Did you know that 62% of students prefer Canada as their study abroad destination?
A recent research carried out by International Students Admissions Service showed that Canada is a very popular choice among international students for their further studies.
Why Canada is a popular study abroad destination
Canada, a vibrant cultural hub, is growing to be one of the top locations for students to pursue their studies there. It has a reputation to be one of the safest countries and is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live by the United Nations. With high employment rate and a peaceful life, students are slowly attracted to this beautiful country. The government’s student-friendly policies have increased a lot of international students coming in to study over the past few years.
If you are planning to pursue your studies in this diversity-loving country, you got to be equipped with some hacks to save money while studying there.
4 Ways To Self-Fund Your Studies In Canada
1. Canadian Scholarships For International Students
There are a number of scholarships available for international students and also with the increase in the number of students applying for Canadian universities, there is an increase in the competition for these scholarships. Here is a list of a few of them so that you are not left behind in this race to bag a scholarship:
i. There are many university specific scholarships for international students like Dalhousie University Scholarships, Carleton University Awards for International Students, HEC Montreal BBA Entrance Scholarships etc. Hence, do check in the universities that you are applying, if there are availabilities for scholarships for international students.
ii. IDRC Research Awards are given by the Canadian government to encourage students from developing countries to study a master’s or a doctoral research degree in Canada.
iii. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships are given to international doctoral students who are studying in a recognised Canadian University.
2. How To Bag Internships And Part-Time Jobs
As an international student, you have a set of limited hours that you can use to work part time in Canada. During the semesters, you are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week, while during the semester break, you can up to 40 hours per week. Careful planning from the beginning will definitely help you to utilize these hours in doing internships and part time jobs while you are studying in Canada. Here are a few tips:
i. Look within your university for part time jobs in the cafeteria or in the library. Willing to work in these places for a few hours will give you that extra pocket money to manage your expenses.
ii. If you have accommodation outside of the university, look for restaurants and cafeterias near the place you stay so you spend less on commuting to your workplace and also save time.
iii. If you are looking to intern part time at companies, get in touch with the career services in your university who will guide you in short listing companies according to your profile and building your resume accordingly.
iii. You can also look at work at home internships to work from the comforts of your accommodation and not spend too much time on commuting.
To know more on how you can bag your dream work opportunity, check out this resource here.
3. Effective Ways To Save Money In Canada
Here are some tried and tested hacks that will help you in your academic year to save money:
i. Get in touch with older students and see if they have anything that might be handy to you, like an old washing machine or a blanket. Find out if there are any “used things” sales where you can buy second hand things.
ii. Make good use of your Student ID Card and show them at grocery stores, medical stores and just about anywhere that offer student discounts.
iii. Eliminate additional ATM transaction charges by drawing out large sums of money at once. Always use your card to pay for your local expenditures.
iv. Use public transportation system as it is the cheapest and the safest mode of travel.
v. Live like a local in Canada and do not try exotic restaurants to dine out every weekend. If you want to save money, go to the local grocery store, shop for your weekly meal plans and cook for yourself.
4. Get Technical: Download these money-saving Apps Today!
In today’s day and age, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with respect to the hundreds of new apps that get launched. The primary reason is that, off late, there are a lot of applications which can help cut down on a little cash when you are spending money to buy things, either online or offline. Here are some such apps:
i. XE Currency Converter
The advantage of this app is that it does not need an internet connection to give you information. It gives you the latest currency conversion rates so that you are aware of how much you are spending.
ii. Wi-Fi Finder
This app lets you find free and paid Wi-Fi hotspots near you. This is a great way to use less mobile data when you are outside, and hence pay lesser mobile bills!
iii. Checkout 51
This is a cash back app which lets you save money on almost all brands in Canada. All you got to do is to take a photo of the receipt that you got after shopping and upload it in the app and you get some cash back!
iv. Flipp
Want to get the best deal for something that you are looking to buy? Just search in the Flipp app and enter your postal code and the app will find you the best deals with the cheapest rate for what you are looking for in the shops nearby.
These money saving tips will surely help you cut down on a lot of expenses on a daily basis in your student life.
So, go ahead and enjoy the experience of living abroad without breaking your head over the expenses!
Author Bio:
Abhyank Srinet holds a Masters in Management degree from ESCP Europe & has an engineering degree with a specialization in Instrumentation & Control. His interest in the digital landscape motivated him to create an online start up for Masters in Management application 
consulting (MiM-Essay.com), focused on spreading quality information about the MiM degree & performing application consulting services for clients.
He is the chief consultant of the company and takes care of Business Development and Digital Marketing side of the company. He is very passionate about writing and marketing.
