List of colleges & universities in Vancouver for International Student 2021
Why do you think there is a special list of colleges & universities in Vancouver for International students? Well, there is a very important reason behind it.
- Every institute in Vancouver is not allowed to admit international students.
- Only Designated Learning Institutes are authorized by the government to enroll international students.
- Check the list of DLI in Canada here.
You must know:
Note that our list of colleges & universities in Vancouver includes a Designated learning institute that offers Postgraduate work permits or PGWP to International students. PGWP allows you to work full time in Canada after your studies.
Why PGWP is important?
With PGWP, you can work in Canada and gain Canadian work experience. It will make you eligible for permanent residence. Learn more about PGWP for international students.
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Table of Content
I want to study in Canada: FAQ
Do you want to study in Canada, then you should be aware of many things. Let’s start with a FAQ by international students who wish to study in Canada.
- I want to study in Canada what should I do first?
- How many years or programs are better to apply?
- Diploma or Post-Graduate Program if I have a bachelor’s degree?
- What type of student application is a better regular stream or student direct stream SDS?
- Is IELTS required if I study in Canada?
- How long does it take to get a Letter of Acceptance from a university in Canada?
- How long is the visa processing?
- Can I still apply for study permit if my parents will not sponsor me?
- How much is the Proof of Funds (POF)?
- When do you apply to Canadian universities?
- How much do Canadian universities cost?
- Are there scholarships available for me to study in Canada?
Best University in Vancouver for International Students
The best university for international students in Vancouver is the University of British Columbia (UBC). It is ranked as the 2nd top university in Canada.
Every year the University of British Columbia welcomes more than 8,000 top first-year students from across Canada and around the world. You could be the next applying to UBC. It isn’t tricky but you’ll need to decide where and what you want to study.
University of British Columbia (UBC)
UBC has two campuses; Vancouver and Okanagan. And hundreds of programs to choose from.
Interested in applying to more than one degree? You’ll have the chance to apply for two degrees. They can be in different faculties and on different campuses.
To study at UBC you must meet
- general admission requirements
- degree-specific requirements (depend on your degree)
- English language requirements. (to assess your English language competency)
When you’re ready to get started on your application. Here is what you’ll do.
- Simply choose your degree and campus.
- Talk about your academic history in the personal profile section.
- You’ll complete a series of short essays about yourself and your experiences.
This is your chance to really shine. Take your time to think about your answers.
The deadline for application is usually mid-January. But if you have your eye on a major scholarship you’ll want to submit it by early December.
UBC application tips
As a top 45th University in the world, UBC attracts elite students from Canada and around the world. Your application is where you demonstrate that you’ve got what it takes to be a UBC student. Here are five tips to keep the process stress-free.
Start early
Applications are due in mid-January. But if you want to be considered for major scholarships submit by early December. Give yourself time to explore UBC’s programs and get familiar with the online application system.
Double your chances
Are you struggling to choose between degrees or campuses? Is your degree of choice really competitive? Apply to two degrees.
Let the application guide you
The questions you need to answer will depend on where you live? what you’ve studied?
and the degrees you apply for. So don’t worry if your application looks a bit different from your friends.
Take your time
Some questions will be easy to answer. Others will require more reflection. Once you start your application you can save it and return it later.
Check your work
Your application must be accurate and complete. We recommend working on the essay style questions outside of the application. You can take your time editing and rewriting. UBC verifies the information you provide. Check and double-check everything before you submit it.
Scholarships and financial aid for international students at UBC
The University of British Columbia offers up to 30 million dollars in financial assistance for international students.
UBC offers two Merit-based awards:
- International Major Entrance Scholarship
- Outstanding International Student Award
- Vantage One Excellence Award
Scholarships offered to undergraduate international students includes two programs under International scholars program of UBC.
Why Vancouver?
Vancouver is the 8th largest city and the 2nd best city to live in Canada. It is also the 1st most liveable city in British Columbia in Canada
Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area in Western Canada with a population of 2.6 million.
Located at the south-western corner of the coastal province of British Columbia and surrounded by mountains and sea, it is well known for its majestic natural beauty.
With its scenic views, mild climate, and friendly people, Vancouver is known around the world as both a popular tourist destination and one of the best places to live.
Cost of living in Vancouver for International Students
It is the second expensive city in Canada after Toronto. It frequently ranks highly as one of the world’s most livable cities. It was recently ranked as the best city to live in Canada. And many international students want to study in Vancouver as well.
I will tell you all the living expenses of Vancouver. And I will try to cover everything like accommodation, rent, grocery, transportation expenses, mobile data expenses, and other expenses.
Lifestyle
Expenses of Vancouver will depend on your lifestyle. Downtown will be much expensive. But if you try to live outside of downtown then it’ll be less expensive.
We will discuss the lifestyle of three types of students.
- Budget Student
- Middle-class student
- Little rich student
Rent in Vancouver for International students
First, we talk about the accommodation expenses. These expenses will be covered all three types of students. Well, keep in mind the different lifestyles of the students.
- If you are a tight budget, you can live in a shared room. $300 to 350 dollars per month.
- The second one for middle-class students. A cheap and good private room could cost you around 450 to 500 dollars per month.
- The third one is a little rich student who can afford a good apartment or a two-bedroom house. The price of this category will be 8 $100 to $1,300 per month.
These are the accurate prices for accommodation renting room including all utility bills as well. This rent is per month and in Canadian dollars.
Grocery
Grocery is the second main thing for the students. And students always try to reduce their grocery expenses. Grocery could cost you around $170 to $200.
You can even cost it down to $150 or $170 per month. If you buy your monthly grocery from cheap stores like Walmart, Costco, choices, Whole Foods and save on foods. These are the cheapest stores in Canada and there are many other cheap stores as well.
Transportation
There are many options in transportation in Vancouver. For buses, a single ticket valid for 90 minutes will cost you around $2.95 when you’re paying by cash. Campus card users get a reduced rate of $2.30. The same fare applies no matter what distance you travel so long as the bus is the sole method of transport.
Monthly passes are also available and they run by calendar months. And follow for ultimate travel on Skytrain buses and other buses. The cost $95 or $128 depending on how many zones are required. If you are looking for a taxi expect to pay around $1.92-$3.50 per kilometer. Also depends on different types of taxies.
Data plan
The first is mobile data plans and the second one is Wi-Fi internet plans. The question is which plan option is best for me.
Data plans cost you around $40 to $75. And you will get 10 to 15 GB of data depends on various setup packages. And also vary sim to sim.
Apart from that, the other option is the Wi-Fi internet plan which could cost you around $50 to $60 per month.
Summary
Here is the total estimated expenses of international students in Vancouver.
Top job sectors in Vancouver
The Government has created a 10-year forecast (2019-2029) of the labor market conditions throughout the province of British Columbia. According to the report, over 548,600 new job openings are predicted in the region of Vancouver and the surrounding area. Here is the list of top job sectors.
Tech Sectors
75,000 new job openings are expected over the next ten years in the tech sectors.
Here is the list of top occupations and the number of Job Openings 2019-2029.
- Information Systems Analysts & Consultants: 7,600
- Computer & Digital Media Programmers & Developers: 6,300
- Computer & Info Systems Managers: 4,700
- Graphic Designers & Illustrators: 4,700
- Software Engineers & Designers: 4,500
- Civil Engineers: 4,200
Natural Resources Sectors
The natural resources sectors consist of mining, fishing, and forestry, environmental management and stewardship, tourism, transportation, and service industries.
Job openings in traditional resource industries are as follows
- Agriculture & Fishing: 7,600
- Forestry (This includes wood and paper manufacturing): 8,900
- Mining and Oil & Gas Extraction: 11,100
- Electricity & Other Utilities: 3,900
Trade
Over the next decade, there will be about 73,000 job openings in trade occupations. Nearly half of these jobs will be in the construction sector
The top construction trades occupations in terms of projected job openings over the next ten years are:
- Carpenters
- Construction trades helpers & laborers
- Heavy equipment operators (except crane)
- Painters & decorators
(except interior decorators) - Construction electricians
- Construction millwrights
- Welders & related machine operators
- Plumbers
- Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
The other top trades are:
- Professional cooks
- Auto service technicians
- Hairstylists & barbers
- Bakers
- Motor vehicle body repairers
- Industrial electricians
Early Childhood Educators
There are more than 8,000 ECE job openings forecasted over the next ten years
Health sector
Over the next decade, there will be close to 80,000 job openings in health occupations
Health occupations with the most job openings | 2019-2029
- Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses: 19,600
- Nurse Aides, Orderlies, and Patient Service Associates: 17,900
- Licensed Practical Nurses: 4,300
- General Practitioners and Family Physicians: 3,400
- Specialist Physicians: 3,000
- Massage Therapists: 2,300
- Dental Assistants: 2,000
High opportunity occupations
The British Columbia job report 2019-2029 includes a list of many high opportunity occupations in British Columbia. You can check the details here.
Is it difficult to find work in Vancouver?
Because Vancouver is a big city, you have opportunities popping up every single day. When you see a job opening, you apply for it. And you do not need to wait longer to find another job opening.
- In terms of job opportunities when you’re in a bigger city, you have more opportunities. A lot of big companies have their head offices here. If you’re trying to aim for the big companies, chances are you’ll find their offices in the bigger cities.
Let’s look at the other side of the argument. Because it’s a bigger city you have a lot more immigrants as well. You have a lot more universities there. You have a lot more graduates. You also have high competition in Vancouver.
- Pro tip: If you’re not graduating from the most top-tier level of universities. It’s not that it’s going to hold you back but it’s always good to have more experiences. It is always good to have a competitive edge that you can bring to your resume.
If you are a fresh graduate especially as an international student and you are looking for an entry-level job you will need experience. Not necessarily work experience but experience in your university that can show you can do the job.
Best jobs for international students in Vancouver
When you’re looking for a job in Vancouver. Don’t look for the pay especially if it’s an entry-level job. Look for what kind of skills you can learn in that job. And whether you can advance.
- It’s very easy to get jobs like administrative assistants or working in a call center.
These jobs are not hard to come by but do you want to do the same thing for a year or two years. There’s no growth here. There is no increase in your pay and say you’re stuck there for two years. Your experience is not really going to take you anywhere.
When you’re in Vancouver always prioritize skills over the money you get. Eventually, the money will come when you have enough experience. Make your resume as good as it possibly can be by accumulating all of the activities. All of the extracurriculars you can do in your time in university
How to find a job in Vancouver?
You must know:
- How many hours an international student can work during studies in Canada?
- When an international student in Canada can work and cannot work?
Now there are two ways to find a job in Vancouver.
- One is a traditional way that our fathers and grandfathers used to do and
- another is the modern way or mainstream way. And it’s an online way.
Recommended: 10+ tips to get your first job in Canada
Traditional way
Let’s look at the traditional way. Once you’re in Canada you can just print out your resumes knock on doors and submit your resumes.
But the problem is more and more companies are not doing that anymore. They would not take a resume. They would give you a card with the link on their website. And they want you to go to their website and submit your resume online to their HR.
But some of the companies they still do accept resume on spot.
The most modern companies that you actually want to work for. They are not doing that anymore. Now there is also a way through networking. That’s probably the main traditional way that’s still alive. And it’s like the most popular.
It’s like a great way. 80 percent of the jobs in Canada are going away through networking. They do post them online but the preference is given for those who come through networking.
But for those people who are new to Canada do not know many people here. And don’t have much connection.
Modern way
There is a second way; the modern mainstream way. It’s done online. For example, my personal favorite website is Indeed.ca.
- Another website Kijiji.ca. It has lots of stuff. It’s like a Canadian version of Craigslist. But it’s better than Craigslist.
- Of course, you know LinkedIn. You all do have the profile there. There HR people are searching all the time. They’re skimming through resumes. There is also a monster.
- The other one is a job bank. Now this one is like the main website that drains and gets all of the jobs from other websites. It belongs to the Government of Canada. That’s a really good website. I do recommend this one but you would not find in detail job descriptions in it.
List of Colleges & Universities in Vancouver for International Students
Here is the list of colleges & universities in Vancouver. Important features of this list:
- All are Designated Learning Institutes
- Offers Postgraduate work permit
- Includes information about the acceptance rate
- You will also find Int. undergrad tuition fee and Int. grad tuition fee
Let’s get started
University of British Columbia (UBC)
General information
- World Ranking:29
- Ranking in Country: 2
- Website: https://www.ubc.ca/
- Location: Kelowna, Vancouver
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 17000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: 5000 US$
- Admission fee : 125 US$
- College acceptance rate: 52%
- Option for Co-Op: Yes
Programs offered
📐 Engineering
🩺 Health Sciences
💻 Computer & IT
🏩 Hospitality & Tourism
👔 Business & Management
🧠 Psychology & Human sciences
🏅 Sports & Related
🎨 Art & Design
⚖️ Law & Legal studies
🔠 English Language
🔬 Sciences
British Columbia Institute of Technology
General information
- World Ranking:3599
- Ranking in Country: 64
- Website: https://www.bcit.ca/
- University Location: Burnaby, Canada
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 15000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: 5000 US$
- Admission fee: 120 US$
- College acceptance rate: 85%
- Option for Co-Op: Yes
Programs offered
📐 Engineering
🩺 Health Sciences
💻 Computer & IT
🏩 Hospitality & Tourism
👔 Business & Management
🧠 Psychology & Human sciences
🎨 Art & Design
⚖️ Law & Legal studies
🔠 English Language
🔬 Sciences
👷 Construction & Trades
Capilano University
General Information
- World Ranking:5488
- Ranking in Country: 86
- Website: https://www.capilanou.ca/
- University Location: North Vancouver, Canada
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 20000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: 10000 US$
- Admission fee: 105 US$
- College acceptance rate: 80%
Option for Co-Op: Yes
Programs offered
🩺 Health Sciences
👔 Business & Managements
🧠 Psycology & Human sciences
🎨 Art & Design
🔠 English Language
Langara College
General Information
- World Ranking:5063
- Ranking in Country: 82
- Website: https://langara.ca/
- University Location: Vancouver, Canada
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 20000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: 29375 US$
- Admission fee: 155 US$
- College acceptance rate: 85%
- Option for Co-Op: Yes
Programs Offered
🩺 Health Sciences
💻 Computer & IT
👔 Business & Management
🧠 Psychology & Human sciences
🎨 Art & Design
🔠 English Language
🔬 Sciences
Simon Fraser University (SFU)
- World Ranking:137
- Ranking in Country: 7
- Website: https://www.sfu.ca/
- Location: Burnaby, Surrey, Vancouver
- Int. under grad Tuition: 10000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition : 5000 US$
- Admission fee : 78 US$
- College acceptance rate: 59%
- Option for Co-Op: Yes
Programs Offered
📐 Engineering
🩺 Health Sciences
💻 Computer & IT
👔 Business & Management
🧠 Psychology & Human sciences
🏅 Sports & Related
🎨 Art & Design
🔠 English Language
🔬 Sciences
Vancouver Community College
General Information
- World Ranking:6527
- Ranking in Country: 95
- Website:https://www.vcc.ca/
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 15000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: Not Reported
- Admission fee: 30 US$
- College acceptance rate: 90%
Programs Offered
🩺 Health Sciences
👔 Business & Management
🧠 Psychology & Human sciences
🎨 Art & Design
👷 Construction & Trades
Yorkville University
General Information
- World Ranking:10957
- Ranking in Country: 176
- Website: https://m.yorkvilleu.ca/
- Location: Vancouver
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 16000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: Not Reported
- College acceptance rate: 85%
Program Offered
👔 Business & Management
🎨 Art & Design
🔠 English Language
Note: You are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if you complete a Bachelor of Business Administration at this school.
University Canada West
General Information
- World Ranking:10855
- Ranking in Country: 174
- Website: https://www.ucanwest.ca/
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 14000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: 6250 US$
- Admission fee: 195 US$
- College acceptance rate: 80%
- Option for Co-Op: Yes
Program Offered
👔 Business & Management
🎨 Art & Design
Associate of Arts
Bachelor of Arts in Business Communication
Bachelor of Commerce
Master of Business Administration
Northeastern University
General information
- Website: https://www.northeastern.edu/vancouver/
- Location: Vancouver
- Tuition Fee: $44,863 CAD
Program offered
- Master of Science in Computer Science
Columbia College
General information
- World Ranking:10761
- Ranking in Country: 170
- Website: https://www.columbiacollege.ca/
- International students: Yes
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 11250 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: Not Reported
- Admission fee: 160 US$
- College acceptance rate: 95%
Program Offered
💻 Computer & IT
🧠 Psychology & Human sciences
🎨 Art & Design
🔬 Sciences
Note:
You are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if you complete one of the degrees below and you meet all other PGWP criteria:
- Associate of Arts
- Associate of Science
You are not eligible if you complete any other program at this school.
Alexander College
General
- World Ranking:12199
- Ranking in Country: 201
- Website:https://alexandercollege.ca/
- Location: Burnaby, Vancouver
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 16000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: 16000 US$
- Admission fee: 160 US$
- College acceptance rate: 100%
- Option for Co-Op: No
Program fields
🎨 Art & Design
🔬 Sciences
Note: You are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if you complete one of the degrees below and you meet all other PGWP criteria:
- Associate of Arts
- Associate of Science
You are not eligible if you complete any other program at this school.
Adler University
General information
World Ranking:7040
Ranking in Country: 100
Website: https://adler-university.force.com/
International students: Yes
Int. undergrad Tuition: 20000 US$
Int. grad Tuition: 20000 US$
Admission fee: 50 US$
College acceptance rate: 80%
Programs offered
👔 Business & Management
🧠 Psychology & Human sciences
You are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if you complete one of the degrees below and you meet all other PGWP criteria:
- Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology
- Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology
- Master of Counselling Psychology
- Master of Counselling Psychology: Art Therapy
- Master of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- Master of Public Policy and Administration
- Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology
You are not eligible if you complete any other program at this school.
Acsenda School of Management
General Information
- World Ranking:15327
- Ranking in Country: 273
- Website:https://acsenda.com/
- Option for Co-Op: No
- International students: Yes
- Int. undergrad Tuition: 12000 US$
- Int. grad Tuition: 4000 US$
- Admission fee: 120 US$
- College acceptance rate: 90%
Programs Offered
👔 Business & Management
🔠 English Language
You are eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if you complete one of the degrees below and you meet all other PGWP criteria:
- Bachelor of Business Administration with Concentrations
- Bachelor of Hospitality Management
You are not eligible if you complete any other program at this school