Commercial Pilot

Take to the skies with Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Commercial Pilot program. The growing aviation industry means qualified pilots are in demand—there’s never been a better opportunity to build your career as a commercial pilot. This program is one of the most innovative, highly-respected programs in Canada, with excellent industry support and local carriers actively recruiting our students. When you graduate, you’ll have your Commercial Pilot Licence with multi-engine instrument rating or single-engine instrument rating.

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The Commercial Pilot diploma program provides a strong foundation in the basic principles of aviation. You’ll alternate ground school training sessions at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatoon Campus, Koyl Ave. with actual flying experience at a Saskatchewan flight school, with advantages including low congestion and many hours of sunshine every year!

You’ll learn about:

aircraft engines, airframes and systems
aviation business, cultural awareness, mathematics, physics and communication
Canadian aviation regulations
crew resource management and human factors
electronic theory
flight operations
meteorology
multi-engine and instrument flying
navigation
theory of flight

State-of-the-art flight simulator

Saskatchewan Polytechnic's new ALSIM flight simulator puts you in the pilot’s seat for take-off and landing at any airport in North America. Programmable real-life scenarios give you risk-free experience flying in all kinds of weather and dealing with emergencies and standard operating procedures. The simulator has multiple single- and multi-engine configurations.

Experience and mentorship

Ground school classes are led by experienced instructors who know the aviation business. Your classes offer a unique opportunity to talk one-on-one with experienced pilots and other aviation professionals, getting an inside view on finding a job, building your career and developing your skills.

Diploma to degree

Diploma graduates are eligible to take the Bachelor of Applied Management degree right here at Saskatchewan Polytechnic with only two years of additional study. Remote classes and part-time options are available.

Career and salary information

Your career

Commercial aviation is expanding. There are job opportunities for qualified commercial pilots with charter and scheduled airlines, large corporations, courier companies, commuter airlines, flight schools, crop sprayers, aerial photography and survey companies, airline and airport administration and more. Your first job will probably be in a ground position with a smaller operator, where you’ll be expected to demonstrate commitment and professionalism as you work your way into flying positions.

For more information about a career as a professional pilot, visit the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) or Saskatchewan Aviation Council websites.

Potential careers

Sample job title	NOC classification
Airline pilot*	Air pilots, flight engineers & flying instructors (72600)
Charter pilot	Air pilots, flight engineers & flying instructors (72600)
Flight instructor	Air pilots, flight engineers & flying instructors (72600)

_{*For current airline pilot pay information, please contact the program head.}

Admissions

Admission requirements

Grade 12
Category 1 Medical Certificate from a Transport Canada approved medical examiner (it can take up to two months to receive this certificate; you may wish to plan your application to the program accordingly). See the Medical fitness for aviation page for more information.
English Language Requirement

Note

Physics 30, Pre-Calculus 20 and Foundations of Mathematics 30 are recommended

To obtain pilot licenses and ratings, students will be required to complete Transport Canada examinations and flight tests. Further, students may be required to demonstrate English language proficiency by means of a Transport Canada Formal Aviation Language Proficiency Demonstration (additional fees apply). If students do not successfully complete the required examinations, demonstrations, and flight tests within the hours allotted, they will be required to continue outside program hours and cover the extra cost or be involuntarily withdrawn from the program.

Students must pass all courses in a term to successfully complete the term. Students who fail or withdraw from one or more courses in a term may be prohibited from continuing in the program and be required to apply for re-admission. When students are permitted to continue in the program, it is their responsibility to present evidence of successful completion of the failed course(s) to Enrolment Services either before the end of the next term or before the credential is awarded, whichever condition is specified.

Applicants who possess a valid Private Pilot License - Aeroplane issued by Transport Canada at the time of application will be granted transfer credit for the following courses: FLGT 100, FLGT 101, FLGT 102, FLGT 103 and FLGT 104 for the next September intake. Applicants will be required to complete a Transfer Credit Request Form (pdf) and present a valid Aviation Document Booklet to the Program Head for verification after an application is received. Program entry will be delayed to November/December. The start date will be communicated by the Program Head. Tuition will be reduced as transferable course fees will not be charged and flight fees will be reduced by 70% accordingly. Please see the Tuition and Fees section for more information.

Alternative admission

Applicants who do not possess the academic qualifications for a program may be admitted if evidence of probable success can be established through an alternative admission assessment. Applicants are automatically considered for alternative admission. However, some specific admission requirements may still need to be met.

ACCUPLACER©

Refer to the ACCUPLACER© cut scores for this program below, and review additional details concerning Alternative Admission using Accuplacer.

250 Arithmetic
247 Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics
250 Reading
245 Writing

Post-secondary

Some programs allow applicants to meet the admission grade level requirement using 15 approved post-secondary credits. Review additional information.

If the program applied to has specific course requirements, they may be met through alternative post-secondary courses. Review already approved courses that may be used for admission purposes for your programs.

Admission method

First Qualified/First Admitted

The First Qualified/First Admitted (FQFA) process is used for the majority of Saskatchewan Polytechnic programs. When we determine that you meet the program's admission requirements, you will be offered admission based on the date you fully qualify for the program. The earlier you provide the appropriate documents and information that qualify you for admission to the next intake, the earlier you might begin your studies. Your application, once qualified, is always considered for the next intake.

Applicants to programs with multiple intakes in an academic year remain in the application pool until the last intake for that academic year has begun. Programs using the FQFA process receive applications year round and maintain an application pool for each academic year. Qualified applicants who are not offered a seat must reapply for the next academic year.

Sponsored programs or programs targeted to specific groups do not accept applications year round or maintain an application pool.

See Admission Processes for more information about this method of admission.

Tuition and fees

Estimates are based on current rates and are subject to change. Amounts for a program may vary by campus. Totals shown here include all mandatory fees as well as approximate cost for books and supplies. Visit the Tuition and Fees web page for a complete breakdown of tuition and fees for this program.

Year one fees include flight time and related costs to qualify for a Private Pilot’s License. Year two fees include additional flight time and related costs to qualify for the Commercial Pilot’s License.

2025-26 academic year

Full program: $79,500

This estimate includes:

Year one - $27,330 Pilot’s License training fee
Year two - $52,140 Pilot’s License training fee

This program is only eligible during semester 2 (year 1), semester 3, semester 4 and work term 2 (year 2) for the Canada-Saskatchewan student loan program.

International students

View tuition rates for international students.

Courses

Semester information only pertains to full-time/on-campus students, and part-time/online students should view course prerequisites when scheduling courses.

Get credit for what you know

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition

Saskatchewan Polytechnic recognizes that adults learn in many different ways. This includes acquiring knowledge and skills through life and work experience or non-formal training.

See link(s) below to get more information about PLAR.

Transfer credit

Many Sask Polytech students benefit from transferring course credit. You may be eligible to transfer credit to Sask Polytech or to another college or university.

Student awards

Thanks to the generosity of donors and alumni, Saskatchewan Polytechnic gives away more than $2 million in student awards during the academic year.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic offers student awards for every certificate and diploma program at every campus. Not all student awards are based on marks - some are based on financial need or things like community or volunteer involvement.

More about scholarships

Additional information

Flight school partners:

Women in Trades and Technology