How Much Does It Cost to Study in Canada from India in 2026?

In September 2025, IRCC raised the mandatory living-cost requirement for a Canadian study permit from $20,635 to $22,895 — an 11% jump that caught plenty of Indian applicants off guard mid-application (IRCC study permit financial requirements, effective September 1, 2025). That number is only one piece of the real cost, and it lands on top of tuition that's grown to nearly five times what a domestic student pays.

Most cost breakdowns floating around still quote the old GIC figure or skip the one-time fees entirely. This guide uses verified 2025-26 government and Statistics Canada data to show what studying in Canada from India actually costs in 2026 — tuition, living funds, permit fees, and how much a part-time job can realistically offset.

What Does Tuition Actually Cost for Indian Students in Canada?

International undergraduates paid an average of $41,746 in 2025-26, up 2.5% from the prior year, while international graduate students paid $24,028, up 1.5% (Statistics Canada, Tuition fees for degree programs, 2025/2026, September 10, 2025). Tuition varies sharply by province, and the gap can mean tens of thousands of dollars over a degree.

Ontario is the most expensive province for international undergraduates at $49,802 a year, while Newfoundland and Labrador is the most affordable at just $18,867 — less than half the national average. Graduate tuition follows the same pattern: $28,624 in Ontario versus $6,964 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

What Is the GIC and How Much Do You Need for Living Costs?

Every study permit applicant must prove access to $22,895 for one year of living expenses, on top of tuition and travel — up from $20,635 before September 1, 2025 (IRCC study permit financial requirements). Most Indian applicants meet this through a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from a participating Canadian bank, which locks in the funds and releases them gradually after arrival.

The GIC itself isn't free money sitting in an account — it's an investment that typically returns a modest interest rate while roughly $2,000 releases upfront and the rest arrives in monthly installments once you land. Budget the full $22,895 as a genuine cost of the first year, not a refundable deposit you'll see back quickly.

What One-Time Costs Come Before You Even Land?

Beyond tuition and the GIC, a handful of fixed government fees apply to every applicant. The study permit application itself costs $150, and biometrics add $85 per person, capped at $170 for a family applying together (IRCC official fee schedule).

Two more costs vary and don't have a single official number: the mandatory medical exam through an IRCC panel physician (clinics set their own pricing, so there's no fixed government fee to cite), and the flight from India to Canada, which typically ranges $600-$1,900 CAD round-trip depending on season, airline, and how far in advance you book.

Most cost guides treat the medical exam and flight as afterthoughts, but together they can swing your landing budget by $1,000 or more. Booking flights 3-4 months ahead and scheduling the medical exam as soon as your file is submitted, rather than waiting for a decision, are the two levers within your control here.

What's the Real First-Year Total Cost?

Adding average national tuition, the mandatory living-cost requirement, and fixed government fees puts a realistic first-year total at roughly $64,876 for an undergraduate at the national average tuition rate, before flights, medical exam, or insurance (built from Statistics Canada tuition data and IRCC fee schedules, 2025-26). Choosing Ontario pushes that closer to $73,000; a lower-cost province like Newfoundland and Labrador brings it down near $42,000.

The gap between international and domestic tuition has widened steadily. International undergraduates now pay roughly 5.0x what domestic students pay, up from 3.6x a decade ago; international graduate students pay about 3.0x domestic tuition, up from 2.2x (Statistics Canada, 2025-26 tuition release).

How Much Can Working Part-Time Offset the Cost?

Study permit holders can work up to 24 hours a week off-campus during academic terms and without a cap during scheduled breaks, up to 180 days a year (Government of Canada work off-campus rules, current as of May 2026). At Ontario's minimum wage of $17.95/hour, set to take effect October 1, 2026, 24 hours a week works out to roughly $1,868 a month before tax.

Running that math across a full year is where the picture gets more encouraging than most guides suggest: 8 months at term-time hours plus 4 months of full-time work during breaks lands in the neighbourhood of $27,000 gross, before tax — comfortably above the $22,895 GIC requirement, though this assumes consistent hours and job availability, which isn't guaranteed for every student or city.

Through Abroadiz, we've guided Indian families through this exact budgeting exercise for several years now, and the students who land part-time jobs fastest are consistently the ones who start applying in their first two weeks on campus, before classes get demanding, rather than waiting until living costs start to bite.

How Does Canada Compare to the US, UK, and Australia?

Canada generally sits in the middle of the pack for international student costs. Based on ranges reported across multiple international education consultancies, total annual costs run roughly $45,000-$90,000 CAD-equivalent in the US, £15,000-£38,000 in tuition alone in the UK, and AU$30,000-$45,000 in tuition in Australia — figures that should be treated as directional estimates rather than precise benchmarks, since no single government dataset aggregates them the way Statistics Canada does for Canada.

Canada's post-graduation work permit (PGWP) pathway, plus a lower overall cost floor when choosing an affordable province, remains a meaningful differentiator for Indian families comparing destinations on value rather than prestige alone.

How Should You Plan and Budget for Studying in Canada?

Four decisions determine most of your total cost before you ever submit an application. Getting these right early avoids expensive surprises later.

Frequently Asked Questions: Cost to Study in Canada from India