Most school comparisons start too late. By the time a student compares two offer letters, the brochures have already done their emotional work. A better comparison starts with a table and a rule: no school gets credit for a claim you cannot verify.
011. Compare programs, not brands
A famous school can have a weak-fit program. A smaller school can have a strong co-op pipeline, lower housing pressure, better advising, or a credential that gets you to work faster. Start with the exact program: credential, length, campus, delivery mode, admission requirements, tuition, fees, work-integrated learning, transfer, and outcome.
EduCanada's program search is useful because it lets you filter by field, language, level, and province. But EduCanada also says program and tuition information is updated yearly and subject to change, so confirm the current details with the school before paying.
022. Use five columns that matter
| Column | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Program content, credential, prerequisites, licensing or graduate-school path. | Avoids a brand-name choice that misses the goal. |
| Cost | Tuition, fees, rent, transit, equipment, unpaid placements. | The cheapest tuition can still be the expensive life. |
| Outcome | Job Bank profile, co-op record, portfolio, transfer, alumni examples. | Brochures do not equal outcomes. |
| Support | Advising, accessibility, career centre, language, mental health, tutoring. | Support affects completion. |
| Verification | DLI, PGWP, student aid, refund, admission deadline. | Prevents paperwork surprises. |
033. International students need an extra column
If you are international, your table needs an immigration column. Confirm the DLI number, exact campus, public/private status, PGWP-eligible program details, language or field-of-study requirements, PAL/TAL or CAQ rules, refund policy, and whether a co-op placement changes the documents you need. IRCC warns that not all programs offered by a DLI are PGWP-eligible.
Verify before deposit: school, campus, program, credential, intake, delivery mode, DLI number, PGWP details, PAL/TAL or CAQ requirement, and refund rules.
044. Ask the boring support questions
The school you can finish is better than the one you can brag about. Ask about course availability, waitlists, placement scarcity, transfer advising, accessibility accommodations, language support, mental-health wait times, commute, housing, and whether required courses run every term. A program that looks perfect on paper can become a trap if a required course is only offered once a year.
055. Score, then sleep on it
Give each program a score out of five for fit, cost, outcome evidence, support, and verification. Then write the one thing that still worries you. If the worry is fixable, fix it. If the worry is structural - unaffordable housing, weak PGWP evidence, unclear licensing, or no support - listen to it.
Before deciding, send one plain email to each program contact with your unresolved questions. The quality of the answer is part of the comparison. A school that answers clearly, points to the calendar, and explains risk is giving you a different signal than a school that sends slogans, pressure, or silence. Save the replies in the same folder as your offer letter.
Download the Study Application & Permit Kit
A printable worksheet for comparing schools, admissions, language proof, study-permit documents, PAL/TAL, province choice, and the one rule you still need to verify.
Open the worksheetOfficial resources and community notes
- EduCanada program searchUse for first-pass program, cost, language, level, and province comparisons.
- Job Bank profilesUse for wages, prospects, job requirements, and career planning.
- Student communitiesUseful for lived experience and questions to ask, not a substitute for IRCC, the school calendar, student aid, or a regulated professional.
Sources
Use these as the source of record when a school page, recruiter, forum thread, or old article disagrees.
- Search college and university programs in Canada (EduCanada). Official search tool for programs, costs, field, language, credential level, and province. EduCanada says program and tuition information is updated yearly and must be confirmed with the institution.
- Designated learning institutions list (IRCC). Search school, campus, DLI number, public/private status, PGWP-eligible programs, and PAL/TAL-exempt graduate programs.
- Job Profiles (Job Bank). Government labour-market tool for wages, prospects, skills, requirements, and career planning.
- Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC). Directories and credential-recognition guidance for further study, employment, occupational profiles, and education systems.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-23. Education only, not immigration, legal, financial, or career advice.
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