This guide pulls together what international students and their families need to know before applying to the Winnipeg School Division (WSD), the largest public school division in Manitoba, Canada. Everything below comes from the division’s official website and its International Education Program pages, including the published fee schedules, as accessed on August 5, 2026. The division’s own pages describe its programs and policies; they are not a basis for rankings or comparisons, and visa and legal eligibility are set by the Government of Canada.
About the Winnipeg School Division
The Winnipeg School Division is a public school division serving Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its official pages describe it as the largest school division in Manitoba, with more than 33,000 students across 79 schools, and it operates the largest number of high schools in the city. The International Education Program office is at 1577 Wall Street East in Winnipeg. The division says its program welcomes international students from around the world and is fully committed to cultural diversity, equity and inclusion, with over 100 international students joining each year. Winnipeg itself has four distinct seasons, and the program’s pages describe the city as both economical and welcoming. Because this is a public school division rather than a private academy, international students enrol as full-time students alongside local students in Manitoba’s public system.
Programs: Semester or Full Year, Short-Term, and the Diploma Pathway
The Winnipeg School Division’s International Education Program groups international students by their study goal. In the semester or full-year option, students attend one or two semesters and transfer Manitoba high school credits back to their home high school, receiving a transcript for each semester; the aim is to experience Canadian high school life while improving English or French. In the short-term option, students attend regular classes for between 4 and 5 months with no transcript or credit validation — an immersion experience the program describes as low-pressure and evaluation-free. In the graduation pathway, students earn credits toward the Manitoba High School Diploma, which the program notes is recognized internationally, and many graduates go on to post-secondary study in Canada or abroad. All courses follow the Manitoba curriculum and are taught by government-certified teachers, including staff trained in ESL and EAL support. The school year runs from September to June, with most high schools on a two-semester schedule (September to January, and February to June), and there are three intake points: September for all levels and programs, January for elementary and middle years, and February for all levels and programs. Students in Grades 1 to 8 may apply but acceptance is decided case by case, and every student under 13 must live full-time with at least one parent. Some WSD high schools also offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses for eligible students.
International High Schools and Placement
International students in the Winnipeg School Division attend the division’s elementary, middle and high schools, depending on grade level, program goals, English needs and available space. For high school, the program pages list seven international high schools: Collège Churchill, Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute, Gordon Bell, Grant Park, École Secondaire Kelvin, École Secondaire Sisler and Tec-Voc, each with its own strengths in academics, arts, technology, athletics or student support. Applicants can name two preferred schools in their application, but placement is not guaranteed — the program assigns schools based on availability after reviewing the full application. Students aged 12 to 13 may be considered for middle school placement case by case, and students under 12 may apply if they live with a parent or legal guardian in Winnipeg. Families should note that students arrange their own daily transportation to and from school, with their parent, guardian or homestay family.
Entry Requirements and the Application Process
Applications to the Winnipeg School Division are submitted only through the secure True North online system; applications sent by mail, email or fax are not accepted, and students cannot submit applications on their own behalf — a parent, guardian or authorized representative completes the submission. A non-refundable application fee of $250 is due on submission. Required documents include complete student and parent information, transcripts or report cards from the past two years translated into English (notarized if the student plans to graduate with a Manitoba diploma), a passport photo page and a recent student photo; custodianship documents apply where relevant. English test scores are not required to apply — the program may arrange an English assessment after submission to determine language support placement. Published deadlines (as of the August 5, 2026 version of the application page) are November 1, 2026 for the Winter intake (January and February 2027) and April 1, 2027 for the Fall intake (September 2027, school year 2027-2028); the program advises applying early because placements and homestay space fill quickly. After approval, applicants receive a Conditional Letter of Acceptance, school assignment and fee invoice through the portal. A non-refundable $2,000 CAD deposit paid via Flywire secures the official Letter of Acceptance, which is used for the study permit application. The balance — tuition, insurance and homestay fees where applicable — is due in full before the program starts: by April 30 for first-semester and full-year students, and by November 30 for second-semester students. Study permit approval status must be provided before the start date, and flight information is due about one month before the program begins.
Costs: Tuition, Fees and Homestay
The Winnipeg School Division publishes its fee schedules as PDFs on the official Fees and Refunds page. The 2026-27 schedule (accessed August 5, 2026) lists full-year tuition of $12,500 for the academic year (September 2026 to June 2027) and $6,250 for one semester (5 months); the application fee is $250; mandatory health insurance is $400 per semester or $600 for the full year; transcript validation costs $150 and an English assessment $55 when required; homestay is $1,000 per month, or $1,100 with a special diet; students aged 12 to 13 pay $50 per month as an additional listed line; and an administrative fee of $400 applies to all deferrals and voluntary withdrawals. The 2027-28 schedule already published on the same page shows full-year tuition of $13,250, one semester at $6,625, an application fee of $350, transcript validation at $200, and homestay at $1,200 per month ($1,450 with a special diet), with insurance and the administrative fee unchanged. Tuition covers enrolment and access to academic programming; homestay, insurance, validation, English assessment and optional activities are charged separately. The $2,000 deposit, application fee, insurance and administrative fee are non-refundable. Under the published refund policy, cancellation before arrival or before September 30 yields a full tuition refund minus the deposit and administrative fee; refusal of a study permit by IRCC likewise gives a full refund minus those two items (with IRCC documentation), or the option to defer with a $400 fee; written cancellation before a semester start requires notice by May 30 (full year / semester 1) or November 30 (semester 2 / January intake); withdrawal within 30 days of the first day of classes returns 50% of tuition, and nothing after 30 days. Homestay fees have their own schedule: full refund before arrival if the study permit is refused, and pro-rated monthly refunds after arrival.
Application Support: Homestay, Custodianship, Insurance and Academic Help
The Winnipeg School Division does not run dormitories; students who need accommodation are placed with approved homestay families through the official program. Host families are screened through an application, interview, references, criminal record and child abuse registry checks, plus orientation and training. Homestay includes a private bedroom with study space, meals, guidance adjusting to life in Canada, custodianship, and airport pickup and drop-off at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport. There is no separate homestay placement or custodianship fee — both are included in the homestay fees. Students may instead arrange their own accommodation, but it must be approved by the program, and they must live with a responsible adult at least 25 years old who assumes custodial responsibility, with notarized independent custodianship documents submitted. Under IRCC rules, custodianship is generally required for students under 18; for students in the official homestay program, WSD itself acts as custodian regardless of age. Medical insurance is mandatory for all international students and is arranged through the program’s partner, Ingle International, with the premium included in program fees. Academically, each school has guidance counsellors and International Education Support Teachers who help with course selection, graduation requirements and post-secondary planning; the program’s FAQ lists Manitoba institutions that welcome international students, including the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg and RRC Polytech, and notes that graduates apply to universities across Canada. On arrival, students attend an orientation, meet their support teacher, and complete course pre-registration. All information above reflects the Winnipeg School Division’s official pages as of August 5, 2026; pages and fee schedules are updated frequently, so verify details against the latest official versions before budgeting. To judge whether the Winnipeg School Division’s programs, entry requirements and costs fit your family’s situation, talk to our consultants here with your child’s age, English level and study goals.