What the money test actually is
The figure most often quoted for studying in Canada is $10,000, and it has been wrong since the start of 2024. It is now $22,895 for a single applicant, and it sits on top of tuition rather than including it.
- Living costs only. The published figures cover living expenses for the first year. Tuition and travel to and from Canada are separate and additional.
- Without working. The Regulations require the funds to be available without working in Canada, so anticipated wages from off campus work are not part of the calculation.
- First year, plus a credible plan. You show the first year and explain how the rest of the program will be funded.
- It applies to extensions. Assessed as whether you can continue to support yourself and anyone with you.
- It moves every year. Indexed to the low income cut off and revised annually, most recently on 1 September 2025.
Work out the funds you need to show
The published living cost figures for applications made on or after 1 September 2025. Tuition and travel are additional. An indication only, not an eligibility decision and not legal advice.
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The published figures
| People, including you | For the first year |
|---|---|
| 1 | $22,895 |
| 2 | $28,502 |
| 3 | $35,040 |
| 4 | $42,543 |
| 5 | $48,252 |
| 6 | $54,420 |
| 7 | $60,589 |
| Each additional person | add $6,170 |
Excludes tuition and travel. Applications made between 1 January 2024 and 31 August 2025 were assessed against the previous figures, which began at $20,635 for a single applicant.
Sufficient and available are two different tests. The Regulations ask for resources that are both, and a bank balance that appeared last month satisfies the first and invites questions about the second. Four months of statements, a guaranteed investment certificate, or a documented and explained source is worth more than a larger number with no history behind it.