Canadian Mennonite University

English Language Requirements

All students are required to demonstrate English language proficiency. Below are the different ways to fulfill this admission requirement. If you completed your schooling outside of Canada or the United States, you may be required to provide English Proficiency Exam results. Refer to the country-specific requirements that pertain to you.

Results must be less than two years old. English proficiency may be demonstrated by one of the following tests:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS):
  • Academic Module in-person: Minimum band score of 6.5, with no less than 6.0 in each individual component.
  • Academic Module IELTS Indicator: Minimum band score of 6.5, with no less than 6.0 in each individual component.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):
  • A minimum score of 550 (paper-based) with no less than 50 in each component
  • or a minimum score of 213 (computer-based) with no less than 17 in each component
  • or a minimum score of 80 (Internet-based) with no less than 19 in each component
  • or a minimum score of 80 (Internet-based Special Home Edition) with no less than 19 in each component
• CanTest: An average score of 4.5 in Listening and Reading and a score of 4.0 in Writing
  • A score of 3.5 in Writing may be considered, provided the student is registered in ACWR-1010 Writing for Academic Purposes in their first semester
• Cambridge English Assessment Scale:
  • A minimum score of 180 (C) on the C1 Advanced or a minimum score of 200 (C) on the C2 Proficiency Test.
• MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery):
  • Minimum score of 80%
• CAEL (Canadian Academic English Language Assessment)Computer and Online:
  • Minimum score of 60
• PTE (Pearson Test of English – Academic):
  • Minimum of score of 58
• Successful completion of the AEPUCE (Academic English Program for University and College Entrance) offered at the University of Manitoba or a comparable program at a recognized University.
• Successful completion of Academic Level 5 in the English Language Program (ELP) at the University of Winnipeg with a minimum C+ in English and a minimum C in all other components
• ESP (English for Specific Purposes Program) at the University of Winnipeg with a Minimum C+ in Academic Writing 1 and 2.

CMU does not accept Duolingo results as meeting the English proficiency requirement.

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate Students must meet one of the following in order to be admitted:

• Meet country-specific requirements
• Meet English Language Proficiency requirement
• Successfully complete an internationally examined curriculum
• Graduate from a high school in Canada or the USA
• Successfully completed a minimum of one year of full-time studies at a university of college in Canada or the USA

Undergraduate students must submit official transcripts from all secondary and post-secondary schools attended. Official transcripts must be submitted directly from the school or through MyCreds™ to CMU. Graduate students must meet the following in order to be considered for admission:

• Meet country-specific requirements
• Meet program admission requirements
• Meet English Language Proficiency requirement

Graduate students must submit official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended.

• If studied in Canada or the United States, the transcripts must be submitted to CMU directly from the school.
• If studied and obtained credentials at an institution outside Canada or the United States, transcripts must be submitted via a World Education Services (WES) Course-By-Course International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP) report. WES offers a variety of reports but CMU is only able to accept the course-by course ICAP report. This applies to both international applicants and domestic applicants who studied abroad.

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About CMU

CMU is a vibrant university rooted in the Anabaptist Christian tradition, committed to peace, justice, hospitality, and dialogue. Students come from diverse backgrounds-culturally, geographically, theologically, and ideologically-and learn together in an intentional environment shaped by academic excellence, compassion and hope.

Purpose, Mission, and Commitments

Purpose

From the Canadian Mennonite University Act: To further the intellectual, spiritual, moral, physical and social development of, and a community spirit among, its students, graduates and staff for the betterment of society, consistent with a Christian perspective rooted in the Anabaptist Mennonite tradition.

CMU Mission

CMU is an innovative Christian university, rooted in the Anabaptist faith tradition, moved and transformed by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Through teaching, research, and service CMU inspires and equips for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.

Four Committments

• Educate for Peace – Justice
• Learn through Thinking and Doing
• Welcome Generous Hospitality… Radical Dialogue
• Model Invitational Community

Fostering the Flourishing of All

Canadian Mennonite University is an innovative Christian university, rooted in the Anabaptist faith tradition. CMU is committed to embodying the inclusivity of Jesus Christ’s life and teachings. We are honoured to live, learn, and serve on Treaty 1 Territory, the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, and Dakota First Nations and the homeland of the Métis Nation. As an expression of Christian faith and commitment, CMU acknowledges the truth of past harms and ongoing wrongs and seeks active reconciliation with Indigenous communities and people.

Therefore, CMU aims to interrupt and address systemic inequities by creating an anti-oppressive and purposefully inclusive environment across the whole university, including its enrolment, academic, and employment practices. This involves listening to and relating more justly with Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+ people, women, people with disabilities, people experiencing economic marginalization, people of diverse faith backgrounds, and all systemically oppressed people. CMU will work continuously toward equity, diversity, and inclusion to foster a flourishing community for all.

Governance

CMU Board of Governors 2025/26

• Geoff Wichert, Chair, Toronto, ON
• Bruce Guenther, Vice -Chair, Winnipeg, MB
• Trudy Schroeder, Secretary, Winnipeg, MB
• Heather Block, Winnipeg, MB
• Ben Borne, Saskatoon, SK
• Karen Grace-Pankratz, Winnipeg, MB
• Cordella Friesen, Winnipeg, MB

• Kris Kornelsen, Winnipeg, MB
• Tamara Roehr, Winnipeg, MB
• Dylan Tarnowsky, Kitchener, ON
• Reece Zablocki, Calgary, AB
• Art DeFehr (honourary member), Winnipeg, MB
• David Balzer (faculty)
• Corinna Dick (student)

CMU Council 2025/26

• Les Klassen Hamm, Saskatoon, SK
• Kyle Mason, Winnipeg, MB
• Arisnel Mesidor, Winnipeg, MB
• Adelia Neufeld Wiens (MCM), Winnipeg, MB
• Paul Neufeldt, Coaldale, AB
• Fred Pauls, Winnipeg, MB
• Jason Dyck (MBCM), Winnipeg, MB
• John Neufeld (MBCM), Winnipeg, MB
• Jami Reimer, Winnipeg, MB
• Dennis Schellenberg, Winnipeg, MB
• Heather Unger, Winnipeg, MB
• Tim Wenger, Winnipeg, MB
• Michael Wilson, Winnipeg, MB
• Kenny Wollman, MacGregor, MB

• Raya Cornelsen, Winnipeg, MB
• Gordon Daman, Niverville, MB
• Veronica Dyck (MCBC), Abbotsford, BC
• Leona Friesen, Winnipeg, MB
• Janelle Braun, Winnipeg, MB
• Janessa Nayler-Giesbrecht, Winnipeg, MB
• Marvin Marciel, Winnipeg, MB
• Markus Goertzen, Steinbach, MB
• Len Rempel, (MCSK), Saskatoon, SK
• Gode Katembo, Winnipeg, MB
• Nicole Lysack, Winnipeg, MB
• Ben Wride, Flin Flon, MB

CMU Board of Governors members also serve on the CMU Council.

CMU Indigenous Council 2025/26

• Ben Borne, Co-Chair, Saskatoon, SK
• Heather Block, Co-Chair, Winnipeg, MB
• Kelly Selkirk, Fisher River, MB
• Elder Reverend Vince Solomon, Winnipeg, MB

• Kyle Mason, Winnipeg, MB
• Jaymie Menzies, Winnipeg, MB
• Christy Anderson, WInnipeg, MB

By-Law No. 1 A general by-law relating to the conduct of the affairs of CMU

A Very Short History of Canadian Mennonite University

Canadian Mennonite University stands in the Anabaptist faith tradition, whose education legacy in Canada reaches back over a century. In 1923, 21,000 Mennonites-known as Russländer-fled violent upheaval in the Soviet Union and joined earlier Mennonite settlers, the Kanadier, who had come at the invitation of the Canadian government in 1874. CMU is beneficiary of the dozens of secondary and post-secondary schools these Mennonites founded across the prairies, which continuously evolved into fewer, more substantive institutions. Less sectarian over time, Mennonite peoples gradually integrated into Canadian society and earned the respect of surrounding communities and governments for economic, humanitarian, and cultural contributions to society at large; along the way Mennonite communities have become attentive to their complicity within Canadian society’s assimilationist regime of settler colonialism.

The university itself opened its doors in 2000, formed of a merger of three Mennonite colleges: Canadian Mennonite Bible College (founded 1947), Mennonite Brethren Bible College-later Concord College (founded 1944/1992), and Menno Simons College (founded 1989). Initially known as the Mennonite College Federation, the new institution was established by a public act of the Province of Manitoba just when the Province sought a buyer to revitalize a heritage education building. Today, CMU offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in diverse fields of Arts, Science, Music, Communications, Business Administration, Theology, Peacebuilding, Social Work, and Education. CMU is a member of Universities Canada, receives research funding from SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR, and holds a Canada Research Chair.

CMU was called into being not to replicate dominant models of higher education, but to offer an alternative-one shaped by practices of peace-justice, hospitality, dialogue, and a deep integration of all manner of life, community, faith, and the intellect. A big part of what CMU teaches is how it teaches-with habits of thinking and doing, by making things-new knowledge-in relationship with others across fields of study, and through cultivating vocation for public and personal good.

Over the years the range of students seeking such an education has diversified greatly. CMU provides a welcoming learning community for students from many faiths and none even as the university sustains close relationships with its founding Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren and many other church and community bodies. Located in Winnipeg on Treaty 1 Territory, CMU strives not only to be a “faith-based” institution but, in the words of President Cheryl Pauls, one that is “love-bound” and “hope-drawn”: oriented toward the beauty and pain of reality, honouring the stories through which it is continually learning, and willing to take action into the future with open hands.

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Tuition and Fees

Free Dorm for All First-Year Domestic and International Students Starting Fall 2026

Where you live shapes how you learn. That’s why CMU is offering free shared dormitory housing to every first-year undergraduate student, starting Fall 2026.

More Information

CMU tuition pricing is an advantage for international students. CMU has Manitoba’s most affordable international student tuition and reflects CMU’s commitment to offer affordable Christian post-secondary education to students from outside Canada. Your presence at CMU helps create a diverse student body, where students of different backgrounds can learn from one another both in the classroom and beyond.

We require new international students to pay an advance deposit before beginning their studies at CMU. The amount of your deposit will depend on the program you have applied for:

Advance Deposit:

• All international students needing to apply for a Canadian study permit must pay their tuition deposit in full to receive their Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) from CMU.
  • This tuition deposit covers the cost of our mandatory health insurance, allows registration for classes, and secures a spot in on-campus housing.
  • It will be applied towards tuition and fees for the first semester of study; the remaining balance will be due when the student arrives on campus.
  • It can be paid online after submitting all required transcripts and receiving an Eligibility Letter from CMU.
  • It is non-refundable, unless the student shows proof of a study permit denial. If their study permit is denied, students can request a refund of their tuition deposit minus a $100 CAD administration fee. Please do not pay a tuition deposit if you do not intend on studying at CMU.
  • If a student defers their admission, their tuition deposit will remain on their account to be applied in a future term.

The deadlines for these deposits are listed below:

Books, transportation, and personal effects are not included in your advance deposit. This policy applies to all new international applicants, except for undergraduate applicants who are USA citizens/permanent residents or who are already living in Canada on valid study permits.

View current tuition, housing, and other fees

Payment Information

CMU has partnered with Flywire and PayMyTuition to help international students make easier payments for tuition and room and board. Payment can be made directly from your home country to your student account. For further information, please view CMU’s payment policy.

• Flywire
• PayMyTuition

International students who are denied a study permit will have their funds returned to them minus a $100 administration fee. The deposit will be refunded in accordance with currency rates at time of refund.

See the First-Year Cost Calculator (2025/26), a tool that can help you estimate and budget your costs.

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Financial Aid for International Students

CMU Funding

CMU does not offer full tuition scholarships, but international students are invited to apply for bursaries, some scholarships, and specific awards that are available to international students. (International refers to any student who is not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or refugee.)

Scholarships for undergraduate students – consult the Scholarships & Awards webpage for more information on scholarships available.

• The deadline for scholarship applications is February 28.

International students who are currently studying at CMU are eligible to apply for bursaries – to apply, complete the Undergraduate Bursary Application form. Bursary applications are based on financial need and must be submitted by:

• May 31: International undergraduate students returning to studies at CMU in September (fall semester)
• November 10: International undergraduate students returning to studies at CMUin January (winter semester)

NOTE: Applications received after the deadlines will not be considered-no exceptions.

Faith Community Matching Grants – available to all CMU students. For international students, CMU will match any funds provided by a local church up to $1,000 per academic year.

Graduate students – please consult the Graduate Studies Awards page for information on the numerous scholarships and bursaries available. Note: Applications received after the deadlines will not be considered.

• April 30: MBA admits
• May 31: Graduate Program admits (non-MBA) starting in September (fall semester)
• July 20: Graduate Program admits starting in January (winter semester)

The Canadian Government

Study in Canada Scholarship applications – ONLY citizens of one of the following countries are eligible to apply: Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Comoros, Djibouti, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Liberia, Mauritania, Micronesia, Palau, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Vanuatu. Palestinian students from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem are also eligible.

Note: Palestinian candidate students residing in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem are eligible, and may be requested to provide supporting documentation demonstrating their Palestinian identity.

Only students in one- or two-year programs are eligible for this scholarship which means that, at CMU, only students in the Master of Arts or Master of Business Administration are eligible. Students MUST indicate their interest in being considered for the Study in Canada Scholarships program on their application in order to be considered. CMU will consider (but not guarantee) applying on behalf of eligible admitted students. This IS NOT a CMU scholarship, and CMU has no influence on the decision.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find my student ID number?

• New Students – Your student ID number is on your admission letter.
• Returning Students – If you forgot your student ID, look on your CMU Student Card or on your Populi. The transcript and bill statement all indicate your CMU Student ID number.

What is Populi?

Populi is your online tool that gives you access to

• Registration
• Bill statement (a bill statement will not be mailed to you)
• Timetable
• Class information that your instructors post such as the syllabus, announcements, assignment descriptions, notes, etc.
• Your grades
• An unofficial transcript

How do I access CMU computers and my CMU email?

• New Students – You will be issued a User ID, password, and CMU email address after registration.
• Returning Students – If you forgot your User ID or password, contact helpdesk@cmu.ca.
• This password will give you access to:
  • On-Campus Computers – there are two computer labs (South Side and North Side, and in the Library).
  • CMU Email – This is the primary way that you will be contacted throughout the year with important information. (https://portal.office.com)

How do I forward CMU email to a personal address?

• Log into your CMU student email.
• Click on the gear icon in the top right.
• Click “Options” in the drop-down menu that appears.
• On the right hand side, under “shortcuts to other things you can do”, click “forward your email”.
• Under forwarding, type your personal email address to which you would like your CMU student email forwarded.
• Click “start forwarding”.

I need confirmation of my enrolment. How do I get this done?

You can now access a verification of enrolment letter through your CMU populi student portal:

• Login using the same ID and password that you use for your CMU email.
• Select “Student” on your menu bar.
• Select “Print Enrollment Verification”.

I have a physical limitation, learning disability, or mental health disability. What should I do?

If you wish you receive accommodations from Accessibility Services, you will need to complete a Self-Identification of Disability Form and provide documentation from a medical office or psychologist. Download the Self-Identification of Disability form and submit it, along with the Verification of Disability form, to the Manager of International Student and Accessibility Programs.

How many credits do I need to take to be a full-time student?

To be a full-time student you need to be enrolled in a minimum of 9 credit hours (3 courses) per semester, 18 credit hours for fall and winter. A full-course load ranges from 18 credit hours to a maximum of 34 credit hours.

Note: Some scholarships and bursaries require students to register in more than 9 credit hours per semester.

I think I am eligible to graduate. What do I need to do?

For graduation information, click here.

Who do I contact about student loans?

Contact the Coordinator of Financial Aid & Awards regarding student loans. There is further information regarding funding in the Financial Aid section.

When are fees due? How do I pay?

For information on when fees are due and how to pay, go to Tuition and Fees.

Why should I register for classes early?

• Early registrants receive priority for spots in classes.
• During Early Registration, course and program advisors are available to aid students in course selection.

I want to know which courses are required for my degree program. How do I find out?

Complete a degree audit form to ensure that you will meet all the requirements to graduate. To obtain a degree audit form, go to the top of this page and click on:

• Academics
• Undergraduate Studies
• Choose the major or degree you are interested in
• Choose “Programs” from the side menu
• You will be able to download degree audit forms
• If you have any questions, contact your faculty advisor or one of CMU’s Coordinators of Advising.

I am an athlete. Should I take a full course load?

• All CMU student-athletes must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester
• All returning CMU student-athletes must pass 18 credit hours during their previous year of study and maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
• Consider your workload carefully in consultation with an academic advisor. Some student athletes carry a full load of 15 credit hours per semester and maintain very good GPAs. Others reduce their loads to 12 or 9 credit hours per semester

Why should I get to know my faculty advisor?

Your faculty advisor is available to meet with you about courses, future academic and career plans, or spiritual/personal issues. Faculty advisors take a special interest in their students’ needs and concerns and can help to give perspective and advice.

I want to take violin (or voice or piano, etc) lessons for credit. What do I do?

If you have been accepted into the CMU School of Music, register for the length of lesson you have been advised to take. If you are not a Music student but have at least an eighth-grade level of achievement in an instrument, you may register for music lessons for credit: this is called “Individual Applied Music Studies” (IAMS) credit, and you may register for 1/2 hour or 3/4 hour lessons (2 or 3 credit hours per year).

Why should I declare my program after 30 credit hours?

Once a student declares their program, a faculty advisor in their declared program of study is provided to them. Further, planning is aided when we know which and how many students are in a particular program of study. Finally, students must declare a program of study in order to continue to receive government financial aid.

What are credit hours?

Credit hours are a standard measure used in determining how much academic material is covered. A course of three credit hours normally requires three hours of lectures per week for one semester. Thus, if you choose five courses of three credit hours each, you will be in class for fifteen hours. Students are allowed to register for a maximum of seventeen credit hours in a semester, including applied music or ensemble courses.

What are prerequisites?

Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before enrolling in some upper-level courses. Some courses at the 1000 and 2000 levels have prerequisites. All courses at the 3000 level or higher have prerequisites. See the Course Offerings section of this website.

What are “Humanities”?

The Humanities are those branches of learning concerned with human intellectual culture, exploring its past, present, and future. At CMU, we offer courses in the Humanities in these fields: English, History, Languages, Music, Philosophy, Religion, and Theatre/Fine Arts.

What are “Social Sciences”?

Social Sciences are those branches of study concerned with human society, social relationships, and individuals within society. At CMU, we offer courses in the Social Sciences in these fields: Anthropology, Economics, Geography, International Development Studies, Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies, Political Studies, Psychology, and Sociology.

What are “Sciences”?

Sciences are those branches of study concerned with the phenomena of the material universe and its general laws, employing methods of empirical observation and systematic classification. At CMU, we offer courses in the following Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics.

What are “Integrative Studies”?

Integrative Studies explore the mosaic of knowledge, around a theological centre, in service of the highest of human loves, which are the love of God and the love of neighbour.

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