Why Studying in Canada is Better than Studying in US?

Over the past couple of years, various countries emerged out as popular study abroad destinations among international students. Two of these acing up in the race are Canada and the USA. Though both US and Canada are dream destinations for students who aspire to acquire higher education abroad, in recent times Canada has overtaken the US. A few of the major contributing factors for which students prefer Canada over US are speedy processing times for study permits, easy immigration, payday loan companies South Dakota and lower costs.

The controversies around US F1 visa freeze amidst of COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the ultimate hit to the number of students applying to study in the USA. Though the decision was revoked, the changes in H1-B student visa policies also affected the influx of international students to USA. Canada, on the other hand, did not experience and such a drastic change in the number of international students opting for higher education with them.

Before we dive into details of how pursuing higher education in Canada is better over the USA, let us have a look at the overall statistics for international students choosing either of the two study destinations

Visa Policy

As already known, the U.S visa application system is an extremely lengthy and complicated process that requires great scrutiny and plenty of waiting. In comparison, the Canadian visa application process is relatively simpler and shorter which encourages international students to study in Canada.

In addition, Canadian universities allow international students to stay back in Canada for employment opportunities. The Post-Graduation Work Permit allows international students to stay up to three years after graduating from a post-secondary Canadian institution, depending on their course duration. On the other hand, as an F-1 visa holder, international students in the US are allowed to stay back to complete up to one year of temporary employment directly related to their major field of study.

During Optional Practical Training (OPT), international students can get a one-year work and stay-back permit after completion of a degree in the USA.

Eligibility Criteria

Though the admission process and the eligibility criteria that international students need to fulfill for getting an education from the US and Canada are similar, yet there are certain major differences that make it slightly easier to get into Canadian universities than US universities.

• Years of Education Required: To pursue a bachelor’s in US and Canada, you must have completed your high school and 12 th with good academic scores. For masters courses, applicants must have at least 16 years of education, for studying in Canada as well as USA. This means having a four-year bachelor’s education.
• Entrance Exams Required to Study Bachelors: For studying bachelors in the USA, international applicants must appear for SAT or ACT exam. However, for pursuing bachelor’s courses in Canada SAT/ACTscores are not mandatorily required.
• Entrance Exams Required to Study Masters: To study for masters in the USA applicants must mandatorily have appeared for the GRE exam. Though it is not required for all the universities, most of the US universities ask for GRE scores to give admissions to international students. On the other hand, for getting admission to masters in Canada, GRE scores are not required. There are very few courses or universities that ask for GRE scores from international students applying for Canadian universities.

Costs & Expenses

The cost of pursuing education in Canada is relatively less when compared to how expensive education in US is. The two major expenses incurred by international students while studying abroad are tuition fees and living expenses. Given below is a comparison between study in Canada and study in the USA in terms of costs and expenses.