Graduates wishing to pursue their Master’s degree in Canada have received a major boost with Canadian universities and colleges relaxing their 16-year education requirement for postgraduate admissions. Here is how this will help Indians. No need to pursue a second undergraduate course in Canada Traditionally, Canadian universities and colleges require a student to have studied for at least 16 years in order to be eligible for admissions to postgraduate programmes. Typically, this requires completing a four-year undergraduate programme. However, in India, the standard Bachelor’s degree is awarded after a three-year course. This means that students from India typically complete only 15 years of education (10+2+3) in order to become a graduate. For students interested in studying in Canada, this meant that they either had to complete another year-long course in India, or pursue a second Bachelor’s degree in Canada, before they would be eligible for admissions to a Master’s degree programme. This will now change. Several courses accepting 15-year education period Experts note that recent changes in regulations concerning international students have prompted Canadian schools to broaden their admissions criteria — many are now accepting students with 15 years of education behind them for post-graduate courses. For those with a background in arts and humanities, colleges are offering 3-6 month long foundation courses, and for those with business backgrounds (BBA, BCA, etc.) there are provisions for direct admission. Students, however, still need to meet English proficiency requirements. “There are now colleges and universities in almost every province/territory that have opened doors for graduates from India to enroll in Master’s courses by introducing short-term foundation or preparatory programmes,” consultant Gurpreet Singh, a study-in-Canada expert, told The Indian Express. While there were a few colleges which previously accepted students with three-year graduation degrees, this trend is now fast evolving. “Universities such as the University of Niagara Falls, University of Canada West, Trinity Western, City University Alberta, Providence University in Winnipeg, Catholic University Theological Seminary, and dozens others have embraced this shift,” he said. A win-win situation for students, universities Singh said that this change is mutually beneficial for both students and universities. For Indian students, first and foremost this means that they need not pursue “irrelevant undergraduate courses” solely to enter Canada. Also, admissions to Master’s programmes also allows students to bring their spouses along on spousal open work permits. This privilege is only open to Bachelor’s students pursuing certain very specific degrees in the fields of law, engineering, nursing, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Moreover, after completing a year of the Master’s degree course, students become eligible for a three-year work permit, and earn a lot more points for their Permanent Residency (PR) application compared to undergraduates — improving their chances of getting PR. For universities, this is advantageous as postgraduate students are exempt from the capping system recently imposed by the Canadian government on each province. Caps do not apply to doctoral degree students as well.
