Enter your first-year tuition, how many people are coming and what the flights will cost. The page adds the living-expense amount IRCC publishes for your family size and shows the funds you need to prove. Quebec uses its own amounts, so there is a switch for it.
Work out the funds you need
Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
The funds you need
Your total shows up here once you enter your tuition and how many people are coming.
What to enter
- When you apply
- IRCC updates the living-expense amounts each year. Pick on or after 1 September 2026 for a new application, or the earlier option if you applied before that date.
- Where you will study
- Quebec uses the amounts the Quebec ministry sets. Pick Quebec if your program is there. You also need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ).
- Family members
- Count yourself and everyone coming with you. The living-expense amount goes up with each person.
- Tuition and transportation
- Tuition is your first year of fees, and you can take off what you have already paid. Transportation is your own estimate for the trip to Canada and back, for everyone coming.
The living-expense amounts
These are the living-expense amounts for the first year, by family size. They do not include tuition or transportation.
| People | On or after 1 Sep 2026 | 1 Jan 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | Quebec (from 1 Jan 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C$23,448 | C$22,895 | C$24,617 |
| 2 | C$29,192 | C$28,502 | C$34,814 |
| 3 | C$35,888 | C$35,040 | C$42,638 |
| 4 | C$43,572 | C$42,543 | C$49,234 |
A worked example
Here is a made-up student applying on or after 1 September 2026 for a program outside Quebec, with C$22,000 of first-year tuition and a C$1,800 return flight.
The living-expense amount for one person is C$23,448. Add the tuition and the flight and the student needs to show C$47,248. The same student applying before 1 September 2026 would have used C$22,895 for living expenses, so the total would have been C$46,695.
Now suppose the student brings two family members, making 3 people. Living expenses rise to C$35,888. With three flights at C$1,800 each, the total is C$63,288. For one person studying in Quebec, the living amount is C$24,617 and the total is C$48,417.
How the funds are calculated
- The living-expense amount is read from the IRCC table for the number of people, or from the Quebec table if you study in Quebec. If there are more people than the table shows, the amount for each extra person is added.
- Your tuition still due is the first-year tuition minus anything you have already paid.
- The funds to show are the tuition due, plus the living expenses, plus your transportation estimate.
- If you enter the money you have, the page shows whether it covers the total.
Funds to show = tuition still due + living expenses + transportation
Assumptions to keep in mind
- The amounts are the ones IRCC and the Quebec ministry publish on the dates shown below. For 2026 to 2027, outside Quebec, IRCC lists C$23,448 for one person from 1 September 2026, up from C$22,895.
- IRCC does not set a transportation amount, so the page uses the estimate you enter.
- IRCC says these living amounts do not include tuition or transportation, and the page adds both.
- For a program longer than a year, you show funds for the first year and explain how you will pay for the rest. The page covers the first year only.
- The study permit fee and biometrics are shown separately and are for you only. Family members pay their own.
Mistakes that leave you short
Using last year’s amount
IRCC updates the living-expense amount every year. The amount for an application on or after 1 September 2026 is higher than the one before it.
Forgetting that tuition is on top
The living-expense table does not include tuition. You need the tuition for the first year as well, unless you have already paid it.
Leaving out the flights
IRCC asks you to cover transportation to and from Canada for you and anyone coming with you. A total with no flights is too low.
Counting only yourself
Each family member who comes with you raises the living-expense amount. Count everyone who will travel.
Using the federal table for Quebec
Quebec sets its own living-expense amounts. If you study there, use the Quebec figures and apply for the CAQ first.
Questions students ask
How much money do I need to show for a Canadian study permit?
You need first-year tuition, living expenses for you and any family coming with you, and transportation. Outside Quebec, the living amount for one person is C$23,448 for applications on or after 1 September 2026, and C$29,192 for two people. Quebec has its own amounts.
Does the living-expense amount include tuition?
No. IRCC says the amounts do not include tuition or transportation costs. The page adds both to the living-expense figure.
What is different about Quebec?
To study in Quebec you first need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate. The Quebec ministry sets the amount for basic needs, and it is C$24,617 for one person for applications from 1 January 2026. The page uses those amounts when you pick Quebec.
What counts as proof of funds?
IRCC lists examples, including a Canadian bank account, a guaranteed investment certificate, bank statements for the past six months, a student loan, a scholarship, or a letter from a sponsor. It is not a complete list, and the visa office instructions for your country may add requirements.
How do I work out what a year in Canada costs overall?
The university cost calculator adds tuition, rent, food and the rest, and the study abroad calculator adds the visa fees and health cover for a first year.
