Best Community Colleges in Canada for International Students

Canada has always been at the forefront in setting a benchmark about the quality of education that they provide and is emerging as the top study destinations amongst international students. If you are aspiring to study in Canada, you must know that the country is home to globally acclaimed community colleges that are relatively affordable and inexpensive and offer high-quality programs and academic opportunities. Through this blog, we bring you our selectively picked list of top 10 best community colleges in Canada for international students.

What are Community Colleges?

A community college is a type of educational institution that can mean different things to different countries. It is also known as a senior secondary school in some countries across the globe and is often different from state Universities in the sense that it offers two years of classes or courses that can be used for general education requirements while State Colleges offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. You can then transfer to a four-year university to finish your bachelor’s degree. 

List of Community Colleges in Canada

So, now that you know what Community Colleges are, let’s take a look at the top 10 community colleges in Canada for international students:

Best Community Colleges in India	Average Tuition Fees
Red River College	Degree: CAD 7,500- CAD 8,500 [ 429622 INR – 4,86,905 INR approx.] Certification: CAD 2,732- CAD 11,294 [156,500 INR-646,952 INR approx.]
Centennial College	CAD 14,937.50 for 1 year [855,700 INR approx.]
Seneca College	CAD 11,970 for 1 year [685,680 INR approx.]
College of New Caledonia	CAD 3,200 for 1 year [183,305 INR approx.]
Fanshawe College	CAD 15,000 for 1 year [859,250 INR]
Bow Valley College	CAD 10,000- CAD 15,000 for 1 year [57,828 INR-859,250 INR approx.]
Selkirk College	CAD 8,500 for 1 year [4,86904 INR approx.]
Southern Alberta Technology Center	CAD 4,000- 28,000 (depending on the program) [229,131 INR – 1604,000 INR approx.]
Nova Scotia Community College	CAD 11,350 for 1 year [650,160 INR approx.]
Humber College	CAD 14,000- CAD 15,000 for 1 year [8,01,959 INR-859,250 INR]

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Red River College

Red River College is the largest community college in Manitoba and Winnipeg. The college is home to over 30,000 students and over 200 different programs. It is among the popular community colleges in Canada as well as the Manitoba province and has close to 95% and more students. Red River College offers a full range of credentials, including apprenticeship training, certificates, diplomas and selected degrees. 

Centennial College

Next college in our list of best community colleges in Canada is none other than Centennial College which is situated in the capital city of Toronto and was founded was its first public college in 1966. This community college provides over 90+ degrees and certification courses in business, communication, social and life sciences, science and engineering, art and engineering, and hospitality.  Therefore, these career-oriented programs emphasize practical experience in laboratory learning, industrial and business distribution, as well as business education.

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Seneca College

Seneca College offers full-time and part-time continuing training options. This community college has specialization in science, business, financial services and arts programs. The college also works with industry leaders and believes that education should be simple and affordable which makes it one of the best community colleges in Canada. Here, the students have the option to study about the fields such as IT, biotechnology, international marketing, accounting and finance, event management, computer science, engineering, travel and hospitality, fashion designing, digital & multimedia animation, and many others.

College of New Caledonia

Another great college in our list of best community colleges in Canada is definitely the College of New Caledonia which was established in 1969. The college is renowned for offering a high-quality education taught by an experienced faculty.  As a result, students will benefit from small classes, affordable tuition, excellent programs and personal and career support. 

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Fanshawe College

Situated in Southwestern Ontario, Fanshawe College offers over 110 postsecondary degrees, degrees, certificates and post-graduate programs. In addition to that, there are almost 1200+ international students from around 60 countries that are attending Fanshawe College. It is one of the renowned community colleges in Canada and Fanshawe programs are in the areas of business, broadcasting, civil engineering, design, electronics, environmental sciences, health care, hospitality, social services, information technology, manufacturing, music production and transport.

Bow Valley College

Bow Valley College, Alberta is another key mention in our list of top 10 community colleges in Canada for international students. Their primary objective is to support the development of international students and prepare people to succeed in a global knowledge-based economy.  The institution is viewed as an innovative, world-class college, rooted in communities, allowing people to learn a better life. 

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Selkirk College

Selkirk College (Selkirk) is a fully accredited public post-secondary institution that provides access to a wide variety of academic and career courses. It is the largest British-Canadian College that offers almost 60 programs in academic, career, vocational, and technical programs, part-time, full-time, and online, business and aviation, digital media and music, wellness, human services, hospitality, tourism, manufacturing, and trades training. 

Southern Alberta Technology Center

The Southern Alberta Institute of Scientific Technology (SAIT) is one of Canada’s international community colleges offering over 100 courses in arts, technology and business.  The college, located in Calgary, Alberta, is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the province and supports close to 11,000 or more students. This gives it a place on our list of the best community colleges in Canada.

Nova Scotia Community College

Nova Scotia State College is well known for its courses in applied arts, health sciences and polytechnics. The college has more than 10 campuses and 6 study centres as well. Hence, when compared with other colleges, tuition fees are much cheaper and affordable for international students as well. It is one of the most affordable public schools and community colleges in Canada for foreign students.

Humber College

Humber College Institute of Technology was founded in 1967 and is a publicly funded college of higher education that is based in Toronto. It offers more than 150 programs, including bachelor, postgraduate and degree programs, certificate programs in business, communication, social and life sciences, science and engineering, art and engineering and hospitality. 

Eligibility Criteria

Listed down are the community colleges in Canada with their respective admission requirements and application portal to apply online:

College	Admission Requirements	Application Portal
Red River College	Passed Grade 12 TOEFL – 80IELTS – 6.5 +	Apply
Centennial College	Higher Secondary School CertificateTOEFL – 80IELTS – 6.5 +	Apply
College of New Caledonia	Graduation TranscriptsTOEFL – 42 +IELTS – 6.0 +	Apply
Fanshawe College	Passed Grade 12TOEFL – 70 – 90IELTS – 6.0+	Apply
Bow Valley College	High School TranscriptsTOEFL – 71IELTS – 6.0 +	Apply
Selkirk College	Certified from the previous InstitutionTOEFL – 80 +IELTS – 6.0 +	Apply
Humber College	Grade 12 DiplomaTOEFL – 80 – 100IELTS – 6.0 +	Apply

Quick Showdown Between Community and Private Colleges 

Tuition Fee	As compared to private colleges, community colleges are cheaper and economical. Since the tuition fee for international students differs, opting for community colleges would be an affordable option.
Class Size	You will find a greater number of students in community college igniting the spirit of competition as compared to the private ones.
Admission	The steps involved in both community as well as private colleges regarding the admission of international students remain the same.
Duration of Courses	Since private colleges cost a lot in terms of tuition fees, they offer programs that are shorter in duration so that students can complete them in a budget friendly way. Whereas, courses in community colleges run for usual duration.
Designation by Immigration Authorities	All the community colleges are approved by immigration authorities and as an international student you will have to register under DLI to seek study permit. On the other hand, some of the private colleges are not designated.
Work While Studying	Both types of colleges allow students who have a valid study permit to work 20 hours per week and more during the holiday season.
Post Graduate Work Permit	Only the international students who graduated from a community college can apply for a special work permit to study as well as stay in Canada to work after graduation.

We hope that this blog has given you an insight into the best community colleges in Canada. Aiming to apply to any of these community colleges? Reach out to our Leverage Edu experts and we will help you carve an impressive application for your dream college in Canada! Sign up for a free session right away!