UK vs Canada
A UK master's finishes in 1 year + 2 years of Graduate Route work; Canada offers a 1-2 year master's + a 3-year Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) + an open permanent residency pathway via Express Entry. Cost: UK £18-45K per year; Canada CAD 25-55K (~£14-32K). If PR is a priority, Canada; if your goal is a fast master's + work experience (Europe-focused), the UK.
Option 1
1-year master's + 2-year Graduate Route
3 universities in the QS Top 10
Option 2
Open PR pathway + affordable fees
PGWP 3 years + Express Entry
| Criterion | UK | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's duration | 3 years (Scotland 4) | 4 years |
| Master's duration | 1 year (taught) | 1-2 years |
| Annual tuition (master's) | £18,000-45,000 | CAD 25,000-55,000 (~£14-32K) |
| Monthly living (big city) | London £1,400-1,800 | Toronto CAD 1,800-2,400 (~£1,050-1,400) |
| Work visa (post-graduation) | 2-year Graduate Route (PhD 3 years) | Up to 3 years PGWP (equal to program length) |
| Permanent residency pathway | Skilled Worker → 5 years ILR | Express Entry → 6-18 months |
| International student numbers | Tens of thousands (HESA, all levels) | Hundreds of thousands (IRCC) |
| Top 5 (QS 2026) | Imperial #2, Oxford #4, Cambridge #5, UCL #9, KCL #40 | Toronto #19, McGill #29, UBC #37, Alberta #97 |
| Working hours (student) | 20 hrs/week (term time) + full-time in holidays | 20 hrs/week (the Sep-2022 change returned, phased in after 2024) |
| Min hourly wage (2025-26) | £12.21 (21+) | CAD 17.20 (Ontario, as of 2024) |
UK is right for you if
Canada is right for you if
Canada is far ahead. In the Express Entry system, a candidate with a sufficient CRS score gets PR in 6-18 months. In the UK, Skilled Worker → ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) takes 5 years + then 1 more year for citizenship. Canada reaches citizenship in a total of 3-5 years, the UK in 6-7 years.
A 1-year UK master's: £25K + £18K living = ~£43K total investment, finished in 1 year. A 2-year Canadian master's: CAD 60K + CAD 28K living = CAD 88K (~£50K), but also factor in 3 years of PGWP work experience. The UK is short-term ROI, Canada long-term.
Tech / Engineering: Canada (the Toronto/Vancouver/Waterloo cluster + PR + salary levels). Finance / Law / Public Policy: the UK (the London hub). Health / Pharmacy: the UK (direct NHS jobs), though Canada offers easier credential recognition.
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