Diploma Programme
Cyber Security
A new two-year SAIT diploma in Calgary covering how to defend networks, systems and data. Students learn networking, operating systems, programming and tool building, offensive and defensive security, risk assessment and incident response through guided labs, case studies and a capstone, and are prepared to sit CompTIA Security+.
University
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
Country
Canada
Level
Diploma
Field
Cybersecurity
Duration
2 years (4 semesters, plus an optional co-op work term after year 1)
Language
English
Campus
Calgary (Main Campus and Downtown Campus)
Degree
SAIT Cyber Security 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 31,854.50 (tuition 30,090 + fees 1,764.50); year 2 CAD 31,854.50; program total CAD 63,709. Canadian students: year 1 CAD 16,344.50; year 2 CAD 16,344.50; total CAD 32,689. 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. Books and supplies are about CAD 1,000-1,500 per year; students also need their own power-user laptop, lab kits (electronics and sensor kits, a wireless access point) and a cloud services subscription that SAIT estimates at CAD 800-1,200 per year.
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: 65% in Math 30-1 or 70% in Math 30-2, and 60% in English Language Arts 30-1 or 65% in ELA 30-2 (Alberta grade 12), or equivalents
- 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
- Intakes: SAIT's 2026/27 academic calendar lists fall and winter starts. International students can also take it as part of a bundle with SAIT's Bachelor of Technology (Cyber Security) for years three and four
- Optional co-op: a co-op work term is available between year one and year two, and year two includes a capstone project
- PGWP: SAIT's program page lists it as accepting international applicants and PGWP eligible (CIP 11.1003), saying it currently meets IRCC's field-of-study requirement. SAIT doesn't guarantee individual eligibility, and IRCC's rules can change