Non-Credit Professional Certificate Programs for International Students

SAIT offers credit and non-credit programming. Non-credit programming allows working professionals to learn valuable skills that can help them advance their career opportunities. SAIT Continuing Education & Professional Studies delivers Professional Certificate programs and other non-credit credential programs. Non-credit Professional Certificate Programs for International Students comply with Provincial and Federal Government policies and requirements, as well as SAIT policies, enabling successful International students to qualify for a Study Permit, work part-time while studying, and qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

SAIT is a Designated Learning Institute (DLI) with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and undergoes renewal and review every five years. Our non-credit Professional Certificate Programs for International Students qualify for educational points towards an application with IRCC. You can verify the acceptance of certificate programs on the IRCC website.

Mandatory fees are necessary to provide services that benefit all students. Students are unable to opt out of the following mandatory fees:

The Student Health and Dental fees are facilitated by the SAIT Student Association (Saitsa). International students require coverage with the Saitsa Health and Dental plans. The plans provides coverage for day-to-day needs, including prescription drugs, counselling, select dental services, massage therapy, and more. These are comprehensive insurance plans designed to secure students' health and financial well-being from possible medical emergency treatment costs while they are pursuing their education. Students may add dependents for an additional fee. For more information, contact coned.international@sait.ca

The Student Technology fee supports improvements to cybersecurity to protect student and institutional information, access to learning material outside the classroom, and technology to enhance the student experience.

The Campus Recreation fee is a non-instructional fee assessed to all students. This fee is used to support the provision of recreation and fitness facilities, movement classes, wellness programs, student events, intermural activities, varsity sports programs, and various student engagement initiatives offered throughout the academic year.

The Universal Transit Pass or UPass program is a partnership initiative between Calgary Transit and participating post-secondary schools in Calgary, including SAIT. A SAIT UPass gives full-time students unlimited access to Calgary Transit services during the terms they are attending classes (Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer). This fee pays for a service benefiting the majority of SAIT students. Eligible students can access their UPass directly on their mobile devices through the My Fare app, available on Google Play (Android) or the App Store (Apple iOS). Your pass is not transferable to another individual.

• Credit card (VISA or MasterCard) – preferred payment method. Payment can be made through your Continuing Education Student Account (login and click on the My Invoices tab).
• CIBC International Student Pay portal – available for select payments. Contact coned.international@sait.ca for more information.

While we support payment via CIBC International Student Pay portal, we highly recommend that you pay by credit card when possible to avoid processing delays. Note: Currently, we cannot accept payment via Visa Debit, Pre-Paid Visas, or PayMyTuition for these programs.

View your account fees, payments, and receipts in your Continuing Education Student Account. Note that these are not official receipts for Canadian tax purposes.

The application fee is non-refundable.

The tuition deposit is non-refundable. SAIT will consider refunding the tuition deposit minus $250 administration fee only if your study permit is denied or not received by the tuition payment deadline – one month before the start of the program. Applicants must request a refund and forward a copy (PDF) of their Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) denial letter to coned.international@sait.ca. SAIT will not register you for courses until you have a study permit.

The tuition payments may be refundable. However, dates are critical in determining whether you may receive a refund. The following refund procedure applies to all students dropping from a program:

• If a student cancels before the refund deadline (three weeks before the start of the program), they will receive a full refund of any tuition money paid, excluding the non-refundable tuition deposit. The student must provide the Continuing Education International Advising team with a cancellation notice — in writing — before this deadline. Note: The tuition deposit only applies to new students starting the first semester.
• If a student withdraws after the refund deadline, they will not receive a refund unless extenuating circumstances are agreed on by the Continuing Education Advising team. The student must contact the Continuing Education Advising team in writing with their intention to withdraw as soon as possible. If there are extenuating circumstances, the student must include a letter indicating the reason for the withdrawal and include supporting documents, such as a doctor's note. The student will get a W grade on all ungraded courses for that term.

Additional refund information

• Student expulsion: Any student expelled from SAIT for any reason is not eligible for a refund.
• Program cancelled by SAIT: SAIT reserves the right to cancel or reschedule advertised Non-Credit Professional Certificate Programs for International Students due to low applicant numbers or other extenuating circumstances. SAIT reserves the right to limit registration, cancel, postpone, or combine courses, alter course content, dates or times, and substitute instructors. Full refunds will be issued should the program be cancelled.
• Refund timeline: If a student is eligible for a refund, please contact coned.international@sait.ca for information on the next steps and refund processing times.

Applicants for the SAIT Non-Credit Professional Certificate programs for international students must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

Applicants must:

• have a post-secondary degree or diploma
• meet English language proficiency AND
• meet eligibility criteria for all necessary study and work permits.

For proof of post-secondary degree or diploma, we require the following documents:

1. Post-secondary transcripts, mark sheets, or examination results AND
2. Post-secondary parchment or graduation certificate.

• If the documents were not issued in English, applicants must provide certified translations and the original documents (in the original language). Refer to the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA) to find a certified translator.
• If the applicant’s name has changed, we will require validation of the name change (marriage certificate, etc.).
• SAIT also accepts external assessments from IQAS, WES, and others.

For proof of English proficiency, refer to SAIT's list of ways to demonstrate English Proficiency. Note: The preferred method for these programs is an approved assessment test.

At this time, applications for our Non-Credit Professional Certificate Programs for International Students are only accepted through a designated SAIT Agent. Contact agent.info@sait.ca to be connected with an agent. Once you have submitted your application, a decision should be made within five-to-ten business days. You can monitor your application status under the My Applications tab in your Continuing Education Student Account.

Letter of Offer

Once your application has been approved, you'll receive a Letter of Offer via email from coned.international@sait.ca with further details and the deadline to pay the tuition deposit. The tuition deposit is due 15 business days after the Letter of Offer is sent.

If your application is not approved, you'll receive an email from our Continuing Education International Advising team explaining the application decision.

Letter of Acceptance

Once you have paid the tuition deposit to accept the offer, you will receive an email from ApplyProof containing a secure link to access your Letter of Acceptance.

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) may disclose personal information To ApplyProof such as SAIT ID number, date of birth, legal name, address, email, phone numbers and agent email (as applicable). Learn more about privacy policies at SAIT.

ApplyProof is a secure method to access and confirm the authenticity of documents quickly. When students apply for a study permit, their acceptance letter can quickly be recognized as legitimate by immigration officers and agents using ApplyProof.

Once you’ve paid your tuition deposit, you’ll receive an email to your preferred email address with a secure link to the acceptance letter via ApplyProof. 

Click on the secure link and enter your passcode. Your passcode is your date of birth in the format YYYY/MM/DD. For example, if the student’s date of birth is Jan. 1, 2000, enter 2000/01/01.

If you experience any problems accessing your letter via the secure link, contact ApplyProof at support@applyproof.com directly.

Important: Add noreply@applyproof.com to your email safe senders list and regularly check your email spam and junk folders to avoid missing important communications about your application.

If you have been placed on a waitlist, your application status will remain as “Under Review” and you’ll be notified by a member of the Continuing Education International Advising team of your waitlist position. You’ll be offered admission to the program if a seat becomes available. Seats may be offered up until one month before the program start date provided there is adequate time to obtain a study permit. You should be prepared by having your funding and living arrangements in place.

You should begin the application process for your study permit as soon as you receive your Letter of Acceptance. Learn more about applying for study permits.

As these programs are cohort-based, all students will be registered in the same courses by the Continuing Education International Advising team after receiving a visa approval starting around two months before the selected program start date. We will invoice you in your Continuing Education Student Account. Students are required to pay the invoice in full by the payment deadline.

Information on preparing for departure and arrival in Canada will be emailed to you closer to the program start date.