University experience is never a waste, just as living a life, no matter where, is never a waste.

This is why I didn't mention anything about a waste, but to help you connect your potential decisions to better reflect what you may care about as an ultimate exception to your articulated logic: "The only thing is, the cost"

It appear that you will have to pay for your own school's student loans you mentioned in some way, either during, or after you graduate. "As much as I would love to study that, I don't know if the job prospects for that kind of area would promise me a decent enough job to pay back those student loans and live an okay life."

• That (financial factor) is a requirement to consider in any decisions you make (according to what you said), and the limiting factor to your decisions. So like requiring a ticket to enter an amusement park, and the main problem is you are a student and have very little money out of your budget. While you are making a decision of which amusement park to go to, the ultimate limiting factor is which one fits your budget, or which one that you can afford will also give you the fun that you want after.

You could gain valuable experiences in UK or Canada, or any Canadian University, and their Programs. By the conditions you gave, the main issue is how you will pay the cost during or after, from student loans. With a minimum wage part time job, or difficulty finding employment afterward, your credit score will suffer, as will your life quality, and stable employment history that is important for your future employment. That's why my advice is for you to focus your decision based on the limiting factors, and not the flexible factors