Canadian graduate admission at research level is supervisor-led: for a thesis master's or a PhD, no professor means no admission, whatever your grades. The department will often refuse to review a file until someone has agreed to supervise.
The 2026 immigration change matters. From 1 January 2026, master's and doctoral students at public designated learning institutions no longer need a Provincial Attestation Letter for a study permit, which removes one of the most frustrating delays of the previous two years.
At a glance
| Language | English, or French in Québec |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Master's roughly CAD 15,000–40,000 a year; funded PhDs often cover fees plus a stipend |
| Living costs for the permit | CAD 22,895 for a single applicant outside Québec, plus tuition and travel |
| Main intakes | September mainly; January and May at some universities |
| Where you apply | Each university's own portal, after supervisor contact for research degrees |
| After graduation | PGWP up to 3 years |
What they require
- Four-year bachelor's with roughly 75–80% or a B+ average for research programmes
- IELTS 6.5–7.0 or TOEFL iBT 86–100 depending on the university
- A research statement and, for most PhDs, a proposal
- Two to three academic references
- GRE is rarely required outside a few disciplines
How admission actually works
The department and the graduate school both sign off, but the supervisor drives it. A professor with grant money can effectively create your funding package; without one, a thesis programme will not proceed.
Québec runs a parallel immigration process: you need a CAQ from the province in addition to the federal study permit.
How much does a supervisor matter?
Essential for thesis master's and PhD.
Write to three to five professors per university with a specific, short email: what you did, what you want to work on, why their group. Attach a two-page CV and a one-page outline. Most say nothing; a few reply, and one reply is usually enough. Start twelve months before the intake, because funding decisions inside departments happen early.
When applications open and close
The pattern below is what these systems normally do. Every programme sets its own dates, so treat this as the planning shape and confirm on the official portal linked at the end.
Funding that genuinely exists here
The most common source of PhD money, paid as a research assistantship.
Departmental, usually allocated per term, frequently part of an offer.
CAD 50,000 a year for three years for doctoral candidates; you must be nominated by the university, with internal deadlines in the autumn.
NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR fund mainly citizens and residents, but some streams and provincial awards are open to international candidates.
Automatic on admission at many universities for strong applicants.
Documents this country asks for
- Transcripts, with a WES evaluation at some universities
- Research proposal and statement of interest
- Supervisor's acceptance or a named professor in the application
- Language test, and a French test for Québec French-taught programmes
- Proof of funds for the study permit, and a CAQ if the university is in Québec
Visa and permit
Since 1 January 2026, master's and doctoral applicants at public DLIs do not need a PAL or TAL. You still need the letter of acceptance, proof of funds of CAD 22,895 plus tuition, biometrics and, for Québec, a CAQ. Spousal open work permits remain available for graduate-level students.
After you graduate
PGWP up to 3 years
Master's graduates are eligible for a three-year Post-Graduation Work Permit regardless of programme length, provided the other conditions are met. It is an open permit, and it is the usual bridge into Express Entry.
What they favour
- A clear research fit with a named supervisor
- Research output: a thesis, a paper, a conference presentation
- Applicants who understand the difference between course-based and thesis master's
- Early contact, before the funding round closes inside the department
Where applications fail
- Applying to a thesis programme with no supervisor
- Applying to a course-based master's expecting funding that does not exist there
- Forgetting the CAQ for Québec
- Leaving the study permit application until after the intake's document deadline
Official sources
Rules and dates change, sometimes mid-cycle. These are the pages that carry the authoritative version; if anything here disagrees with them, they are right. Reviewed September 2026.