How to apply for admission - First timers information

This is a very generic information for people who intend to apply for university admission in Canada, especially those of you that just finished high school (secondary school). I have also included a bit of information for prospective masters students. Happy reading. Ask a question!

On www.google.com search for schools that offer your program of study in Canada. For example ‘Canadian Universities that offer Chemical Engineering programs’ Or ‘Canadian Universities that offer Masters in Chemical Engineering’. You should be able to get a bunch of leads similar to one below but different based on your program of choice.

You will get a list of schools like the first link above or a specific school in some cases like the last link shown above. The list is the best choice since it gives a list of all the schools that offer your specific program. That way you have the option of going through each school one at a time and evaluating them based on your specific need.

Note: some of the links to the schools might just lead you to the specific department’s web page i.e in this case the department of chemistry. You want to click on the heading that says prospective student or future students (or admissions). Take for instance the University of Brandon. After clicking on the link I was directed to the page below.

 

Clicking on the future students option directs me to a page that has a link to the application process.

 

At this point you should know if you are going for undergraduate or graduate studies program. The admission requirement for both programs are different and the same goes for the cost of tuition. If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident then you are most likely considered an international student or a foreign student. You should always look for this term (international or foreign student) on the admissions web page.

I have highlighted the rest of the steps in blue on the pages below.

For undergraduate studies – see steps below

Application requirement, documents required as well as application deadlines are important. If you don’t have the required documents or miss the deadline your application maybe returned or deferred if you are lucky. Pay attention to what is needed so you don’t lose you application fees. I should also add that these processes are very time consuming. So make sure you pace yourself and give yourself at least a year for the application process so you are not working under immense pressure.

Under the ‘admissions requirements and required documents’ link they listed high school (secondary school) requirement by country. I have highlighted Nigeria for example below and yes NECO is fully accepted by Brandon University.

However, you cannot combine both WAEC AND NECO.

Most schools will list only WAEC.

 

Nigeria is exempted from English language requirement. See list here

Some schools have the “apply online” link or “download application form” link. Apply online means filling out all your detailed information online and submitting it at the end with an application fee paid. The download application option lets you download a form and fill up electronically or print and fill by hand to be sent in later with your mailed documents. You can pay the application fees through a credit card if you have one or go to your local bank in your country and they should help you with the processing for a small service fee.

Under the ‘international students guide’ link you should see an address at the bottom where you can MAIL-IN your documents. Apply to two or more schools to boost your chances of admission.

Graduate studies – see steps below.

One thing I have noticed about graduate admission is that there are no real specifics (depends on school). But one thing that is needed for admission is high marks. For candidates from Nigeria, Canadian universities require a second class upper (2, 1) for admission (or 3.5/4). If you don’t have the high grades you might want to look into University of Manitoba’s pre-masters program or at least a post graduate diploma to bring your grades to an honor’s level.

The University of Manitoba for example selects graduate candidates based on:

-         -The candidate’s previous academic performance and assessment of referees.

-          -Availability of program and facilities that is available for the candidate

-          -Availability of supervisors, etc.

See full requirements here

I have listed a few things you should know before you apply:

-          Ask yourself which school best meets your needs in terms of program, professors and research interest.

-          Write to the department or a professor in your department if possible for more information and perhaps also use that opportunity to tell him about yourself too.

-          Keep track of application deadlines for your area of study.

-          Get information on funding opportunities available to graduate students in your school of choice. **This is optional.

-          Do you need any graduate exams? (GRE, MCAT, GMAT). The school will let you know.

-          You will need letters from your mentors, professors and referees. They could be academic or industry so make sure you keep in touch.

-          Do you have any industry or research experience in your area of study? You will need to highlight in your letters to the school or department. Attach a resume (CV) if possible.

-          You can’t just depend on your grades alone for admission especially for a very competitive year. You will have to demonstrate your passion for your program through your previous work (academic or industry). Tell them why you are the most worthy candidate and how you plan to succeed if given the opportunity.

It is always good to apply to two or more schools to avoid disappointment. Too many prospective graduate applicants get refused admission every year and this is a well-known issue. It could be that they don’t meet the minimum requirement but it could also be the case of a very competitive year as highlighted above. You may have the grades, the work and research experience to match your program but someone else went the extra mile and got accepted. In cases like that, working with two more schools could save you the grief.

So download the forms and fill it in by hand or online. Pay your application fees and MAIL-IN your documents as requested by the department or admissions. The admissions office address is usually posted on their website.

Note this is just a generic procedure. More specific details can be found on your school’s website. Please approach with caution. 

Briefly on applying for student visas

Start by following the link http://www.vfsglobal.ca/Canada/ 

You will need;

 Letter of admission from your school, Proof of Identity, Proof of funds – tuition, living expenses and return airfare. I have heard people say you need about year’s proof of funds but I think the more you have the better it goes to show that you are financially strong. 

You will also need police clearance, medical examination, temporary residence visa (TRV) etc. Those are the basics. 

You could be asked for more depending on your circumstance and your claims.

Take for instance the instructions given for Nigerian applicants on this link http://www.vfsglobal.ca/Canada/Nigeria/application_process.html. 

If you follow it properly you will have no issues with a obtaining a student visa.

You can download your study permit guide here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5269ETOC.asp

You can choose to fill the forms online or on paper (note: online is faster).

Also keep track on how other applicants are doing on this forum

Keep track of your study visa application processing time here

Other tips:

Make sure you show proof of home-ties i.e. you are definitely coming back home after your studies and have no intentions of staying behind.

Spend the first year in the school’s residence if possible. It just makes it easier to indicate in your application that you have already paid for a place to stay. Some people have experienced difficulties in the past obtaining a visa with off campus accommodation in the first year. In some cases the Landlord did not provide a proof of payment on time or in a professional manner or it was just hard to verify that the student have indeed gotten a place to stay. I would say they trust the school’s residence more because everything will be reflected in the school’s receipt.

Show proof of first year’s tuition fully paid.

If you are getting sponsorship from anyone other than the government, your parents or an organization make sure you show proof that they have supported you in the past and plan to do so during your study in Canada.

If you previously obtained a diploma, bachelors, masters or PhD.D. certificate and intend to go for a second diploma, bachelors, masters or PhD program in Canada please make sure you have strong reasons for it. I have received at least two emails from two people (Belgium and U.K) who got refused after previously concluding a master’s program and intended to do a second master’s program in Canada. One candidate applied from Nigeria while the other applied from Belgium. It was quite bizarre to me.

Acknowledging that you have an uncle or aunty in Canada does not necessarily get you a visa any quicker.

Let your sponsorship come from your home country if possible. Getting funding from Canada might not be a good idea especially if you plan to show that as proof to your visa officer.

Provide only what is required. Do not provide any extra details especially if it won’t help your case.

Get all your information from http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/nigeria/visa.aspx?menu_id=2&lang=eng or http://www.vfsglobal.ca/Canada/ and avoid rumors at all cost. Depending on unverified sources for information might cost you time and money.

Be as honest as possible in your application and maintain a certain level of consistency. If you are going for studies let the paper proof you have provided have the evidence of someone going for study and not full time work.

That’s all I can recall to the best of my knowledge.

Remember your suggestion via email prompts me to post a topic, so email me any time. Cheers.