Canadian Education System

Canadian Education System

A student can find both publicly funded as well as private universities and other institutions in Canada. There are number choices for a student at different levels - community colleges/ technical institutes, career colleges, language schools, secondary schools, summer camps, universities, university colleges and SPP colleges for Indian students.


Below are the various education levels for students in Canada

  • Certificate level, generally for a year
  • Diploma level, for one or two years
  • Advanced Diploma, generally two or three-year programs
  • Bachelor degrees, awarded after four years of full-time study
  • Post-graduate Diplomas/Certificates, for one or two years of study
  • Master's degrees, available after a bachelor degree to excel in a certain subject, for one to two years
  • Doctorate or PhD, generally four to seven years

The Canadian constitution states that each province has the responsibility of education respective to their province. This means there are significant differences between the education systems of the different provinces. However, education is important to Canadians, and standards across the country are uniformly high.

Early education in Canada starts in the kindergarten at the age of 4 or 5 for 1 or 2 years which is on a voluntary basis. Grade one start at about 6 years of age for all children. A normal school year starts from September through June, but in some cases January intake dates are possible as well.

Grades 11 or 12 are considered secondary schools depending on the province. After secondary schools students may opt for university courses or college diplomas

High Quality Education

Canadian education institutions are not officially ranked in Canada but all of the institutions are of highest standards of quality. The type, size and locations are 3 things one needs to consider when choosing an education institution for studying in Canada. Best bet is to in research which institution has more to offer in your area of study, and also check the history of that particular department of in that institution