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I have IELTS 6.5: which Canadian universities accept it for a master's?

Most of them. In our data of 56 Canadian universities (checked 4 to 10 October 2026), 43 of the 50 whose graduate minimum we could read accept IELTS 6.5 overall for at least some master's programs, and 7 start at 7.0: Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent University, Queen's University, Toronto Metropolitan (TMU), Trinity Western University, UPEI, University of Toronto. Many programs also set band minimums.
  • Checked against official sources · 10 October 2026
  • 2 sections
  • IELTS
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Canadian universities by lowest graduate IELTS

Universities only; colleges and polytechnics are in our college PG certificate guide. A university that starts at 6.5 can still ask 7.0 for law, education, nursing or some business programs, so check your program page.

How we counted: each figure comes from our own guide to that university, which restates its admissions pages (read 4 to 9 October 2026). We took the lowest graduate IELTS overall each guide's tables give; where a table could not be read cleanly the university is left out of the count rather than guessed. The full list, with a CSV, is on our IELTS university requirements data. A course page can ask for more than the university minimum, so check yours before you book.

UniversityLowest graduate IELTSGraduate PTE
UFV6.056
Acadia University6.561
Algoma University6.563
Bishop's University6.5–
Brandon University6.558
Brock University6.560
Carleton6.560
Concordia University6.561
FDU Vancouver6.562
KPU6.561
Lakehead University6.558
Laurentian University6.560
McGill6.5–
McMaster6.5–
Memorial University6.558
Nipissing University6.563
Ontario Tech University6.5–
Royal Roads University6.560
SFU6.565
Saint Mary's University6.560
StFX6.5–
Thompson Rivers University6.558
Trent University6.560
UBC6.565
UCalgary6.559
UNBC6.565
University Canada West6.561
University of Alberta6.561
University of Guelph6.560
University of Lethbridge6.561
University of Manitoba6.561
University of Ottawa6.560
University of Regina6.559
University of Saskatchewan6.563
University of Victoria6.565
University of Windsor6.565
University of Winnipeg6.558
Vancouver Island University6.560
Waterloo6.5–
Western University6.5–
Wilfrid Laurier6.559
York University (Toronto)6.560
Yorkville University6.558
Dalhousie7.065
Mount Saint Vincent University7.061
Queen's University7.065
Toronto Metropolitan (TMU)7.063
Trinity Western University7.065
UPEI7.066
University of Toronto7.0–

Study permit and work rights after you graduate

Your university's offer is what you need for the study permit; see IELTS for a Canada study permit. Plan the next step too: since 1 November 2024 a Post-Graduation Work Permit needs CLB 7 in all four skills for university graduates, which is IELTS General Training 6.0 in each skill, a different test from the IELTS Academic you use for admission (IELTS for the PGWP).

If you are at 6.0 with one weak band, a free IELTS mock test shows which skill to fix before a retake.

Know your target? Check where you stand

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Frequently asked questions

Which Canadian universities accept IELTS 6.5 for a master's?+

43 of 50 in our data, including UBC, York, Ottawa, Alberta, Calgary, Concordia, Carleton and Waterloo.

Do any Canadian universities accept IELTS 6.0 for a master's?+

Only UFV in our data. Nearly every Canadian university starts at 6.5.

Which Canadian universities need IELTS 7.0?+

In our data: Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent University, Queen's University, Toronto Metropolitan (TMU), Trinity Western University, UPEI, University of Toronto start at 7.0 for graduate study.

Is PTE accepted by Canadian universities?+

Most in our data list a PTE Academic score; the graduate minimum is usually 58 to 65.

Keep reading

Related

Verified against the linked official sources on 10 October 2026. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.

© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy

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