Canadian Students - Houghton College

Canadian students bring great diversity to Houghton College campus with many provinces represented. Over 200 Houghton College alumni currently reside in Canada as well.

Why Choose Houghton

Houghton College integrates academic rigor and Christian commitment within a close-knit community and global context. Houghton is a great fit for students looking to grow in Christ and in their knowledge of their place in the world.

In the United States, both colleges and universities offer bachelor’s degrees. Canadian students at Houghton have the unique advantage of receiving a four-year bachelor’s degree within a relevant, Christian community.

Visiting Houghton

A place like Houghton College is best experienced in person.

Call our visit office toll-free at 800-777-2556, or consult our visit page for more details.

Airports & Shuttles

Canadian students visiting Houghton by plane usually fly into Rochester (ROC) or Buffalo (BUF). With advanced notice, the visit office can arrange a shuttle driver to pick you up from the airport and take you back. We do have an airfare reimbursement policy for first-time Houghton visitors. The amount of reimbursement depends on your application status.

Find Accommodations & Reimbursement Policy

Scheduling a Visit

Our visit page will provide you with the most up-to-date information on upcoming Encounter Days. We also schedule individual appointments upon request. We strongly encourage students to visit during the fall or spring semesters when courses are in session in order to experience what life as a Houghton student is like. Common visit schedules include a campus tour, meals in our dining facilities, sitting in on a class or two, visiting with a professor, meeting with an admission representative, and perhaps meeting with a coach or athletic team for potential athletes.

Schedule a Campus Visit

Driving Times to Houghton

City	Approx. Driving Time
Niagara Falls	2 hours
St. Catharines	2 1/4 hours
Toronto	3 1/2 hours
London	4 hours
Brockville	4 1/2 hours
Ottawa	6 hours

Financial Aid for Canadian Students

We are committed to making Houghton affordable to our Canadian families. For information on general financial aid questions, please visit our financial aid web page.

Tuition & Aid at Houghton

Below is a list of scholarships and grants that are specifically relevant to Canadian students and families. All awards are renewable each year, provided the student meets eligibility requirements.

Performance Scholarships

Performance Scholarships, ranging up to full tuition may be awarded to students who display exceptional talent in fine arts. Art and music faculty may nominate candidates to the Student Financial Services Office. Scholarships are offered in the following programs: music and art. Awards are renewed annually if satisfactory participation in the area of performance and a minimum 2.0 GPA are maintained.

Matching Scholarships

Houghton College will match scholarships awarded to undergraduate main campus students by their local church or a Dollars for Scholars Scholarship (submit award letter only; no matching form necessary). The gift must come from the church and not be funneled from the parents. The church must submit an award form to ensure a matching scholarship each year. Find the required form for the church match scholarship, with additional details, on our Applications and Forms page.

Houghton College Endowed Scholarships

Generous friends of Houghton have funded a number of scholarships which are awarded according to the wishes of the donors. Recipients are selected by the Student Financial Services Office in conjunction with department heads (when required) on the basis of academic achievement at Houghton and financial need. There is no application process. A list is available here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Houghton sounds like a “university” but your name says “college.” What is the difference?

In the United States, the terms “college” and “university” have different meanings than in Canada. For example, both universities and colleges in the US offer four-year bachelor’s degrees, while a “college” in Canada typically denotes a trade school or a university-preparatory school (similar to “community college” in the U.S.).

As Houghton College offers four-year bachelor’s degrees, we are akin to a university in Canada, although there are important key differences (our liberal arts curriculum and Christian commitment being two of the more prominent). Houghton College is fully accredited and nationally recognized.

What does it mean for Houghton to be a “liberal arts & sciences” college?

The term “liberal arts” describes a certain philosophy of education in which we seek to broaden the knowledge of each of our students while they specialize in a particular area. Our president says that we seek to “create whole people in a fragmented world.” We believe that the liberal arts, with its emphasis on exposing our students to courses and programs they may not have considered, is a great way to go about creating whole people in the diverse world that God has placed us in.

Each student at Houghton will pick a major (some may pick two or even three). Along with that major, students will also take a variety of courses in literature, philosophy, Bible, religion, theology, art, music, the sciences and so forth. The liberal arts is about exploring connections between disciplines, and many students discover a passion for art, pre-med, philosophy, pre-law, or a variety of our 70 areas of study that they would not have known about otherwise.

If you find yourself to be a person of diverse interests or still struggling to hone in on where exactly you feel led, the liberal arts approach is a great way to gain exposure to a variety of disciplines.

How is a degree from Houghton any different than one from a university in Canada?

Houghton College integrates academic rigor and Christian commitment within a close-knit community and global context. Besides our liberal arts approach, we provide an inherently Christian education. We seek to be a community in which spiritual growth and dialogue integrates and develops along with preparation for going out into the world. We like to say that you will be challenged in your faith just as much as you will be in the classroom.

Houghton is known for our academic strength and unique programs, such as pre-med, education, intercultural studies, art and pre-law, to name a few. For example, recent Canadian graduates have gone on to to medical schools at the University of Toronto, Dalhousie, the University of Texas, the University of Florida and many other schools in North America and abroad. An 85 percent placement rate into medical school is hard to match elsewhere. Students at Houghton can be assured of a top-notch education that will prepare them for that next step – whether it be as a teacher, doctor, business person, missionary, pastor or a combination thereof.

Finally, the community at Houghton is truly unique. When students visit, they are usually struck by the welcoming environment and by how approachable the other students, faculty and staff are. Learning and living in this environment where students can truly feel as though they are invested in as people and Christians adds an incredible value to a Houghton education. Find out more about the difference we believe a Houghton education makes.

Isn’t it more expensive to go to a university in the US?

At Houghton College, the “sticker price” is rarely the amount that students pay to attend. With roughly 90 percent of students receiving financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships and other aid, a Houghton education is not just for the elite few.

Canadian students can quality for a variety of scholarships and grants. In particular, we have financial aid available specifically for Canadian citizens to address things like the exchange rate difference. Many students find that the cost of attending a Canadian university compared to Houghton is not as different as they had thought. At the end of the day, however, we believe that a Houghton College education is worth every dollar and that your investment will pay off in the form of personal and spiritual development as a Christian and preparation for your future.

I’ve heard the visa process and going to school across the border is complicated.

The I-20 process is very straightforward. When you decide to enroll at Houghton College, you will be sent all of the appropriate paperwork for your visa application. Once submitted, Houghton will handle the necessary paperwork and mail your I-20 the summer prior to your enrollment. We have an International Student Programs Office that assists you with the process of becoming a Houghton student. There will be an immigration workshop when you arrive on campus, and you’ll learn the ins and outs of immigration, crossing the border, studying outside of North America, and obtaining employment on campus.

Intercultural Student Programs Office (ISPO)

One resource that is available to all Canadian students is the Intercultural Student Programs Office (ISPO). The ISPO exists to help international students, MKs, and TCKs adjust to life at Houghton, as well as to provide cultural, social, educational, and spiritual programs for Houghton’s intercultural population. While the differences between U.S. and Canadian culture are much smaller than other international cultural differences, there are still some cultural gaps to bridge. The ISPO aims to help Canadian students make a successful transition to living and studying in the U.S. For more information visit the ISPO webpage.

What do Houghton’s Canadian alumni do after college?

A Houghton education provides superb training for the job market and further education. Our Canadian alumni serve in many different job sectors, with the most popular areas being education, medicine/health services, and business/finance. Marketing communications, ministry and public service careers are also popular job sectors for Canadian graduates. Around 75% of our Canadian graduates go on to graduate programs after Houghton. Below is a list of some of those programs that our Canadian graduates have attended.