I agree with everything thewesternsky said, also as a Canadian who is in her 6th year of university. Could you post the sentence (with personal details removed) that uses the word "installments"?
Also, the visa situation is complicated. Ask if you can be put in touch with an international graduate student--they often know more than the administrators. (Or maybe that's because the university I'm at consistently gets terrible ratings for administration...)
You most likely can't work outside of the university system if you're an international student. It may be possible to get a job on campus though. All the international grad students I know are employed by the university in some capacity (most as TAs or RAs, but some I know also work in the dining halls or as administrative assistants, library assistants, lab technicians, etc.).
You might be able to get federal loans if you're a U.S. citizen studying abroad. For example, check out Stafford loans, and see if this is "an approved foreign school." Even if you have to fund yourself with loans though, I hear that the cost of higher education is substantially cheaper in Canada (although I'm not positive this is the case for graduate school... at least for undergrad, a bunch of people from my high school went to places like University of Toronto and McGill because the tuition and fees were substantially less than those of most private American colleges).
Yes, though I'm in England, not Canada. You can take out student loans (up to $20,500 for Stafford loans), but this may or may not be enough to actually meet your requirements. Since it probably won't be, you will need to have some savings or external supports as well.
I'm currently at the University of Toronto for my PhD. I'm a New Zealander, so I've no idea about the US aspect of your question, sorry! Also, I've never heard the term 'instalments'. (Then again, I don't know what a "credit hour" is either, so hey) Fortunately, our programme is fully funded for everyone who's accepted, based on fellowships and TAships; I also have an RAship which brings in a little bit of extra cash. The funding for MAs here is more limited.
It's a condition of my student permit (not technically a visa, as citizens of certain countries don't need one) that I am not allowed to work, except on the campus I'm studying at. It's my understanding that that's a standard condition of student permits. This page might be helpful to you, if you want to get more of an idea of the process: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/student.asp.
Well, if it helps any, it's a really great school, at least in my field (albeit with really freakin' high expectations). I think all of the MA students in my department have TA/RAships of varying values, it's just that those in the first year of the two-year MA programme don't have a guaranteed minimum funding amount, as one-year MA and PhD students do. International students are also at a disadvantage vis-a-vis Canadians because we're unable to apply for the SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funding), and although we can apply for the OGS (Ontario Graduate Scholarship) there's a ridiculously small number allocated to intl students for the whole province.
I'm not sure how the situation in other departments compares. Maybe there are other forms of external funding? Definitely something to talk to the graduate co-ordinator of the department you're applying to about!
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Also, the visa situation is complicated. Ask if you can be put in touch with an international graduate student--they often know more than the administrators. (Or maybe that's because the university I'm at consistently gets terrible ratings for administration...)
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You might be able to get federal loans if you're a U.S. citizen studying abroad. For example, check out Stafford loans, and see if this is "an approved foreign school." Even if you have to fund yourself with loans though, I hear that the cost of higher education is substantially cheaper in Canada (although I'm not positive this is the case for graduate school... at least for undergrad, a bunch of people from my high school went to places like University of Toronto and McGill because the tuition and fees were substantially less than those of most private American colleges).
- Ray
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It's a condition of my student permit (not technically a visa, as citizens of certain countries don't need one) that I am not allowed to work, except on the campus I'm studying at. It's my understanding that that's a standard condition of student permits. This page might be helpful to you, if you want to get more of an idea of the process: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/student.asp.
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I'm not sure how the situation in other departments compares. Maybe there are other forms of external funding? Definitely something to talk to the graduate co-ordinator of the department you're applying to about!
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