Published on 1 February 2026

Canada: Education system

If you are planning to emigrate to Canada, the FDFA can provide wide-ranging information on schooling and the education system.

School system

The provinces are responsible for education, including university education. Parents do not have a completely free choice of school in Canada, as each school has a neighbourhood catchment area.

Private schools often charge very high fees and are therefore not suitable for everyone. Although faith-based schools are generally more affordable, they still charge fees and membership of a particular church, for example, may also be required.

It is not generally necessary to enrol children far in advance, except in the case of private schools, as places are normally allocated by interviewing the prospective student and parents and by assessing documents relating to the child's education to date.

It is advisable to contact the school early regarding the enrolment requirements.

Swiss schools

There are no Swiss schools in Canada.

International schools

There are good international schools in many of Canada's major cities, some of which follow the term times in the relevant home country.

Universities

Anyone wishing to study in Canada has some 100 public and private universities and colleges to choose from. In addition, around 200 community colleges provide vocational courses. With roughly 60,000 students, the University of Toronto is Canada's largest university. The majority of universities are campus universities, i.e. the departments, library, cafeterias and other facilities are all in one location. The provinces and territories are responsible for the universities, which means there are no standardised national rules on admission requirements, syllabuses and fees.

---

All topics

Back to the overview