Canada remains a popular choice for education and employment because it offers many academic and career opportunities. Studying in Canada can be a valuable move, but the process can be challenging and expensive, especially for international students with a limited budget.
Preparing for your university application alone already comes with associated costs. Application fees may not seem like a major expense at first, but they can add up quickly. At several Canadian universities, application fees are often around CAD 100 or more, especially for international applicants.
Many universities in Canada charge non-refundable application fees. However, no-fee applications for international students are usually conditional rather than available to every international applicant. Booth University College waives its CAD 150 international application fee for eligible international Ukrainian students, while most other international applicants must still pay the fee. The University of British Columbia also waives the graduate application fee for eligible international applicants whose citizenship and correspondence address are in one of the world’s 50 least developed countries. Let’s take a look at these institutions to find out how to apply.
University in Canada with No Application Fees
1. Booth University College
- Admissions | Tuition Fees | Scholarships
- Application Fee: free for Canadian citizens and permanent residents; CAD 150 for most international students; waived for eligible international Ukrainian students who arrived in Canada from Ukraine in the past 12 months
A private Christian institution of higher education, Booth University College is located in Winnipeg and is rooted in The Salvation Army. It offers programs in liberal arts and professional fields. Some programs, such as Social Work, have limited enrollment.
Booth University College organizes its academic programs through the School of Business, School of Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, School for Continuing Studies, and School of Graduate Studies. Booth UC emphasizes smaller class sizes and a small student-to-faculty ratio to support more personalized guidance.
Aspiring students interested in social sciences or the humanities may want to explore Booth UC’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Booth UC is rooted in The Salvation Army, which operates in more than 130 countries around the world.
International applicants should note that Booth UC does not waive the CAD 150 fee for all international students. The current international waiver described by the university is limited to eligible Ukrainian students who arrived in Canada from Ukraine in the past 12 months.
2. University of British Columbia
- Admissions | Tuition Fees | Scholarships
- Application Fee: waived for eligible international graduate applicants whose citizenship and correspondence address are in one of the world’s 50 least developed countries; CAD 168.25 for most international graduate applicants
The University of British Columbia is a major Canadian university with campuses in Vancouver and the Okanagan. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs across many fields. For international students, the no-application-fee option is not a general undergraduate policy. It applies to eligible graduate applicants under UBC’s fee-waiver rules.
Eligible students do not need to apply separately for this UBC graduate application fee waiver. UBC states that applicants who meet the waiver conditions will not be asked for a fee when completing the online application. Students who do not meet the waiver conditions should budget for the current international graduate application fee.
In conclusion, Canadian universities with no application fees for international students are uncommon, and the available options are often conditional. Booth University College can offer eligible domestic applicants free applications and waives the international application fee for eligible Ukrainian students, while the University of British Columbia offers a graduate application fee waiver for eligible international applicants from the world’s 50 least developed countries.
We also recommend doing thorough research. Researching universities when planning to study abroad is an important part of the decision-making process. Choosing a university requires investing time, money, and effort, so it is not a decision to make hastily.
So, if you are interested in Canadian universities with free or waived application fees under specific conditions, review the eligibility rules carefully before applying. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs for International Students!
