University is the perfect time to explore a new area, gain new experiences and meet new people. Over a million young Canadians enrol at university each year but only 10% leave their province to do so. University offers more than just an excellent education - it's about enriching your life by immersing yourself in a diverse culture and flourishing by exploring the unknown.
We've compared cities in Canada which are home to universities in order to help students find the best place to study. In our research we’ve included tuition fees, the cost of rent, the percentage of young people and graduates living in the city, levels of diversity and environmental factors. We’ve also looked into access to vegan food, crime statistics, proximity to national parks and of course the most important factor when considering where to study - the cost of beer...
Top 10 cities to be a student in Canada
Montreal
Montreal has taken the crown as the best city to be a student in Canada. Situated in the Quebec province, Montreal offers lower than average tuition costs. It scored well for its sustainability and has loads of vegan dining options. We discovered there was a high percentage of graduates living in the city, meaning job opportunities are likely to be good there.
- Average cost of tuition: $3,384
- % of the population 15-24 years old: 12.1%
- % of population that are graduates: 51.35%
Rouyn-Noranda
Louis Jalbert
Located in the province of Quebec, Rouyn-Noranda is one of the best places to live as a student in Canada. It’s the least expensive place to study in Canada and has a large graduate population. Rouyn-Noranda scored well for its sustainability and beer is cheap too!
- Average cost of tuition: $2,636
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 13%
- % of population that are graduates: 26.89%
Trois-Rivieres
Also in the Quebec province, Trois- Rivieres scored the third highest in our research.
The city offers cheap tuition and rent, has low levels of crime for safety-conscious students and is close to a national park for those who love to explore the great outdoors.
- Average cost of tuition: $2,649
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 11.6%
- % of population that are graduates: 29.67%
Charlottetown
The capital of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown has a lot to offer. The city has a high proportion of young people living there, a national park is on its doorstep and rent is below-average.
- Average cost of tuition: $6,878
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 13.9%
- % of population that are graduates: 45.37%
Quebec
The fifth-best city to study in is Quebec. The fortified city is steeped in history and has lots to offer students. Cheap tuition and rent are just a few of the reasons it’s so attractive. Low levels of crime also help to make this remarkable city even more appealing to call home while you’re a student.
- Average cost of tuition: $2,676
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 11.4%
- % of population that are graduates: 41.95%
Brandon
Located in the province of Manitoba, Brandon is the sixth-best city to be a student in Canada. Tuition costs are below-average and many young people live there. The city lacks vegan options but it’s located pretty close to a national park if you love exploring.
- Average cost of tuition: $4,059
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 13.5%
- % of population that are graduates: 28.66%
Edmonton
The capital city of Alberta, Edmonton is the seventh best city to be a student in Canada. Edmonton scores consistently across the board and being so close to a national park helps give it an edge.
- Average cost of tuition: $6,133
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 12.9%
- % of population that are graduates: 43.91%
St John’s
The only city in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in the top 10, St John’s is the eighth-best city to be a student. The draw of cheap tuition, accommodation and reasonably priced beer makes St John’s an attractive place to spend your university years.
- Average cost of tuition: $3,036
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 31.1%
- % of population that are graduates: 49.21%
Vancouver
As one of the largest cities in Canada, Vancouver has so much to offer. It boasts a very diverse and educated population and is very vegan friendly. Vancouver offers an incredible location sandwiched between mountains and the ocean. You’ll pay a lot to live there, but many would argue it’s worth it for the experience.
- Average cost of tuition: $6,335
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 11.5%
- % of population that are graduates: 69.33%
Calgary
In the province of Alberta, Calgary just makes it into the top ten. The city is a great option for students - it’s a highly diverse area and scores well for sustainability. It’s also close to a national park for times when you want to get out of the city.
- Avg cost of tuition: $6,230
- % of the population 15-24 year old: 12%
- % of population that are graduates: 53.44%
Montreal ranked best university city for students in Canada
Montreal scored well across the board, it offers relatively low costs for the experience that can be gained there. Accommodation is more expensive than average, but it is overall the best place to be a student in Canada.
Rouyn-Noranda ranked the best city for tuition fees
Rouyn-Noranda has the lowest average tuition cost of any Canadian city. Spend the money you save on tuition exploring the local area and drinking cheap beer.
Fredericton has the highest percentage of young people
Fredericton is a great place to study if you want to be surrounded by young people. It has the highest percentage of 15-24 year olds out of all the cities studied.
Vancouver is the best city for diversity
Vancouver has the highest percentage of non-Canadian citizens so offers a great opportunity to immerse yourself in a diverse population.
Charlottetown is the best city to be close to nature
Charlottetown offers the closest proximity to a National Park of all the cities making it the perfect place for a nature lover to spend their university days.
Quebec is the best province to be a student in Canada
The province of Quebec has the most cities in the top ten. Four of the top ten are located in Quebec including, Montreal, Rouyn-Noranda, Trois Rivieres and Charlottetown.
Sources
- % of young people - Census data 2016, the number of people 15-24 years as a percentage of the entire population
- % of non candaian citizens - Census data 2016, the number of non canadian citizens as a percentage of the entire population
- % of degree or above - Census data 2016, the number of people with a qualification of a degree at bachelor level of above up to an Earned doctorate.
- Sustainability - Air quality - https://www.iqair.com/us/canada data from 01/04/31
- Number of electric car chargers - https://electricautonomy.ca/2020/03/02/canadas-ev-charging-networks-2020/
- Veggie options - The number of results within 10 miles https://www.happycow.net/
- Distance to National Park - Distance to the nearest national park in km according to google maps
- Cost of a beer - Cost of a domestic pint of beer https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Abbotsford
- 1 bed apartment - Cost of a 1 bed apartment https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Abbotsford
- Crime - level of crime - https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Abbotsford
Methodology
To calculate the index, we first normalized the data categories individually from 0 to 1 and then summed up the results.
- Tuition- the cheapest options were weighted closer to 1 and has double the weighting
- % of young people - cities with a higher population of 15-24-year-olds is weighted closer to 1
- % of non Canadian citizens - cities with a higher percentage of non Canadian citizens is weighted closer to 1
- % of degree or above - cities with a higher percentage of people educated to degree level or above is weighted closer to 1
- Sustainability - cities with the best sustainability are weighted closer to 1
- Veggie options - cities with the most veggie options are weighted closer to 1
- Distance to National Park - Cities closest to national parks are weighted closer to 1
- Cost of a beer - The cities with the most expensive beers were weighted closer to 0
- 1 bed apartment - The cheapest options were weighted closer to 1
- Crime - The area/state with the highest rate of crime would be weighted closer to 0