Best Internet Plans & Discounts for Students

We know how important it is for students to have reliable internet service, especially when they're headed back to school. We also know how difficult it can be to find one for a good price. Luckily, we've got you covered. 

We’ve been studying the Canadian telecom market since 2008 and have learned how to spot the best internet deals by focusing on plans that provide great service and great prices. 

For this guide, we scoured through ISP offerings and back-to-school promotions, weighing the benefits of speed, coverage, and price to assemble this list of the best internet plans for students.

Best Internet
for Students

Virgin Plus | Unlimited Internet 50 | $50/month

Why we like it:

• Cheap monthly payments
• Fibre internet
• No contract

Virgin's modest plan is perfect for students, with speeds fast enough to handle all your homework...and then some.

Virgin Plus offers plenty of student promotions for cell phone plans, but this internet deal is just as sweet. $50 will get you a fibre connection with 50/10 Mbps speeds. It's rare to find fibre internet for this cheap and it gets even cheaper if you're willing to bundle it with one of Virgin's solid mobility plans.

Koodo | Unlimited Internet 100 | $70/month

Why we like it:

• Affordable high-speed cable internet
• Free Wi-Fi 6 modem and router
• Excellent bundling options

Koodo only entered the home internet game in the last year, but they're already offering some of the best deals for students, especially with this 100Mbps plan.

We've been impressed by Koodo's entry into the internet marketplace. While the company is traditionally known as a cell phone carrier, its home internet plans bring a lot to the table, with affordable cable, plenty of perks (including free hardware), and opportunities to bundle with one of its many solid cell phone plans.

This Koodo plan is the best bet for students, with fast 100/30 Mbps speeds and unlimited data for $70/month. If you're already using Koodo as your cell phone carrier, then it only makes sense to bundle your internet. That's not just for convenience's sake: doing so will save you up to $21/month.

Discounted internet for students

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There are a few ways to get discounted internet in Canada. Here are a few ways you can drive down your bill and take advantage of free internet.

Discounts for low-income students

The Government’s Connecting Families initiative provides a solid monthly discount and a reliable high-speed internet connection for low-income families in Canada. The plans offer much more than basic internet access, with 50/10Mbps and 200GB of data for $20/month or 10/1Mbps and 100GB of data for $10/month. If you're concerned about the Government acting as a service provider, no need to worry: the program partners like Bell, Cogeco, Videotron, and others to ensure home internet with fast speeds. Check out the initiative's official website to see if you qualify for the Connecting Families program.

Telus also offers low-cost internet for eligible households through its Internet for Good, which provides 25Mbps and 300GB of data for $9.95/month. In order to qualify for the program, your family needs to received receive the maximum Child Care Benefit and have a net income less than or equal to $34,863.

Free internet on Wi-Fi hotspots

Students can take advantage of free Wi-Fi at hotspots throughout the country. Several internet service providers have hotspots at stadiums, airports, cafes, shopping malls, and other public places. Telus has a hotspot locator tool—as do Bell, Cogeco, SaskTel, Shaw—so you can find the nearest hub wherever you are.

What is the best internet speed for a student?

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The best internet speed for a student is between 15Mbps and 50Mbps. That range allows for browsing the web, gaming, videoconferencing, and streaming videos and music without latency issues or an unreasonable monthly payment.

If you live with several roommates, use multiple devices, or attend all of your classes via Zoom, though, you should consider getting a connection of 100Mbps to 150Mbps so you can avoid unwanted delays or frustrating glitches.

If you want to get a better sense of the best internet speed for you, you can test your current connection with our internet speed test.

Methodology: How WhistleOut rates internet plans

WhistleOut evaluates internet plans based on the following criteria:

• Price & value: Not all cheap plans are “bad,” and not all expensive plans are worth it. We look at everything a plan includes and compare it to other plans from the same provider, as well as similar plans from competitors in the market, to determine whether the value is consistent with the price.
• Speed & data: Faster upload and download speeds usually mean a better user experience, but not every household needs the fastest plan available. Additionally, the more guaranteed high-speed data the plan includes, the better the plan—but there’s also usually a limit to how much you actually need, and we ensure that you’re not overpaying for services or data that will go unused.
• Coverage & network reliability: The breadth of an ISP’s network determines your reception and service. We value ISPs with large coverage maps who can provide quality internet to more Canadians.
• Plan extras and perks: In addition to the basics—speeds and data—some plans throw in freebies like modems, installation, entertainment subscriptions, or service discounts.

Our internet experts leveraged proprietary data and real-world customer feedback to evaluate the best internet plans in Canada, analyzing their coverage, cost, and plan options. We considered plan-specific elements, including perks, premium data allowances, and upload/download speeds. After performing extensive research, including customer feedback, we compared the services to others on the market to ensure they're the best plans available.

Looking for more options for your next internet plan? Be sure to check out our guides to the best internet service providers and the best internet plans in Canada.