What are the differences between canadian and american universities?

Question

are canadian schools as, or almost as good? is it worth it to go study in the states then stay in canada?

Answer 1

Generally speaking, any public University in Canada is good at the undergraduate level.  The top schools (McGill / U Toronto) are quite well known internationally and come in the top 10-20 internationally in some fields.  Go to the wiki site below and follow through to the rankings if you want to see where schools rank.

American schools vary.  At the top end, they are better on the whole (Harvard, MIT, UCLA, UC Berkley, Yale, etc) at least in terms of reputation.  Their '2nd' tier is below the majority of Canadian schools, and the 3rd tier far worse.

If you're a Canadian thinking of studying in the states, get ready to pay through the nose for fees.  Canadian citizens pay $5000-6000 per year for tuition in Canada, while a Harvard degree will set you back $50,000 - $60,000 / year.  If you can get into a top US school with full scholarship, go for it!  Or if you're from a rich family and you get it, great!  If not I'd stick around in Canada because it's possible that some Canadians may not know if, say, U Penn is a good school or not (it's a top school by the way).