Assiniboine College

Assiniboine College sits in Brandon, the second city of Manitoba and the service centre for one of the largest farming regions in Canada. Its strongest programmes grow out of that setting: agriculture, food processing, culinary arts, trades and health care, taught on two Brandon campuses and at sites in Dauphin, Neepawa and Winnipeg.

For Indian students, the headline is a split verdict. Of the 34 programmes in this guide that are open to international students, 23 lead to a post-graduation work permit, among them agribusiness, horticulture, early childhood education, health care aide, carpentry, heavy equipment, network administration and mechatronics. The other 11 do not, and they include every business administration diploma and every business advanced diploma, the programmes agents most often suggest.

Two further changes shape any Assiniboine plan in 2026. Manitoba closed the Career Employment Pathway of its International Education Stream on 11 June 2026, removing the direct provincial route to permanent residence that many Manitoba graduates relied on. And Assiniboine’s own international intake has fallen sharply, with new international enrolment down by up to 70 percent in Fall 2025.

What this guide covers

1. Assiniboine College at a glance
2. Which Assiniboine programmes lead to a PGWP
3. The business programmes: open, but no work permit
4. Agriculture and food: Assiniboine’s signature strength
5. Trades, technology and engineering
6. Health, education and community programmes
7. The campuses
8. Assiniboine College fees for international students
9. English requirements: three levels
10. Admission requirements
11. Application fee, deposit and refunds
12. Manitoba’s graduate pathway has closed
13. Intakes for 2027
14. Cost of living in Brandon
15. Fewer international students, more room
16. Bringing your family
17. What other Assiniboine pages get wrong
18. How to apply to Assiniboine College
19. Is Assiniboine College good for Indian students?
20. Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. Assiniboine College at a Glance

The college began in February 1961 as the Brandon Vocational Training Centre and became Assiniboine Community College in 1969. It has about 4,100 full-time students, is led by president Mark Frison, and reports that 92 percent of its graduates are employed within nine months, with 96 percent staying in Manitoba.

2. Which Assiniboine Programmes Lead to a PGWP

Since November 2024, college programmes qualify for a PGWP only if their field of study, identified by a CIP code, is on IRCC’s eligible list in agriculture and agri-food, health care, STEM, trades, transport or education. We checked the CIP code of every Assiniboine programme against IRCC’s own lists.

Length then sets the permit. The two and three year diplomas support up to three years; the one year certificates and post-diploma advanced diplomas support roughly their own length, eight months to a year.

3. The Business Programmes: Open, but No Work Permit

Assiniboine’s business programmes are well regarded, and its two year Business Administration diploma is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. But accounting, financial services, human resources and marketing are not fields on IRCC’s list, so none of these programmes leads to a PGWP. Neither do the two office administration certificates or Automotive Technician.

4. Agriculture and Food: Assiniboine’s Signature Strength

Agriculture is where Assiniboine stands out nationally. Its Russ Edwards School of Agriculture and Environment is expanding to the North Hill campus through the Prairie Innovation Centre, a provincial investment of CAD 120 million that will lift agriculture capacity from about 300 to more than 800 students. The Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts on the same campus trains cooks and food service managers.

All seven are PGWP eligible under IRCC’s agriculture and agri-food, trades or health care lists. Agribusiness includes a four month co-op, and several of these programmes strongly recommend a driver’s licence because placements are on farms and rural sites.

5. Trades, Technology and Engineering

Trades programmes are taught at the Len Evans Centre for Trades and Technology on the North Hill campus. The technology diplomas run at Victoria Avenue East, apart from Mechatronics Engineering Technology, a new three year diploma that opened in 2025.

Civil Technology - Municipal Engineering is a second stage: you first complete the one year Civil Technician certificate, then continue into the diploma with eight months of co-op. Heavy Equipment Technician has an April start as well as September.

6. Health, Education and Community Programmes

These programmes are all PGWP eligible and all include placements, which need criminal record, vulnerable sector and abuse registry checks before you start. Comprehensive Health Care Aide runs as an international cohort in Brandon and in Winnipeg, and Early Childhood Education is offered in Brandon, Dauphin and Neepawa.

Education Assistant appears on IRCC’s education list, which accepts study permit applications made before 1 November 2024 or after 17 December 2024, so any new application today qualifies.

7. The Campuses

Brandon, a city of about 50,000, is the realistic choice for most students: it has the widest programme range and the largest part-time job market. Dauphin and Neepawa are small towns with lower rents and far fewer jobs. The Winnipeg site offers only the health care aide cohort, but places you in a metropolitan area of more than 800,000 people.

8. Assiniboine College Fees for International Students

First year tuition across the 34 programmes runs from CAD 15,585 to CAD 25,430. On top of tuition, Assiniboine’s programme pages list course fees of roughly CAD 1,000 to 2,800, a students’ association fee of about CAD 650, required health insurance of CAD 825 to 1,125 and books, tools and supplies that can reach CAD 4,000 in trades programmes.

Cohort programmes such as Comprehensive Health Care Aide, Food Processing and Professional Cooking quote a single figure for tuition and fees, and international fees for those must be paid in full before the programme begins. Legal and Medical Administration are the dearest, at CAD 25,430, and neither leads to a PGWP.

9. English Requirements: Three Levels

Section minimums apply to TOEFL and PTE as well as IELTS, so check each band, not only the overall score. For the PGWP later, IRCC asks for a fresh test at CLB 5 in every skill, which is separate from the admission score.

10. Admission Requirements

11. Application Fee, Deposit and Refunds

Assiniboine charges a CAD 200 application fee and has no fixed application deadlines, though popular programmes build waitlists months ahead. After a letter of eligibility you pay a CAD 4,000 tuition deposit, which is credited to your fees and releases the provincial attestation letter from Manitoba.

The deposit is non-refundable with one important exception: if IRCC refuses your study permit, Assiniboine refunds it when you send the refusal documents within six weeks. If you are accepted and simply choose not to come, the deposit is lost.

12. Manitoba’s Graduate Pathway Has Closed

For years, Manitoba graduates could apply for permanent residence through the Career Employment Pathway of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program’s International Education Stream, often soon after finding a job. Manitoba closed that pathway with immediate effect on 11 June 2026.

International graduates now apply through the Skilled Worker in Manitoba pathway, which asks for at least six months of continuous full-time work with the same employer and a long-term job offer. The Graduate Internship Pathway remains only for master’s and doctoral graduates who complete a Mitacs internship, which rules out college students.

13. Intakes for 2027

Assiniboine runs September as its main intake, with January starts on 9 programmes and several cohort programmes starting in other months. Across the 34 programmes there are 43 intake windows in 2027.

14. Cost of Living in Brandon

Brandon is one of the cheapest places to study in Canada. One bedroom apartments averaged about CAD 1,544 a month in September 2026 and two bedrooms about CAD 1,778, and most students share. Prairie winters are cold, often below minus 20 in January, so warm clothing belongs in your first month’s budget.

IRCC’s living cost figure for study permits rose on 1 September 2026 to CAD 23,448 for one person and CAD 29,192 for a couple, on top of first year tuition and travel.

15. Fewer International Students, More Room

Assiniboine was hit hard by the federal study permit cap. International applications fell by 78 percent from the usual thousand or so a year, and in December 2024 the college cancelled or reduced intakes in office skills, baking, culinary arts, business administration and accounting and finance for early 2025. New international enrolment for Fall 2025 was expected to be down by as much as 70 percent.

For applicants that has a practical upside: smaller international cohorts, less competition for seats and part-time jobs, and staff with more time for each student. The downside is that programme availability can change term by term, so check the live list before you apply.

16. Bringing Your Family

A spouse or child can come with you, but no Assiniboine programme gives your partner an open work permit. Since January 2025 that benefit is reserved for partners of master’s students in programmes of 16 months or more, doctoral students and a few professional degrees. Each family member also raises the funds you must show.

17. What Other Assiniboine Pages Get Wrong

18. How to Apply to Assiniboine College

19. Is Assiniboine College Good for Indian Students?

Assiniboine suits you if

• You want agriculture, food processing, culinary or horticulture training in one of Canada’s farming heartlands.
• You are aiming for a trade or technology diploma such as heavy equipment, carpentry, network administration or mechatronics.
• Your English score is modest and you are heading for ECE, cooking or food processing, which accept IELTS 5.5.
• You want low rent and a small, friendly city.

Assiniboine does not suit you if

• You want a business, accounting or marketing programme and need a work permit.
• You were counting on Manitoba’s old student PR pathway.
• You need a big city job market from day one.
• You cannot face a prairie winter.

20. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)