universities in montreal universities in montreal

The Top 7 Universities in Montréal You Can Study In

Canada has been a major center of higher studies for the last couple of decades, and students from all over the world flock to this country with untarnished hope. In fact, it is also a country supporting many successful career options in various fields. Montréal, in Quebec, with its plethora of various cultures, all blended perfectly into this city, is a recommended choice. This article will present to you the top university rankings and some of the best universities in Montreal for Master’s as well.

It is not surprising that Montreal is a popular study destination for students. Montreal, Canada’s second-most populous city and the capital of Quebec, has something for everyone. Students laud Montréal for its arts and culture and its friendliness and variety, not surprising. Montréal is noted for its heterogeneous makeup and welcoming mindset as a French-speaking city in a predominantly English-speaking nation that has seen massive immigration worldwide.

It’s also known for its relaxed yet bustling lifestyle, beautiful boulevards, booming creative industries, café culture, varied arts venues, live events, and nightlife.

Montreal has a solid French colonial heritage dating back to the 16th century, and the majority of the city’s residents speak French as their first tongue. Montreal is the world’s second-biggest French-speaking metropolis, behind Paris. Montreal is an essential location for higher education, with over 50 research chairs and two English-language and two French-language institutions.

Why should you study in Montréal?

Education of the highest quality

Montréal has a wealth of study options in a variety of fields. Thanks to top-ranked universities such as McGill University and over 50 colleges, the city has a strong reputation as a world-class study destination.

A welcoming student atmosphere

Montréal is undoubtedly popular with students, having taken first place globally for student opinion and ranked in the top 15 for desirability. In reality, the city provides a secure atmosphere for students to explore and relax in excellent public transit and diverse neighborhoods. Furthermore, the city is highly varied, with several cultural events held throughout the year.

A mash-up of old and modern

Montréal is a beautiful blend of old and new. Walking around its streets, you can get a sense of its history while also enjoying its active city life, home to a plethora of pubs, restaurants, clubs, and stores. It is reasonable to claim that you will never be bored in Montréal.

Montréal’s cost of living

Montréal is in the top 60 most affordable cities globally, outranking top-ranked European towns as a cheap place for students to study.

A one-bedroom apartment in the city center costs US$1,023 a month, which is 57% less than the average rent in London, according to Numbeo. Students should anticipate paying an additional monthly expense of USD 869.

Montréal’s culture and way of life

Montréal is a lively cosmopolitan city perfect for those wishing to live a range of experiences, ranking among the top for student view and attractiveness.

Montréal, dubbed “Canada’s Cultural Capital” by Monocle, hosts significant cultural events, including jazz, film, and comedy festivals. Furthermore, because of its varied population, Montrealer’s may experience cuisines from worldwide daily, ranging from traditional Canadian poutine to excellent seafood and ethnic flavors.

Jobs in Montréal

Montréal, ranked 33rd in terms of employer activity, remains the epicenter of various industries in Quebec, including technology, finance, retail, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, transportation, and commerce.

Depending on your educational background, you will be able to apply to dozens of local and multinational businesses headquartered in the area. Keep in mind that understanding both English and French is advantageous!

Hence, we present to you the top university rankings and some of the best universities in Montreal for Master’s as well.

The Top 7 Universities in Montreal

We talk about the seven best universities of Canada situated in Montréal below, all of which are officially accredited by Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur, Québec (Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Quebec).

1. McGill University

Photo by James Schwartz/Flickr

Established in 1829, this university was named after the Glaswegian merchant James McGill. It was founded as the first faculty in medicine in Canada. With a world rank of 35 and among the university rankings, it stands 3rd in the nation, McGill University had received the Royal Charter in the same year of its establishment. It consists of 300 buildings, comprising 11 schools that offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and diplomas in over 300 fields of study.

A total of 30,000-35000 students are enrolled in this institution to study its various courses. The fields of study comprise biomedical engineering, business analytics, chemistry, chemical engineering, architecture, and anthropology. Over 40000 students are part of this institution, out of which about 24% are foreign students.

The main campus is situated downtown, close to Mount Royal. Students are selected for admission based on their university entrance exam performance and by tallying the student’s past academic records. For undergraduate programs, local students are entitled to pay a yearly tuition fee of 2,500-5,000 US$ (1,800-3,700 Euro), while foreign students pay an approximate remuneration of 17,500-20,000 US$, which accounts for up to 12,900-14,700 Euro.

For post-graduate programs, foreign students pay an amount of 15,000-17,500 US$ that accounts up to 11,000-12,900 Euro.
Accommodation is offered to about 3000 UG students on the main campus. It offers various options that facilitate necessities like restaurants, medical stores, and easily accessible public transport.

Universitas 21 is a group of leading research-intensive institutions around the globe that focuses on increasing international scope and global reach. The university is one of the founding members of the Universitas 21. It is also a member of the Association of American Universities, an organization formed by the top research institutes of North America.

The McGill University has witnessed several noteworthy discoveries in history like the divisibility of atoms, the first map of the brain’s motor cortex, and the invention of the Plexiglas. It’s surely one of the top 7 universities in Montreal today.

For more information, visit the university website: https://www.mcgill.ca/.

2. Université de Montréal

Photo by abdallahh/Flickr

Université de Montréal (Montréal University) is a government-sponsored university situated in the north of Mount Royal near Outremont that comprises thirteen faculties in more than sixty departments. It also has two affiliated schools: the Polytechnique Montréal (School of Engineering; formerly the École Polytechnique de Montréal) and Hec Montréal (School of Business).

In addition to this, the university comprises 465 research units and departments. Including 71 doctoral programs, it offers more than 650 undergraduate programs and graduate programs to over 34,335 undergraduate and more than 11,925 post-graduate students. In fact, the undergraduate students make up most of the student body, estimated to be about 74%. On the other hand, graduate program students account for only about 24% of the total student body.

The university was first established in 1878 as a secondary campus of Université Laval (Quebec City). It was then issued a papal charter and a provincial charter in 1919 and 1920, respectively, that made it an independent institution. Finally, in 1967, another provincial charter declared it a secular institution.

The QS World Ranking 2020 declared Université de Montréal to rank 5 all over Canada and 137th in the world. It was, however, ranked 85th in the world by the Times Higher Education World University-Ranking. Over 45000 students are enrolled in this university, and it’s an averagely selective university since the admission rate range here is 40-50%.

For undergraduate programs, local students are entitled to pay yearly tuition fees of 1,000-2,500 US$ (750-1,800 Euro), while foreign students pay an approximate remuneration of 10,000-12,500 US$, which accounts for up to 7,400-9,200 Euro. The amount is the same for post-graduate education too. In terms of graduate employment, QS ranked the university 151-160 in the world and ninth in the nation in 2019. In 2018, THE ranked it 37th globally and fifth across the nation over the same category.

For more information, visit the university website: https://www.uMontréal.ca/en/

3. Concordia University

Photo by Drew Geraets/Flickr

It was founded in 1974, is considered one of the best universities in Quebec and Canada. Ranking 15th in the country and the 289th position across the world, it has over 45000 enrolled students. The university has two campuses: the main campus, i.e., the Sir George William campus and the Loyola campus.

It provides over 300 undergraduate and 100 graduate courses on arts and humanities, literature, engineering, and business studies and comprises four departments and a graduate school. The business school of Concordia University, John Molson School Of Business, is ranked under the top 10 business schools in Canada and within the top 100 globally.

The university focuses on gaining excellence through knowledge. Any student enrolled in a particular department can also opt for any other department as part of their curriculum to increase their knowledge base.

For undergraduate programs, local students are entitled to pay an yearly tuition fees of 2,500-5,000 US$ (1,800-3,700 Euro), the same as post-graduate programs, while foreign students pay an approximate remuneration of 12,500-15,000 US$ which accounts up to 9,200-11,000 Euro. For postgraduate programs, the amount is 2,500-5,000 US$(1,800-3,700 Euro) for local students while foreign students pay an amount of 15,000-17,500 US$ which is about 11,000-12,900 Euro.

For more information, visit the university website: https://www.concordia.ca/

4. Université du Québec à Montréal

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The Université du Québec à Montréal (University of Quebec in Montréal), situated in downtown Montréal, was established in 1969 on government interest. Acquiring the 24th rank across the country and a world rank of 519, it has an estimated 40000-45000 students enrolled in its various bachelor, master, and doctoral courses.

It offers specialization in the six arts, education, Communication, Political Science and Law, Sciences, and Social science. Along with it, it also provides study in its school of Management. It is the only other university in the city that communicates through French, apart from the Université de Montréal, and only about 15 of its students are English-speaking.

Télé-université (Teluq) is a distance learning program under the Université du Québec network that offers courses and degrees in computer science, education, communication, environmental science, and management.

The fees are the same for UG and PG programs, thus being 1,000-2,500 US$ (750-1,800 Euro) for local students and 7,500-10,000 US$ (5,500-7,400 Euro) for foreign students.

For more information, visit the university website: https://uqam.ca/

5. École Polytechnique de Montréal

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

École Polytechnique de Montréal, presently known as Polytechnique School of Montréal, (ranking 32nd all over Canada) was founded in 1873 as an affiliated school to Université de Montréal as a medium to teach technical drawing. It is located on the northern slope of Mount Royal; the main building stands the tallest of all the other buildings in the main campus of Université de Montréal.

In the measure of engineering research, Polytechnique ranks the first in Canada and is one of the three largest engineering institutions, being the largest in the province of Quebec. It offers 12 UG programs over seven fields of study.

About 4000 to 5000 students are enrolled in the university who are offered a range of fields like aeronautics, computer engineering, telecommunication, biotechnology, nanotechnology, environmental science, and several other exclusive areas of study like artificial intelligence (AI).

For 2008-2009, it spent 40% of its budget (60.2 million CAD) on research funding, which demonstrates the university’s dynamic research. Most of the major engineering works in Quebec made in the 20th century, as the construction of hydroelectric dams, can be credited to the graduates of this university. It has always been a major contributor to the region’s development based on scientific and economic grounds.

For undergraduate programs, local students are entitled to pay a yearly tuition fee of 1,000-2,500 US$ (750-1,800 Euro), while foreign students pay an approximate remuneration of 12,500-15,000 US$, which accounts for up to 9,200-11,000 Euro.

The SLOWPOKE-2, a SLOWPOKE reactor, was installed at the university in 1977. While operating for 36 years, the reactor is used for both research and engineering purposes like neutron and isotope generation. The license of this non-power reactor is valid from 1st July 2013 to 30th June 2023.

For more information, visit the university website.

6. HEC Montréal

HEC Montréal was established in 1907 as an affiliated school to Université de Montréal and now has 10000-15000 students enrolled for its various UG and PG programs on business and management and about 841 faculties a country-wide ranking of 39. The present Decelles campus was the first main building of the school commenced in 1970. This is where the Master of Science in Administration and all the Ph.D. programs are now taught.

The Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) program is practiced in French, Bilingual (French and English), and Trilingual (French, Spanish and English). About 4300 students from about 140 countries all over the world come to study in this university. This facilitates the influx of more foreign students in this program.

The local students pay an annual fees of 2,500-5,000 US$ (1,800-3,700 Euro)for undergraduate programs and a 1,000-2,500 US$ (750-1,800 Euro) for postgraduate courses. Foreign students pay an amount of 17,500-20,000 US$ (12,900-14,700 Euro) for both UG and PG programs.

Short graduate courses in human resources, supply chain management, user experience, business analytics, business intelligence data applications, business internationalization are also offered in French. These courses focus on practical use. The school offers over 25 scholarships in all its fields of specialization in management. It also has a digital learning platform EDUlib that provides free online courses for its students.

For more information, visit the university website: https://www.hec.ca/en/

7. École de Technologie Supérieure

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

École de Technologie Supérieure (School of Higher-Technology) under the University of Quebec, ranking 43rd across the nation, was established in 1974 and now has a total student enrollment of 4000-5000. Accordingly, the university ranking stands first in Quebec and second in Canada on the measure of the total number of engineering diplomas awarded per year. It is accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB).

The university witnesses influx of students from all over the world, especially France, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Iran. It offers bachelor, master, doctorate, and diploma courses in engineering fields and applied sciences. The various engineering branches offered are Construction Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer, and Software Engineering. It facilitates several research options in energy and environment, health, manufacturing, telecommunication, aeronautics, etc.

The tuition-fees are the same for UG and PG programs, as in, 2,500-5,000 US$ (1,800-3,700 Euro) for local students and 10,000-12,500 US$ (7,400-9,200 Euro) for foreign students.

For more information, visit the university website: https://www.etsmtl.ca/

Apart from the above-listed universities in Montréal, Université Laval (Laval University) and Université du Québec (University of Québec) in Quebec City, which is within three hours driving distance from Montréal, are also some great choices to opt for.

While the former ranks 18th in the country and occupies a world rank of 304 and student count about 40000-45000, Université du Québec has a nation-wide rank of 38. Students enrolled in the latter are over 45000 and an annual fee of 1,000-2,500 US$ for local students and 2,500-5,000 US$ for foreign students in both UG and PG courses. College fees in Université Laval for international students are much higher, fees for local students remaining constant.

The Best Universities in Montreal for International Students

Indeed, suppose you are an international student or a Canadian student looking to pursue graduate studies at a Canadian institution in Montreal. In that case, this list can help you narrow down your options.

1. School of Higher Technology

2. Polytechnic School of Montreal

3. HEC Montreal

4. Concordia University

5. University of Montreal

6. University of Quebec in Montreal

7. McGill University

Studying in Canada as an International Student

How does one apply for a student visa?

In most cases, you must apply for a study permit before coming to Canada. Some Canadians are eligible to apply for a study permit. In some situations, you can apply at the port of entry when you arrive in Canada. Make sure that you are aware of the options open to you.

Prepare your paperwork.

When you apply, you should provide these:

  • A letter of acceptance from the designated learning institution (DLI) to which you will be enrolled
  • If you are under the age of 18 and traveling from outside Canada to study must study at a DLI with an approved COVID-19 preparation plan.
  • As many papers as the feasible need for a comprehensive application.
  • We won’t be able to finalize your study permit until you’ve completed the application process.
  • Delays in processing will occur if papers are not submitted on time.
  • A letter of explanation for any lost papers as a result of COVID-19.
  • If you intend to study in Quebec, you must present a valid certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) or a letter of acceptance.

Read more from us here.

Suggested Reads:

10 Best Engineering Schools in Canada For Next-Level Education

Choose The Best School With Canadian Law School Rankings

5 Hot Courses In Canada For International Students
Icy Canada

Last Updated on by Priyanshi Sharma

Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *