Canadian Education System

Canadian education is constitutionally a provincial responsibility. There's no federal ministry of education — each of the 13 provinces and territories runs its own education act, curriculum, and exams. So the broad shape of free K–12 public schooling is the same, but grade names, the English/French balance, graduation exams, and student aid programs all differ. The two differences immigrant families from Korea hit first are that the school year starts in September and that what one grade means varies by province.

K–12 public education

• Free + compulsory: children of citizens, PRs, and certain work or study permit holders enrol for free in their province's public schools. Compulsory school age is typically 6 to 16.
• Language: Quebec children are by default registered in French-language schools; eligibility for English-language schools is set separately under the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101).
• French immersion: even outside Quebec, many English-province schools offer optional French immersion programs, and Korean families commonly enrol their children.
• Private and faith-based schools (e.g., Ontario's Catholic boards) receive some public funding, but the rules vary by province.

Practicalities for enrolling a child

• You typically need the child's passport, PR/work permit, immunization record, and prior school transcripts.
• Most provinces provide ESL/ELL support for non-native-English-speaking children.
• Schools are often auto-assigned by catchment area (your address), so consider school zones when signing a lease.
• The school year usually runs early September to late June, with about two months of summer break.

Higher education (university and college)

• University vs college: universities focus on bachelor's degrees and up; colleges focus on vocational or applied diplomas — though applied degrees and other hybrids have blurred the line in recent years.
• Tuition (domestic vs international):
  • Citizens and PRs (domestic): roughly several thousand to about CA$10,000/year for undergrad, varying by school and program.
  • International students: commonly 4–5× domestic rates, especially for in-demand programs (medicine, dentistry, engineering, business).
  • Quebec runs its own tuition policy and may charge non-Quebec Canadians a separate rate as well.
• 2024–2025 international student cap: the federal IRCC has placed an annual cap on new study permits and tightened some Post-Graduation Work Permit eligibility rules. Policy is still in flux, so confirm at canada.ca/IRCC.

Student financial aid (domestic)

• CSFA (Canada Student Financial Assistance Program) — federal + most provinces, jointly delivering loans and grants.
• Canada Student Grants — non-repayable grants for low-income students, students with disabilities, and students with dependants.
• Provincial programs:
  • OSAP (Ontario), AFE (Quebec, run separately), StudentAidBC, Alberta Student Aid, etc.
• Repayment — starts after a grace period post-graduation; the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) can pause or reduce payments for low-income borrowers.
• Scholarships: university, private, and government scholarships abound. Aggregator sites like ScholarshipsCanada are a good starting point.

From an immigrant perspective

• PR application in progress — does my child get free K–12? Children of qualifying work permit holders can usually attend public school for free, but children on a visitor record alone are typically charged international rates. Always check your provincial ministry of education.
• Does tuition drop the moment I get PR? PR start date and term start date interact case-by-case; most schools convert you to domestic tuition starting the next term.
• Recognition of Korean credentials? A credential evaluation through World Education Services (WES) or another approved body is widely useful for university admission, employment, and immigration.

Official guidance: Canada.ca: Education and training, your provincial ministry of education, IRCC: Study in Canada