Top Universities in Canada for Indian Students 2026-27: Ranks and Fees

  • Last Updated on: October 7, 2026 by
  • Mavya Kunapareddy
Universities in Canada for International Students
Universities in Canada for International Students

The top universities in Canada for Indian students are McGill, Toronto, UBC, Alberta and Waterloo, the top five in Canada on the QS World University Rankings 2027. The table’s other ranking, Times Higher Education (THE) 2027, puts Toronto first in Canada and 22nd in the world, ahead of McGill. In 2026/2027, average international undergraduate tuition in Canada is CAD 42,062 a year, according to Statistics Canada, and McGill, Toronto, UBC and Waterloo all charge more.

Written by
Mavya Kunapareddy
Country Head-Canada
Canada head with 6 years of experience and guided over 600 students
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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

  • In CBSE, avoid Applied Maths: Toronto’s programmes needing calculus, such as business, engineering and science, and Waterloo Computer Science reject it.
  • State-board students need an English test for UBC: its waiver excludes them. Toronto considers only excellent state-board results, case by case.
  • With a three-year bachelor’s, Toronto also requires a master’s. For UBC, ask the programme in writing.
  • If you start between Fall 2026 and Summer 2027, a research master’s at Alberta’s standard fee costs about CAD 10,500 a year in tuition (about INR 7.1 lakh). It needs no Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL, the province’s study-cap letter).
  • Outside Quebec, add CAD 23,448 (about INR 15.8 lakh) living money per student to each fee.
  • Toronto’s Pearson scholarship needs a school nomination by 9 October 2026.
Table of Contents
Top universities in Canada for Indian students: 2027 ranks and 2026-27 fees Scroll here ↓ Entry rules at top Canadian universities for CBSE, state-board and 3-year degree applicants Scroll here ↓ First-year cost at top Canadian universities in INR Scroll here ↓ Study permit approval for Indian students at universities vs colleges Scroll here ↓ Scholarships at top Canadian universities open to Indian students Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓ Building your shortlist Scroll here ↓

Top universities in Canada for Indian students: 2027 ranks and 2026-27 fees

Thirty Canadian universities appear in the QS World University Rankings 2027, and this table covers 14 in QS order. Undergraduate fees in the table run from about CAD 30,800 (about INR 20.8 lakh) at Université de Montréal to about CAD 75,000 (about INR 50.7 lakh) for Waterloo engineering including campus fees. Check the fee before the rank.

University (city)QS 2027THE 2027Maclean’s 2026 rank in Canada (category)2026-27 international UG tuition (CAD)INR (approx., lakh)First-year budget, INR lakh (fee + living money)Best for (top QS 2026 subject ranks)
McGill University (Montreal)30431 (Medical Doctoral)54,000 (BA) to about 71,700 (BCom)36.5 to 48.453.1 to 65.1Medicine (23rd), Engineering (41st)
University of Toronto (Toronto)32222 (Medical Doctoral)About 66,100 (Arts & Science) to 72,900 (Engineering)44.7 to 49.260.5 to 65.1Medicine (12th), Computer Science (13th)
University of British Columbia (Vancouver)=45443 (Medical Doctoral)About 51,500 (Arts) to 66,700 (Commerce), est. at 30 credits34.8 to 45.050.6 to 60.9Earth & Marine Sciences (=13th), Computer Science (=27th)
University of Alberta (Edmonton)96=1184 (Medical Doctoral)No fixed fee published; quoted in your offer letter (tuition guarantee, Fall 2026 entrants)Quoted in offer letterFee in offer letter + 15.8Earth & Marine Sciences (51-100), Medicine (99th)
University of Waterloo (Waterloo)=1131783 (Comprehensive)About 54,000 (Science) to 75,000 (Engineering), incl. incidental fees36.5 to 50.752.3 to 66.5Computer Science (=27th), Engineering (=38th)
Western University (London, Ontario)=142=21210 (Medical Doctoral)About 47,500 (Arts) to 64,300 (Engineering), Year 132.1 to 43.447.9 to 59.3Business (76th)
Université de Montréal (Montreal)=16213211 (Medical Doctoral)About 30,800 for 30 credits20.837.4Computer Science (=56th); French required
McMaster University (Hamilton)=174=116=5 (Medical Doctoral)About 45,200 (Social Sciences) to 69,400 (Engineering I), estimate30.5 to 46.846.3 to 62.7Medicine (=31st)
Queen’s University (Kingston)=179=269=7 (Medical Doctoral)About 44,800 (Arts and Science, not Computing) to 59,300 (Engineering)30.3 to 40.046.1 to 55.9Business (=147th)
University of Ottawa (Ottawa)=228=185=7 (Medical Doctoral)About 43,300 (Arts) to 63,200 (Computer Engineering) a year29.3 to 42.745.1 to 58.5Medicine (=93rd)
University of Calgary (Calgary)249=185=5 (Medical Doctoral)About 3,100 (most faculties) to 4,100 (Engineering) per 3-unit course2.1 to 2.8 per coursePer course + 15.8Earth & Marine Sciences (51-100), Medicine (119th)
Dalhousie University (Halifax)298351-3759 (Medical Doctoral)About 38,000 (Arts, Science) to 48,600 (Engineering), guaranteed25.7 to 32.841.5 to 48.7Earth & Marine Sciences (151-200)
Simon Fraser University (Burnaby)312351-3751 (Comprehensive)About 37,900 at 30 units (est., basic tuition)25.641.4Data Science & AI (101-200)
University of Victoria (Victoria)=370301-3252 (Comprehensive)About 42,600 (Computer Science), Year 128.844.6Earth & Marine Sciences (151-200)
  • Waterloo’s figure includes its extra campus fees; the other rows are tuition only.
  • UBC and Simon Fraser: estimated at 30 credits or units a year (UBC’s standard load, SFU’s four-year pace).
  • Ottawa bills per term, normally two terms a year.
  • Calgary charges per course and publishes no yearly figure; full-time means at least nine units a term.
  • Université de Montréal: the fee page gives no year, and you need French at your programme’s level.
  • Western’s fee list is a draft; McMaster’s figures are its own estimates.
  • Alberta takes a CAD 5,000 deposit from most new applicants before it issues your PAL.
  • First-year budget adds the living money you must show for the permit: CAD 23,448, or CAD 24,617 in Quebec (McGill, Université de Montréal). Flights are extra.

Maclean’s ranks each university only against others of its type. “=” means tied. The Best for column shows each university’s strongest subjects in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. It covers six: Computer Science, Engineering, Business, Medicine, Data Science and AI and Earth and Marine Sciences.

Pick on your subject’s rank, not the overall one.

If work experience matters, the Waterloo co-op programme links students with 8,000+ employers in more than 70 countries. Those co-op work terms matter more than its QS place. Every name on this list of top universities in Canada for Indian students is a degree-granting university, not a college; for the rest of the process, start from our guide to study in Canada.

From our counselling desk: In the application cycles we've run with Hyderabad families, the students who do best decide course and career goal first, then city and living cost, then rank.

Entry rules at top Canadian universities for CBSE, state-board and 3-year degree applicants

A CBSE student in Hyderabad who took Applied Maths in Class 12 can’t get into Waterloo Computer Science at any percentage. Rules like this depend on your board or degree length, so check your row below before paying an application fee; the full document checklist is in our guide to the requirements to study in Canada.

Your Class 12 profileUniversityMeets the rule?Your next step
CBSE with Applied MathsToronto (business, engineering, science and other calculus programmes)NoTake standard Mathematics in Class 11 and 12
CBSE, CISCE or other 12-year certificateWaterloo Computer ScienceYes, with Standard MathsScore 90% in Maths and one more subject, 85% overall, plus Standard XII English
State boardTorontoOnly with excellent resultsExpect an individual review of your marks
State boardUBC English waiverNoBook an accepted English test
CBSE or CISCE, 75%+ in senior EnglishUBC English waiverYesSkip the English test for UBC
Any board, no FrenchUniversité de MontréalNoReach your programme’s French level first

The Applied Maths rule does the most damage, because you choose it long before you pick universities. Our guide to study in Canada after 12th covers subject choices by stream. For a master’s, the length of your degree decides:

Your degreeUniversityMeets the rule?Your next step
3-year bachelor’s onlyToronto graduate schoolNoFinish a master’s first, or pick another university
3-year bachelor’s, First Class, NAAC A collegeUBC graduate schoolUnclearAsk the UBC programme in writing before applying
4-year bachelor’sToronto graduate schoolYes, minimum 7/10 or First Class (IIT: 7.5/10)Treat 7/10 as the floor, not a safe score

UBC asks Indian master’s applicants for a four-year degree or a master’s. UBC may also accept a three-year degree with First Class from a NAAC A college (NAAC grades Indian colleges), but it’s unclear whether that covers master’s. Our masters in Canada guide covers the rest of the graduate application.

First-year cost at top Canadian universities in INR

For study permit applications from 1 September 2026, a single student outside Quebec must show CAD 23,448 (about INR 15.8 lakh) for living costs under Canada’s proof of financial support rules. This is not a fee: it is first-year living money, shown for the permit and then spent in Canada, on top of tuition.

Once you qualify, money decides the shortlist. Parents, many families we counsel take an education loan; if you do, make sure it covers the fee, this living money and the flight.

From January to March 2026, two-bedroom flats were advertised at an average of CAD 3,100 a month in Vancouver, CAD 2,660 in Toronto and CAD 2,350 in Halifax, according to experimental estimates from Statistics Canada. Montreal and Calgary averaged CAD 1,900, and Edmonton CAD 1,580. Shared by two students, a Vancouver flat is about CAD 1,550 each a month, or CAD 18,600 a year, most of the CAD 23,448 you must show.

A research master’s (one built around a thesis) costs far less than the undergraduate fees above. If you start between Fall 2026 and Summer 2027, Alberta charges about CAD 10,500 a year in tuition for one at its standard fee for international students.

At least five of these universities promise your fee won’t jump after year one, through a tuition guarantee or a yearly cap:

  • Dalhousie: your tuition stays the same for as long as the international tuition guarantee lasts.
  • Alberta: for Fall 2026 undergraduates, the offer letter fixes both the yearly fee and the total for the whole degree.
  • McGill: for 2026-27 entrants, the per-credit fee stays fixed for the length of the programme, as long as you don’t take a break or switch programmes. Other fees rise about 3% a year.
  • Western: since September 2021, fee rises after Year 1 are capped at 4% a year.
  • Victoria: fees rise with inflation in later years, capped at 6% a year.

Between two similar offers, take the guaranteed one; city-by-city living costs are in our breakdown of the cost of studying in Canada.

Study permit approval for Indian students at universities vs colleges

In 2025, approval for new Indian study permit applicants fell to 25-27%, according to The PIE News. University applicants were approved at 33% against 14% for college applicants, so if you have the choice, apply to a degree-granting university, not a college.

  • From 1 January 2026, if you’re applying for a master’s or PhD at a public university approved for international students (a DLI), you don’t need a provincial attestation letter (PAL).
  • The work permit after graduation (PGWP) has a rule on which subjects qualify, but degree graduates are exempt from it, so a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD in any subject can lead to one. Since 15 February 2024, a master’s of at least 8 months (900 hours in Quebec) lets you apply for a 3-year PGWP, even if it was shorter than 2 years. You still need to meet the other conditions.

The rest of the study permit process is in our Canada student visa and post-study work visa in Canada guides.

Scholarships at top Canadian universities open to Indian students

Plan your budget without a big award and treat any scholarship as a bonus: of the awards below, only Pearson is set to pay for a full undergraduate degree.

  • Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship (Toronto): for 2027 entry, Pearson covers tuition, books, incidental fees and full residence support for four years, for about 37 scholars a year. It needs a school nomination by 9 October 2026 (one per school), an admission application by 16 October 2026 and a scholarship application by 6 November 2026.
  • UBC International Major Entrance Scholarship: for 2026/2027, CAD 10,000-25,000 a year, renewable for up to three more years, so CAD 40,000-100,000 over four years if renewed each time.
  • UBC International Scholars Program: need-and-merit awards, such as the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award, for students coming straight from school who can’t afford UBC without major help. You need all As or equivalent, a school nomination and an application by 15 November 2026. Some degrees, including nursing, are excluded. If you apply, you can’t also get UBC’s merit awards.
  • Waterloo International Student Entrance Scholarship: CAD 10,000 for first-year studies, automatic for international fee-paying students starting a full-time first-year degree. It isn’t given if you deferred your offer, transfer with credits, or join a 2+2, social work, optometry, pharmacy or medical programme.
  • Calgary International Entrance Scholarship: CAD 20,000 for first-year entry in the upcoming fall term, once you meet its English requirement. It renews in years 2-4 if you keep a GPA of 2.60 over at least 24 units in the fall and winter terms and still pay international fees. Two awards are given; apply through My UCalgary.
  • McGill Major Entrance Scholarships: CAD 3,000-12,000 a year, renewable up to 4 years, but the CAD 12,000 tier is for Canadian citizens and permanent residents only.

Other awards are in our guide to scholarships in Canada.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the table. McGill leads Canada in the QS World University Rankings 2027, while the University of Toronto leads the Times Higher Education 2027 Canada list. Choose between them on your course and cost, not on either table.

Université de Montréal has the lowest published yearly fee on this list, if you can study in French, and its merit scholarship can lower it further. In English, Simon Fraser and Dalhousie come next. Calgary charges per course instead, so work out the cost of your own courses before comparing.

Yes, but only a handful exist. Beyond Toronto’s Pearson award, the McCall MacBain Scholarship pays full tuition and fees for a McGill master’s or professional programme. It adds a CAD 2,300 (about INR 1.55 lakh) monthly stipend during terms and a relocation grant, for up to 10 international applicants.

At UBC and Toronto, usually yes. UBC asks for IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no part below 6.0; among Indian boards, only CBSE or CISCE students with 75%+ in Class 12 English skip it. Toronto asks for the same score in one sitting and won’t take your Class 12 English instead. Book the test early, with time for a retake.

Yes, if you want to study in Toronto; it ranks just above Victoria in QS 2027. York ranks =322 in the QS World University Rankings 2027, sits in the 451-500 band in Times Higher Education 2027, and places 5th among Maclean’s 2026 Comprehensive universities.

Building your shortlist

Shortlist from the table, add the living money to each fee, and check your entry rule before paying any application fee. Among the top universities in Canada for Indian students, apply first to the ones whose entry rule you already meet.

Ardent Overseas counsels Indian students from offices in Hyderabad and Tirupati. We work through Canadian university shortlists, study permit files and scholarship applications with families every intake, from Class 12 subject choices to the deposit, the permit and the post-study work plan.

Sources

Official sources first, then rankings, then reputable third-party.

Show 54 more sources

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