Destination Canada, with a scholarship: this guide covers what changes for you as a scholarship holder. You will find the scholarships concerned, studies and admission, visa and residence permit, health insurance and budget and funds, and every fact links to its official page.

The official scholarships concerned

The Government of Québec offers an Excellence Scholarship Program for international students. It exists at university, in technical college programmes (at a cégep) and in vocational training (a trade, with a DEP, the vocational studies diploma).

At university, the programme is called PBEEE and is run by the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ, Québec’s research funding agency). It covers research master’s and doctoral degrees, postdoctoral fellowships and short research stays. You do not apply directly: a Québec university preselects candidates and then sends them to the FRQ. Contact the university you are interested in.

For the 2026-2027 PBEEE competition, the research master’s scholarship is $20,000 per year and the research doctoral scholarship $25,000 per year. Scholarships are awarded through a competition, based on the excellence of applications: nothing is guaranteed.

In vocational training, Éducation internationale also runs an exemption quota programme: international students can pay the same tuition as Québec students. Priority goes in particular to member countries of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.

Québec has also signed agreements with about forty countries, many of them in Africa, to exempt a set number of university students from additional tuition fees. Your application must be recommended by your country’s exemption manager: contact them first.

The Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada) also funds scholarships. The Study in Canada Scholarships include students from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, for short-term studies or research. The Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program is for nationals of developing countries that are members of the Francophonie, selected in their own country (official page modified in 2017).

Note: some Québec exemptions are closed. No new exemption “by programme of study and region” is granted from the fall 2026 term.

  1. PBEEE (university): preselection by a Québec university, then the FRQ
  2. Excellence scholarships in technical college programmes: apply to the cégep or private college
  3. Excellence scholarships and exemption quota in vocational training: Éducation internationale
  4. Exemptions under international agreements: your country’s exemption manager
  5. Government of Canada scholarships: EduCanada (Global Affairs Canada)

Official links

Tuition fees when you hold a scholarship

In Québec, international students usually pay higher tuition than Québec residents: these are the “additional tuition fees”. An exemption releases you from this part.

All PBEEE holders receive, on top of the scholarship, an exemption from the higher tuition fees charged to international students.

For an exemption under an agreement between your country and Québec, you must be enrolled full time and without interruption in the fall and winter terms, in a university programme leading to a degree. You first apply for admission to the university, then send your letter of admission and the application form to your country’s exemption manager. The ministry does not review any application sent directly by a student.

This exemption lasts three or four years for a bachelor’s degree (depending on the number of credits), two years for a master’s and three years for a doctorate. It never goes beyond the normal length of the programme, and you can lose it if you do not meet your programme’s requirements.

For admission itself, the steps are the same as for any student: see the guide “Studying in Canada on your own”.

Official links

The CAQ and the study permit when you hold a scholarship

A scholarship replaces neither the CAQ nor the study permit. For an exemption under an agreement, for example, Québec states that you must hold a study permit and a CAQ.

Québec sets a maximum number of CAQ applications per school. If you are selected for Éducation internationale’s excellence scholarship in vocational training, you can apply even if your school’s cap has been reached, with the official letter from Éducation internationale. The pages consulted do not provide this exemption for other scholarships.

For the Government of Canada, Global Affairs Canada scholarship holders do not have to provide a provincial attestation letter (PAL), as long as they include their official scholarship letter with their study permit application. In Québec, it is the attestation of issuance of the CAQ that is required with the study permit.

Participants in the Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program make a contractual commitment to return to their country at the end of the programme. For the visitor visa or eTA, nothing changes: see the rules by nationality in the guide “Studying in Canada on your own”.

Official links

Where are you from? Do you need a visa?

The rule depends on the country of your passport. Choose it to see the answer that applies to you.

You are from…

Holding a scholarship does not change whether you need a visa: these rules are those of the guide “Study there on your own”, with its sources.

The rules for each group of countries

NationalitiesVisaGood to know
These nationalities:
Show the 17 countries

Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Seychelles, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay

It dependsYour country is on the list of countries whose citizens need a visitor visa to enter Canada. Some of its citizens can, however, get an eTA (electronic travel authorization) instead, if they travel by air and meet certain requirements. To study, you first apply for the CAQ, then for the study permit with IRCC. You do not apply separately: if your first study permit is approved, IRCC (the federal immigration department) automatically issues the document you need.
These nationalities: Israel, Romania, TaiwanIt dependsFor your nationality, it depends on your passport: with some passports you need an eTA (by air); with others, a visitor visa. For example, for Romania, only holders of an electronic passport are on the eTA list. To study, you first apply for the CAQ, then for the study permit with IRCC. You do not apply separately: if your first study permit is approved, IRCC (the federal immigration department) automatically issues the document you need.
These nationalities:
Show the 126 countries

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macao SAR China, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Territories, Paraguay, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Visa requiredYou need a visitor visa (and a valid passport) to enter Canada, on top of the study permit. A study permit is not a visa. You first apply for the CAQ, then for the study permit with IRCC. You do not apply separately: if your first study permit is approved, IRCC (the federal immigration department) automatically issues the document you need. In most cases you also have to give your fingerprints and a photo (biometrics) after you apply.
These nationalities:
Show the 60 countries

Andorra, Anguilla, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montserrat, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, St. Helena, Sweden, Switzerland, Turks & Caicos Islands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican City

No visaYou do not need a visitor visa. If you arrive by air, you need an eTA (electronic travel authorization) and a valid passport. To study, you still need the CAQ, then the study permit you apply for with IRCC. You do not apply separately: if your first study permit is approved, IRCC (the federal immigration department) automatically issues the document you need.
These nationalities: United StatesNo visaAs a US citizen, you need neither a visa nor an eTA to enter Canada. To study in Québec, you still need the CAQ and the study permit.
All nationalitiesIt dependsTo study in Québec you need the CAQ and the study permit. A study permit is not a visa: depending on your nationality, you also need a visitor visa or an eTA. Stateless people and holders of a refugee travel document need a visa. Check your case on IRCC’s official page.

Health insurance for PBEEE holders

Holders of Québec’s excellence scholarship receive health and hospitalization insurance coverage from RAMQ (Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec), the public plan.

For other scholarships, the pages consulted state nothing specific: the insurance rules are the same as for any student (see the guide “Studying in Canada on your own”).

Official links

Your scholarship as proof of funds

For the CAQ, a scholarship is one of the accepted proofs of financial capacity. You provide proof that the scholarship was granted to you, with its amount, how the payments are spread and the period covered.

For the study permit, IRCC also accepts proof of a scholarship or of a study programme funded by the Government of Canada. If your programme lasts more than one year, you can show that your scholarship covers more than one year.

If your scholarship only pays tuition, you must prove with other documents that you have enough money to live and travel. If your spouse or family members come with you, you need additional funds.

Official links

The other path

No scholarship? Read the guide to study there on your own.

Study there on your own

Other destinations

The same path, with a scholarship, in the other countries GradMe covers: compare before you choose.