Diploma Programme
Culinary Arts
A two-year SAIT diploma in Calgary taught mostly in professional kitchens by expert chefs. Students learn foundational and global cooking, patisserie, garde manger and kitchen management, serve guests in SAIT's own restaurants such as Highwood Kitchen + Bar, and complete a paid industry internship. Graduates can work toward Red Seal certification.
University
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
Country
Canada
Level
Diploma
Field
Culinary Arts
Duration
2 years (4 semesters, plus a paid internship of at least 320 hours between years)
Language
English
Campus
Calgary (Main Campus)
Degree
SAIT Culinary Arts Diploma
Intake
September, January
Application Deadline
International applicants (SAIT apply page, checked October 11, 2026): Winter 2027 (classes start January 6, 2027) applications close October 30, 2026; Spring 2027 (May 3, 2027) close February 5, 2027; Fall 2027 (September 1, 2027) opened August 4, 2026 with the closing date still to be announced; Winter 2028 opens December 9, 2026. Not every program starts every term and programs can fill or close early, so check SAIT's Available Seats for International Applicants tool before applying. Canadian applicants: Fall 2027 applications close June 30, 2027
Tuition Information
SAIT 2026/27 estimate for international students starting in 2026/27 (program page, tuition plus additional fees at the suggested full-time course load): year 1 CAD 29,534.50 (tuition 27,525 + fees 2,009.50); year 2 CAD 28,376.50 (tuition 26,424 + fees 1,952.50); program total CAD 57,911. Canadian students: year 1 CAD 10,484.50; year 2 CAD 10,145.50; total CAD 20,630. Additional fees are SAIT's mandatory student fees (technology, learning support, wellness, career readiness, athletics and recreation, and the UPass transit pass) plus Saitsa student association, health and dental plan fees. SAIT says the program total on an international student's admission letter is a maximum tuition guarantee for the program, so it won't rise in later years. Fees include a mandatory CAD 188 per year uniform and apron laundry fee. Books and supplies cost about CAD 900-1,100 (bought in the first week), plus a professional knife kit (about CAD 500), the required chef's uniform and a laptop.
Admission Requirements
- Apply: international applicants apply online through SAIT's Virtual Admissions System and pay a non-refundable CAD 175 application fee; one international application can list up to two programs (a first and a second choice). Applicants educated outside Canada must prove they meet the admission requirements with an international document assessment, and SAIT only assesses an application once every required document is in. Canadian applicants apply through ApplyAlberta (CAD 120 fee).
- Academic: 50% in English Language Arts 10-1, ELA 10-2 or Humanities 10, and 50% in Math 10C or Math 10-3 (Alberta grade 10), or equivalents
- Paid internship: at least 320 hours in an approved kitchen (hotel, restaurant or catering) between year one and year two; proof of the work experience is required to graduate
- English proficiency (SAIT English proficiency page, required of every applicant): IELTS Academic with 6.0 in each band; TOEFL iBT taken before January 21, 2026 with at least 20 in each section, or taken on or after January 21, 2026 with 4.5 overall and 4.5 in each section; PTE Academic 53; Duolingo 115 with no subscore below 95; CAEL 60 in each section; Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with 169 in each skill; plus other tests SAIT lists. Test scores must be from within one year of applying. SAIT also accepts, among other proof, at least three years of full-time English-taught study at an English-speaking secondary school, two years of English-taught post-secondary study at a recognized institution, a post-secondary English, literature or communications course passed with a C or better, SAIT's English Language Foundations program, or a recognized partner language-school pathway
- PGWP: SAIT's program page lists it as accepting international applicants and PGWP eligible (CIP 12.0500), saying it currently meets IRCC's field-of-study requirement. SAIT doesn't guarantee individual eligibility, and IRCC's rules can change