Canada ranks among the top education systems in the world, but for many international students, including Nigerians, the appeal now goes far beyond a degree; it is about what happens after the degree.
The attraction is that Canada is also closely tied to long-term migration opportunities, its post-study work pathways, particularly the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), offering international students a clear route to gain local work experience, and, eventually, permanent residency through programmes like Express Entry.
In 2023 alone, Canada issued a record 37,630 study permits to Nigerians, a 133% surge from the previous year.
By 2024, over 58,000 Nigerian students were already studying in Canada, making it the fourth-largest source country for international students.
Under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, the country plans to admit about 380,000 new immigrants annually to support its economy and labour market needs.
They also plan to fast-track permanent residence for 33,000 skilled temporary workers over 2026 and 2027, focusing on those already working in communities, especially in rural areas and in in-demand sectors
Methodology: In this article, affordability is defined based on postgraduate study costs, focusing on universities that offer master’s programmes with annual international tuition fees below $10,000
Here are the top 10 most affordable universities in Canada for international students.
The University of Calgary is located in Calgary, Alberta. International students’ postgraduate tuition is typically charged per term or per course, depending on whether the programme is thesis-based or course-based.
For thesis-based programmes, international tuition is approximately CAD 2,858.55 per term, translating to about CAD 8,500–9,000 annually. For course-based programmes, tuition varies widely depending on the programme, with international fees ranging from about CAD 2,034 to over CAD 7,141 per 3-unit course, depending on the field of study.
The university offers a wide range of postgraduate programmes across multiple disciplines such as the Master of Management, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Finance, and graduate certificates in Management Analytics and Business Intelligence, Master of Engineering, Master of Data Science and Analytics, Master of Information Security and Privacy, Master of Physician Assistant Studies, graduate certificates in advanced nursing practice, and education-focused programmes amongst others.
