Latest Minimum IELTS Score for Canada Study Abroad and Immigration

So you’ve decided to study in Canada. It’s a great place to study because it’s a stable country, and your tuition and living expenses will not be as high as in the neighbouring US. If you’re on this website, you’re likely aware that the IELTS is necessary for admission to Canadian universities. So what is the required IELTS Score for Canada? Read on to find out!

IELTS requirement for Canada

But how good do you have to be? At what band score do you stand a good chance of getting a visa? What’s the minimum band requirement in IELTS for Canada? Furthermore, you must have a list of universities you’d like to study at. What are their IELTS requirements?

Let’s take a look at the Canada student visa IELTS band requirements.

Is IELTS compulsory or mandatory to study in Canada?

It depends on the English language requirements set by the University. While some of them demand IELTS, others take students based on their school education and some tests.

IELTS Requirements for an Undergraduate Degree (or) IELTS eligibility criteria

The minimum IELTS band score you need to achieve in order to obtain an undergraduate student visa is an overall band of 6, with individual section bands not going below 5.5.

IELTS Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree

To get a postgraduate student visa, you will need to score a minimum overall band of 6.5, while scoring no less than 6 in each section.

Note: Certain programmes like engineering and education demand a minimum band of 7(both overall and in each section).

Minimum IELTS score for Canada (or) Minimum band requirement for Canada

Having said that, don’t worry if you’ve scored below 6. The good news is that there are Canadian universities that accept band 5.5. The minimum IELTS band required for Canada is 5.5 (overall) with no individual band less than 5.5

IELTS Requirements for the Top Universities in Canada

Here are the top ten universities in Canada, along with their minimum overall and section-wise IELTS score requirements.

Western University

Overall Score: 7

Listening: 6.5

Reading: 6.5

Writing: 6.5

Speaking: 6.5

Western University is a public university located in London, Ontario and founded in 1878. Ranked 75th in the QS 2020 world university rankings, their enrollment is nearly 30,000 students, out of which almost 4,000 are international students.

University of Waterloo

Overall Score: 7

Writing: 6.5

Speaking: 6.5

The University of Waterloo is a public university located in Waterloo, Ontario. It was founded in 1956. The university offers over 100 undergraduate degrees and has more than 31,000 undergraduate students enrolled. The international students come from over 120 countries. They are ranked 173rd in the QS 2020 world university rankings.

IELTS 6.5 band universities in Canada

University of Toronto

IELTS band requirement for university of Toronto:

Overall Score: 6.5

Listening: 6

Reading: 6

Writing: 6

Speaking: 6

Founded in 1827 and ranked 29th in the QS 2020 world university rankings, the University of Toronto(U of T) is one of Canada’s top research universities located in Toronto, Ontario. They are also renowned globally, as seen in their enrollment numbers. Their total student count as of Fall 2018 was a whopping 93,000 students! Out of that, over 23,000 were international students. These are huge numbers, and a testament to U of T’s prestige worldwide.

University of British Columbia

Overall Score: 6.5

Listening: 6

Reading: 6

Writing: 6

Speaking: 6

The University of British Columbia  – henceforth known as U of BC – is an open research university founded in 1908. The university has two campuses: the main one in Vancouver, and one more in Okanagan. It has an international student population of over 17,000 and is ranked 51st in the QS 2020 world university rankings.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is one of their most famous alumni.

McGill University

Overall Score: 6.5

Ranked 35th in the QS 2020 world university rankings, McGill University is located in Montreal, Quebec. They have a vast student population of around 41,000. Out of that, 31% or 12,800 students are international, coming from over 150 countries.

McMaster University

Overall Score: 6.5

Listening: 5

Reading: 5

Writing: 5

Speaking: 5

McMaster University is a public research-based university founded in 1887. Ranked 144th in the QS 2020 world university rankings, it has a student population of nearly 25,000. Out of that, almost 5,000 are international students coming from over 90 countries.

University of Calgary

Overall Score: 6.5

The University of Calgary is a public university founded in 1966 in Calgary, Alberta. The university has four campuses in the Calgary area, and a fifth one in Doha, Qatar.

It is ranked 246th in the QS world university rankings and has over 31,000 students enrolled in total.

*The University of Calgary requires a minimum band score of 8 (with no sections below a 7) for an undergraduate programme in education, and a minimum of 7 (with no sections below a 7) for an undergraduate programme in nursing.

University of Alberta

Overall Score: 6.5

Listening: 5

Reading: 5

Writing: 5

Speaking: 7.5

The University of Alberta is a public university founded in 1908. Located in Edmonton, Alberta, the university consists of five campuses: North Campus, South Campus, Campus Saint-Jean, Augustana Campus, and Enterprise Square.

It is ranked 113th in the QS 2020 world university rankings and has a student population of over 33,000, with 9,000 international students.

Queen’s University

Overall Score: 6.5

Listening: 6.5

Reading: 6

Writing: 6

Speaking: 6

Queen’s University is a public university located in Kingston, Ontario and founded in 1841. It is ranked 239th in the QS 2020 world university rankings. The university has over 25,000 students studying, from more than 100 countries.

The university has produced some famous alumni, most notable of them being entrepreneur Elon Musk.

So there you have it! These are the top ten universities in Canada, with their IELTS score requirements.

IELTS Band 6 University in Canada:

University of Montreal

Overall Score: 6

Listening: 6

Reading: 6

Writing: 6

Speaking: 6

The University of Montreal was established in 1878 and is a public research university. It is ranked 137th in the QS 2020 world university rankings and has a student population of over 67,000 students.

Conclusion

To gain a top IELTS Band, you will need to be fluent in your language use with impeccable grammar and a wide range of vocabulary. To help you get your dream score, we had IELTS exam experts come up with An Exclusive Grammar Workbook: Guide to All Grammatical Woes as well as Vocabulary for IELTS (Essential words for popular topics in IELTS). 

You can find more ebooks at the IELTS Material Store.

A strong command of the English language is essential for immigrating to an English-speaking nation. Start your IELTS preparation now with IELTSMaterial. You will find online study tools to aid your learning as well as advice on how to ace the IELTS experts.

Also check :

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• Universities in Australia accepting IELTS Score 6
• Universities in UK accepting IELTS Score 6
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