University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo runs the largest co-operative education programme in the world, and that is the reason to consider it above any ranking. Co-op alternates academic terms with paid full-time work terms, typically extending a degree to five years. Students in computer science and engineering commonly graduate with two years of paid professional experience and substantial earnings against their costs. For a Kazakh applicant that matters twice over. It offsets the cost of the degree in a way no scholarship in Canada does. And it builds Canadian work experience, which supports a Post-Graduation Work Permit application and, through that, a route to permanent residence. The deadlines are reported to run later than most Ontario universities: 1 February for engineering and computer science, 1 March for other faculties, with the Admission Information Form following in mid-February or mid-March.