a year (approx. INR 15.84 lakh) for one applicant outside Quebec, on top of tuition.
  • A master’s of at least 8 months earns a 3-year PGWP.
  • U of T needs a 4-year degree or 3 years plus a master’s; UBC may accept 3 years with First Class from a NAAC A-rated university.
  • Fall 2027 deadlines: MScAC on 1 December 2026, UBC Computer Science on 15 December 2026.
  • A Canadian master’s earns 30 additional CRS points toward PR if studied full-time in Canada for at least 8 months; a 1-2 year credential earns 15.
Table of Contents
Course-Based or Thesis Masters in Canada: Your Route by Profile Scroll here ↓ Eligibility for Masters in Canada from India and Fall 2027 Deadlines Scroll here ↓ MS in Canada Fees 2026-27 at Seven Universities, in INR Scroll here ↓ PGWP and PR After a Masters in Canada Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓

Course-Based or Thesis Masters in Canada: Your Route by Profile

Choose course-based or thesis before you choose a university. Most masters in Canada for Indian students are either course-based, a taught degree you pay for, aimed at jobs, or thesis-based, a research degree where a research supervisor can fund your place.

Your profileRoute that fitsYour next step
B.Tech or BE graduate who wants a job fastCourse-based: U of T MScAC, UBC Master of Data Science, Waterloo MEngApply to MScAC by 1 Dec 2026 and UBC Data Science by 31 Jan 2027
Research graduate who wants fundingThesis MSc or MAScEmail supervisors now; apply to UBC and McGill Computer Science by 15 Dec 2026 (Fall 2027 entry)
3-year degree holder (BSc, BCom, BCA)U of T only with a master’s; UBC may accept a 3-year First Class degree from a NAAC A-rated universityConfirm your case with UBC before paying a fee
Family on a tight budgetWaterloo research master’s or UBC standard master’sAdd CAD 23,448 (approx. INR 15.84 lakh) living funds to the fee row
Weighing a 2-year PG diploma for PRMaster’sCompare 30 vs 15 CRS points in the PGWP section

One caveat we give every family: pick the field for your own background and job interest, not because it is crowded with Indian applicants. Our top courses in Canada list compares the popular fields.

An MEng (Master of Engineering) is usually course-based and self-funded, while an MSc and an MASc (Master of Applied Science) are usually thesis-based. On a thesis route, the supervisor often decides your admission and stipend:

  1. Pick by research fit, not ranking. Shortlist professors whose recent papers overlap your bachelor’s project.
  2. Check they have grant money. Active grants can pay you through a research assistantship (paid research work); no grant usually means no paid position.
  3. Write a short email. Who you are and your CGPA, then why their lab fits. Attach your CV and transcripts.
  4. Send it 4 to 6 months before the deadline, so the professor can flag your file to admissions.

From our counselling desk: early emails that named a specific paper got replies; generic "I want to do MS" emails got silence. That held across our 2026 applicants.

Eligibility for Masters in Canada from India and Fall 2027 Deadlines

Take a 3-year BSc graduate from Osmania University with 72%. At U of T and UBC, degree length is checked before the percentage.

In 2026, U of T’s admission rules for Indian degrees ask for a 4-year bachelor’s, or a 3-year bachelor’s plus a master’s. You need about 7.5/10 or First Class (8/10 for IITs). For its master’s programs, UBC’s rules for Indian applicants ask for a four-year bachelor’s or a master’s, with First Class (65%) or 8 on a 10-point scale. UBC may also accept a 3-year First Class degree if the university that awarded it holds a NAAC A rating (India’s national quality grade), but its page doesn’t make clear this covers master’s programs.

So the Osmania graduate’s 72% clears UBC’s 65% bar. With a 3-year degree, they need a master’s first for U of T. They should ask the UBC department whether it accepts their degree before paying the application fee.

UniversityIELTS Academic minimumFall 2027 deadline example
U of T7.0 overall, at least 6.5 in each componentMScAC and CS graduate programs: 1 December 2026
UBC6.5 overall, 6.0 in each componentMSc Computer Science: 15 December 2026; Master of Data Science: 31 January 2027
McGill6.5 or greaterComputer Science MSc, thesis and non-thesis: 15 December 2026, Fall 2027 entry only

UBC accepts PTE Academic at 65 overall, with at least 60 in each part; some programs ask more. McGill does not accept PTE for graduate programs, and U of T’s list of accepted tests leaves it out.

Expect a Statement of Purpose (SOP) and Letters of Recommendation (LOR) for almost every program. Our guide to Canada admission requirements for Indian students covers each test. Once you hold an offer, two things matter for your study permit:

  • Since 1 January 2026, a master’s at a public university no longer needs a PAL (a provincial attestation letter, the province’s approval of your seat). A private school may still need one, so check IRCC’s PAL rules before you file your Canada student visa application.
  • As of 1 October 2026, IRCC’s processing times show 6 weeks for a study permit application from India.

MS in Canada Fees 2026-27 at Seven Universities, in INR

For 2026/2027, average international graduate tuition in Canada is CAD 24,693 (approx. INR 16.68 lakh) a year in the Statistics Canada tuition fees table. Your own bill depends far more on your program than on that average, so compare programs.

UniversityProgram type2026-27 international tuition, as billedINR equivalent
University of TorontoMScAC, course-based, 16 monthsCAD 90,050 for the whole program (September 2026 intake estimate)INR 60.82 lakh for the whole program
University of British ColumbiaStandard master’s, UBC’s standard full-time rateCAD 3,360.55 per instalment, 3 a year (about CAD 10,082 a year)INR 2.27 lakh per instalment (about INR 6.81 lakh a year)
University of British ColumbiaMBA, 16 monthsCAD 27,105.19 per instalment, minimum 4 (about CAD 108,421 total)INR 18.31 lakh per instalment (about INR 73.23 lakh total)
University of British ColumbiaMaster of Data ScienceCAD 19,922.64 per instalment, 3 instalments (about CAD 59,768 total)INR 13.46 lakh per instalment (about INR 40.37 lakh total)
McGill UniversityThesis master’sCAD 10,674.30 per term (Fall and Winter)INR 7.21 lakh per term
McGill UniversityNon-thesis master’s, admitted Fall 2026CAD 16,416.30 per termINR 11.09 lakh per term
University of WaterlooResearch and course-based master’sCAD 7,696 per term, full-time (Fall 2026)INR 5.20 lakh per term
University of WaterlooMaster of Engineering (MEng)CAD 17,400 per term (Fall 2026)INR 11.75 lakh per term
Concordia UniversityCourse-based master’sCAD 795 per credit, fixed for the program; total = rate x your program’s creditsINR 53,693 per credit
Concordia UniversityThesis master’sCAD 711.62 per credit (Fall 2026, Winter 2027); total = rate x your program’s creditsINR 48,062 per credit
University of CalgaryCourse-based MEngCAD 4,148.73 per 3-unit courseINR 2.80 lakh per course
University of OttawaFirst-year master’s (university’s worked example)CAD 9,815.26 per termINR 6.63 lakh per term

Check how each row is billed before you compare: multiply per-term or per-credit fees by your own program’s terms or credits. In 2026-27, UBC’s standard master’s fee stays the same until you finish your degree. Elsewhere, ask whether your rate can change before you sign the loan.

Year one costs tuition plus the living funds, which cover rent and daily costs; our Canada cost breakdown prices insurance and flights on top:

RouteInputs (CAD)Year-one cash
UBC standard master’sTuition about 10,082 + funds 23,448About CAD 33,530 (approx. INR 22.65 lakh)
McGill thesis master’sTuition 2 terms x 10,674.30 + funds 23,448CAD 44,796.60 (approx. INR 30.26 lakh)
UBC Master of Data ScienceWhole-program tuition about 59,768 + funds 23,448About CAD 83,216 (approx. INR 56.20 lakh)
  • Living funds: for applications on or after 1 September 2026, a spouse or child raises IRCC’s figure to CAD 29,192 for you plus one family member.
  • Also worth a look: McMaster, Queen’s, Western, Simon Fraser, the University of Alberta and the Université de Montréal, which teaches mainly in French. Our universities in Canada shortlist profiles them.

Parents: on a course-based seat you usually pay the full fee yourself, up to about CAD 108,421 for UBC’s MBA.

Two awards from our Canada scholarships list stay open to you. For 2026-27, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) pays CAD 5,000 per session, up to CAD 15,000 for three sessions. Only a fixed number of OGS awards go to study permit holders. A master’s student can hold one for two years at most. The University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF) pays master’s students of any nationality CAD 20,000 a year for 12 or 24 months, so up to CAD 40,000. Your department has to recommend you. U of T’s MSc in Computer Science doesn’t consider international applicants, so MScAC is your U of T route.

PGWP and PR After a Masters in Canada

Since 15 February 2024, a master's graduate in Canada gets a 3-year PGWP even if the master's lasted under 2 years. Under IRCC's PGWP rules, the program must have run at least 8 months (900 hours for a Quebec program). A 1-year master's therefore gets the same 3-year work permit as a 2-year one.

To get the full three years, meet IRCC’s eligibility rules:

  • Your PGWP can’t last past your passport’s expiry, so renew a passport that expires early before your post-study work visa application.
  • You must apply within 180 days of confirmation that you completed your program.
  • You need CLB 7 (Canadian Language Benchmark, the government’s English scale) in all 4 language areas.

Your subject doesn’t matter: for master’s graduates, the PGWP has no list of approved fields.

For many families, PR is the real reason behind a masters in Canada for Indian students, and the points favour a master’s. Express Entry is Canada’s points-based PR system. On IRCC’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points grid, a master’s earns 135 education points for a single applicant, against 120 for a bachelor’s. A master’s studied in Canada also earns the full 30 extra points for Canadian study, if you studied full-time for at least eight months while physically in Canada.

A 1-2 year Canadian credential, such as a PG diploma, earns only 15. So a 1-year master’s earns twice the points of a 2-year PG diploma and still gets a 3-year PGWP, for one year of fees instead of two. The diploma makes sense mainly when your bachelor’s can’t get you into a master’s.

For PR through the Canadian Experience Class, you need at least 1 year of skilled Canadian work in the 3 years before you apply. Work done while studying full-time, co-op terms included, doesn’t count, so plan to build that year after you graduate.

In 2026, you can work up to 24 hours a week off campus during academic sessions under IRCC’s off-campus work rules. During breaks your university schedules, such as summer and winter holidays, you can work unlimited hours. If your program has no scheduled breaks, the 24-hour cap applies all year. That income helps with rent, not tuition.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Not always. At U of T, a test may be waived if your degree was taught and examined in English, but your department decides. At UBC, Indian degrees taught in English may not need a test, though programs can still ask. If your program lists an IELTS Academic score, book the test early.

Yes, it can lead there, but PR is never automatic. A 1-year master’s of at least 8 months still earns a 3-year PGWP, so you get time to build Canadian work experience. You then need an Express Entry invitation, which depends on your full CRS score: age, English, work and education together.

Rarely from one award. Full funding usually comes from a thesis seat that pairs paid teaching or research work with a supervisor stipend. The federal CGRS-M, worth CAD 27,000 (approx. INR 18.24 lakh) for 12 months, is open only to citizens, permanent residents and protected persons, so it is closed to you as an Indian applicant.

ICEF Monitor reported in June 2026 that the refusal rate for Indian applicants to Canada was 80% in Q2 2025, so the risk is real. That figure describes past files, not yours. Your odds depend on what your file shows: a program that fits your degree, funds that meet the IRCC figure, and a study plan that explains your choice.

Usually not, but it is program-specific. Some engineering and US-style MSc programs list the GRE, and MBA programs often want the GMAT. Budget for application fees instead: U of T’s Computer Science graduate applications carry a CAD 130 (approx. INR 8,780) School of Graduate Studies fee for Fall 2027.

Sources

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