Should I Use British Or American English When Submitting Assignments At Canadian Universities?

As a general rule of thumb, students should use British English when submitting essays, term papers and other written assignments for courses in Canadian colleges and universities. British spelling is used by all public organisations and government agencies in Canada, as well as by most commercial institutions and businesses.  Children in Canadian schools are usually taught British spelling.

There are important spelling differences between American and British English and you will almost always find the latter version used in documents and public signs in Canada.

Although professors and teaching assistants grading assignments may not always deduct marks for using American spelling, there is a clear preference for British spelling in the Canadian academia. This means that when you submit a paper, be sure to write "centre" and not "center," "colour" and not "color," "favourite," and not "favorite," as well as "cheque," rather than "check," in addition to dozens of other words that are spelled differently in the US and the UK.