Low CRS score? Here’s how going back to school can give you a boost

Express Entry candidates who have only attained a college certificate or bachelor’s degree—and whose CRS score is too low for current Express Entry draws—can find a significant boost to their CRS points by adding another degree to their profile.

In some cases, the CRS gain by adding another credential can be as much as 50 points.

While a higher level of education does lead to higher CRS points, simply adding another degree at—or in some cases below—the level of your current degree, can also raise your score.

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This article will cover:

Important factors to consider before going back to school
The points boost associated with adding different kinds of education credentials, such as:
The difference between foreign and Canadian education.

Important factors to consider

Express Entry candidates who are considering going back to school may want to consider the following immigration-related factors:

Your CRS score will be impacted by your increased age

The CRS assigns points based on a candidate’s age, with these points reaching their peak at ages 20-29, before gradually decreasing until no points are awarded at age 45 and onwards.

Due to the fact that getting an education credential can often be a multi-year process, it is important for Express Entry candidates to understand how this may impact their score, especially if they are nearing or above the age of 29.

CRS Points for Age

Age	With a spouse or common-law partner (Max 100)	Without a spouse or common-law partner (Max 110)
17 years of age or less	0	0
18 years of age	90	99
19 years of age	95	105
20 to 29 years of age	100	110
30 years of age	95	105
31 years of age	90	99
32 years of age	85	94
33 years of age	80	88
34 years of age	75	83
35 years of age	70	77
36 years of age	65	72
37 years of age	60	66
38 years of age	55	61
39 years of age	50	55
40 years of age	45	50
41 years of age	35	39
42 years of age	25	28
43 years of age	15	17
44 years of age	5	6
45 years of age or more	0	0

You cannot get a second PGWP

Express Entry candidates in Canada should also be aware that if they have already received a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) from an educational program, they cannot receive another one.

The PGWP is a once-in-a-lifetime document and can only be granted once to each candidate.

Limited work hours as an international student

Most international students are only allowed to work a maximum of 24 hours during regular school semesters.

Notably, students do have the ability to work an unlimited number of hours during regularly scheduled breaks; however, candidates who work to support themselves may want to consider how this difference in work authorization will impact them before starting a study program in Canada.

It is also worth noting that Canadian work done while a full-time student does not count towards CRS points.

How many points can I gain with an added education credential?

The CRS awards points for education in two different categories: Core/human capital, and Skills transferability. While core human capital awards points solely for your education credentials, Skills transferability awards points for a mix of education and language abilities.

Core/human capital points for education

The following table details the points associated with each level of education under the CRS, with maximum points awarded for a doctoral degree:

Level of Education	Without a spouse or common-law partner (Maximum 150 points)
Less than secondary school (high school)	0
Secondary diploma (high school graduation)	30
One-year degree, diploma or certificate from a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute	90
Two-year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute	98
Bachelor’s degree OR a three or more-year program at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute	120
Two or more certificates, diplomas, or degrees. One must be for a program of three or more years	128
Master’s degree, OR professional degree* needed to practice in a licensed profession	135
Doctoral level university degree (Ph.D.)	150

*For “professional degree,” the degree program must have been in medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, law, chiropractic medicine, or pharmacy.

Skills transferability points for education

The following table details how education and language skills can interact to award CRS points under Skills transferability:

With good official language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or higher) and a post-secondary degree	Points for CLB 7 or more on all first official language abilities, with one or more under CLB 9 (Max 25)	Points for CLB 9 or more on all four first official language abilities (Max 50)
Secondary school (high school) credential or less	0	0
Post-secondary program credential of one year or longer	13	25
Two or more post-secondary program credentials and at least one of these credentials was issued on completion of a post-secondary program of three years or longer	25	50
A university-level credential at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the NOC matrix at Skill Level A and requiring provincial licensing	25	50
A university-level credential at the doctoral level	25	50

Candidates can receive a maximum of 50 points for their education and language factors under the Skills transferability grid.

To receive the maximum number of points, candidates must have at least a CLB level 9. Those with a CLB level 7 can only receive a maximum of 25 points, regardless of their education level.

In addition, candidates can also earn either 15 or 30 (depending on the duration of their studies) additional CRS points under the “Additional points” grid if they studied in Canada.

Let's look at some examples of how adding another education credential can impact CRS score, based on some common scenarios:

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Adding a one-year Canadian college diploma to a Canadian college bachelor’s degree

CRS theory

When a candidate with a Canadian 3+ year bachelor’s degree adds a separate one-year Canadian diploma, they stand to add 33 points from education-related factors.

Core human capital factors: Moving from “bachelor’s/3+ years” to “two or more credentials (one 3+ years)” adds 8 points.
Skill transferability factors: having two post-secondary credentials with Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 9+ in all abilities can boost the “education + language” combo by 25 points.
Canadian education: Caps at 30 points.

Example: Sam

Sam is 30, single, and has a four-year Canadian bachelor’s degree in business.

He speaks English at CLB 9 and has three years of skilled foreign work experience plus one year of skilled Canadian work experience.

At this stage, Sam’s education-specific CRS score is 175 (120 points for his bachelor’s, 25 points for the “education + language” skill-transfer factor, and 30 points for Canadian education), and his overall CRS is 494. To strengthen his Express Entry profile, Sam enrolls in a one-year college diploma in project management at a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada. By the time he finishes this new program, he will be 31 instead of 30.

After graduating and updating his profile, his education level is now assessed as “two or more post-secondary credentials, one 3+ years,” so his core education score increases from 120 points to 128 points. His “education + language” skill-transfer factor jumps to 50 points because he now sits in the top row for that table with CLB 9 English and two post-secondary credentials, one of them three years or longer. His Canadian-education bonus remains at the cap of 30 points.

This pushes Sam’s education-specific CRS from 175 to 208 (a gain of 33 points), but his age points drop slightly (by 6 points) when he turns 31.

As a result, his overall CRS rises from 494 to 521. Even with that small age-related reduction, a net gain of 27 points can still be the difference between staying below the cut-off and suddenly becoming competitive in certain draws.

Note that since Sam has already received a PGWP after his initial bachelor’s degree, he cannot receive another one for this new program.

Adding a Canadian master’s degree to a Canadian bachelor’s degree

CRS theory

When someone with a Canadian 3+ year bachelor’s degree adds a Canadian master’s, their CRS can jump by about 40 points from education-related factors.

Core human capital factors: increase from 120 to 135 points because they move into the “master’s degree” category.
Skill transferability factors: increase from 25 to 50 points once they’re counted in the top education band with CLB 9+.
Canadian education: Caps at 30 points.

Example: Aisha

Aisha is 26 and holds a four-year Canadian bachelor’s degree in computer science from an Ontario university. She has CLB 9 English and three years of skilled foreign work as a software developer.

Before going back to school, Aisha’s education-specific CRS is 175 (120 points for her bachelor’s, 25 points for “education + language”, and 30 points for Canadian education), and her overall CRS sits at 459 once age, language, and foreign work experience are included.

Aisha then completes a two-year course-based master’s program in data science at a Canadian university. By the time she finishes, she is 28.

Once she graduates and updates her Express Entry profile, her education level is recalculated as a master’s degree, worth 135 core points.

Because she still has CLB 9 in all abilities, her education + language skill-transfer factor rises to the maximum 50 points. Her Canadian-education bonus remains at 30 points, as IRCC doesn’t increase this past the 30-point cap even if you hold more than one qualifying Canadian credential.

This pushes Aisha’s education-specific CRS from 175 to 215 (a 40-point gain,) and her overall CRS climbs from 459 to 499, a net increase of 40 points.

This gives her a realistic chance of being invited, especially when combined with any Canadian work experience, which she might gain on a PGWP.

As Aisha did not apply for a PGWP for her previous undergraduate degree, she would still be eligible for one with her Master’s degree.

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Adding a two-year Canadian college diploma to a foreign bachelor’s degree

CRS theory

When someone with a foreign bachelor’s (assessed through an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) as a 3+ year program) adds a two-year Canadian diploma, their education-related CRS can add 48 points.

Core human capital factors: increase from 120 to 128 because they’re now in the “two or more credentials (one 3+ years)” category.
Skill Transferability factors: With CLB 9+, their “education + language” factor doubles from 25 to 50 points.
Canadian education: Adds 15 points.

In addition, a person in this situation would also be newly eligible for a PGWP, to gain Canadian work experience to further bolster their score.

Example: Diego

Diego is 30 years old and lives outside Canada.

He completed a four-year bachelor’s degree in software engineering at a university abroad, and his ECA confirms that it is equivalent to a Canadian three-year or longer post-secondary program. He speaks English at CLB 9 in all four abilities, and he has over three years of skilled foreign work experience as a software engineer. He has no Canadian study or work experience yet.

At this stage, Diego gets 120 core points for his foreign bachelor’s degree, 25 skill-transferability points for the education + language combination, and 0 Canadian-education points, giving him an education-specific CRS points of 145.

When age (105 points for being 30), language (124 points for CLB 9 English), and foreign work skill-transferability (50 points for 3+ years of foreign work with CLB 9+) are added, his overall CRS comes to 424.

To become more competitive, Diego decides to come to Canada for a two-year college diploma in construction management at a DLI.

After he completes this program, he is now 32 instead of 30, and his education is recalculated, moving him into the 128-point row for level of education.

With his CLB 9 English and two post-secondary credentials (including a 3+ year program), his education + language skill-transfer factor rises to the maximum 50 points. In addition, his new two-year Canadian diploma earns him 15 CRS points for Canadian education.

Following these changes, Diego’s education-specific CRS increases from 145 to 193. His age points, however, drop from 105 at age 30 to 94 at age 32.

After taking both the education gain and the age reduction into account, his overall CRS rises from 424 to 461, a net increase of 37 points.

In addition, because he has now completed a Canadian education credential, Diego is now eligible for a PGWP, allowing him to gain Canadian work experience.

Canadian vs. foreign education for immigration

When it comes to Express Entry, both Canadian and foreign education can earn you CRS points—but Canadian education usually goes further.

A completed Canadian post-secondary credential can give you up to 30 extra CRS points (as noted above) on top of the points you already get for your level of education and age, language, and work experience.

By contrast, a foreign degree (even at the same level) does not qualify for those extra “Canadian education” points—you only get the core education points once it’s assessed with an ECA.

On top of this CRS boost, Canadian education can unlock additional PR pathways through Provincial programs, which aren’t available (or are much harder to access) if all your studies are completed outside Canada. Studying in a province can be an excellent way to build eligibility for its regional immigration pathways.

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