Whether you speak French, English, or both, Montreal is the right place to pursue higher education. The city, often regarded as Canada’s cultural capital, ranked sixth globally in the QS Best Student Cities Rankings 2019, ahead of any other city in North America. Around 250,000 out of the 3.8 million residents of the Greater Montreal metropolitan area are students at universities or post-secondary colleges.
If these facts make you consider Montreal a potential destination for your higher education, you will find this helpful article. Here, we have listed seven cheap universities and colleges in Montreal.
Affordable Schools in Montreal for International Students
1. Dawson College
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: around CA$7,210 to $11,174/semester
Dawson College is a 50-year-old public college located on around 12 acres of land in the Montreal suburb of Westmont. When founded in 1969, it had only 111 teachers, tutoring 1,655 students. Presently, it has 8,000 students and 1,176 teachers teaching. The English-language college offers as many as 30 programs, including a three-year career/technical program or a two-year pre-university program.
Dawson’s programs cover a wide range of study areas, including environmental science, psychology, interior design, computer science technology, and radiation oncology. The college’s Awards Office provides students with a variety of scholarships, bursaries, and awards organized into two categories: Winter Semester Awards and Fall Semester Awards.
2. Concordia University
Concordia University was formed in 1974 when Loyola College and Sir George Williams University merged. This cheap university in Montreal operates through the campuses of both institutions. Its total enrolment currently stands at 49,714. Of these, 10,623 are international students representing 150 countries. It offers over a couple of hundred undergraduate and graduate programs.
Its building engineering, kinesiology, clinical exercise physiology, and journalism programs are among its standouts. Moreover, it offers its students a wide range of scholarships and awards, most of which don’t require any application. For example, the Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards Committee awards students automatically in the fall semester. However, some scholarships and awards require an application to be considered.
3. HEC Montreal
Established in 1907, HEC Montreal was the first business school in the Great White North. It is a graduate school of the Université de Montréal. Its campus is situated in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. The institution has a student population north of almost 14,000. Of them, around 3,726 are international students hailing from 155 countries. It is said to be among Canada’s five best business schools.
Although HEC Montreal is a French-language institution, its Bachelor of Business Administration program provides students with bilingual study options. However, several graduate programs are offered entirely in English. The school, jointly with the HEC Montreal Foundation, offers hundreds of scholarships yearly, ranging from $1,000 to $17,500.
4. Vanier College
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: around CA$6,119 – $9,486/semester
In 1970, just one year after Dawson had begun its journey as Quebec’s first English-language public college, Vanier College was founded as the second English-language public school in the province. It was situated in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough until a merger in 2002.
This cheap university in Montreal offers 28 career/technical and pre-university programs in study areas like nursing, environmental and wildlife management, architectural technology, liberal arts, music, and commerce. It has over 6,700 full-time diploma students and around 2,000 part-time students attending credit and non-credit courses and programs. Students can apply for several external scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $100,000.
5. Université du Québec à Montréal
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: around CA$26,245/year (Undergraduate) | around CA$4,315/year (Graduate)
Located in downtown Montreal, the Université du Québec à Montréal is a public university that predominantly uses French as the language of instruction. It was founded in 1969 by merging several institutions, including École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal and Collège Sainte-Marie. It has a student population of 33,903, including around 4,567 international students from 91 different countries.
UQAM facilitates over 350 undergraduate and graduate programs. Some of the courses in these programs have English as the language of instruction. However, there isn’t a single program that is entirely taught in English. The university offers a variety of scholarships and bursaries to its students in collaboration with the UQAM Foundation and many other outside organizations.
6. McGill University
McGill University ranks among the top 3 universities in Canada and the top 50 universities in the world in almost any recognized global university rankings. Founded in 1821, it is currently home to over 40,000 students. Of them, around 35 percent are international students hailing from over 150 countries. As many as eight Nobel laureates have studied at the higher institution.
The university offers more than 250 undergraduate programs and over 400 graduate programs through its 11 academic faculties and 14 schools. It spends millions every year, precisely $32.6 million in 2018, to award its exemplary students with scholarships and to support students in need with financial aid.
7. TAV College
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: around CA$2,195/semester (Undergraduate) | CA$3,009/5-credit course (Graduate)
The final university in our list of cheap universities in Montreal is TAV College, a government-accredited private college that was established in 1995. Located in Montreal’s Cote des Neiges Snowdon district, it offers instruction in both English and French. Although the college has fewer than 1,000 students, over 50 nationalities are represented on its campus.
At TAV, students can enroll in any of its 15 career/technical and pre-university programs, which cover study areas like digital marketing, international trade, and social science. The college assists students who are unable to pay their tuition by awarding scholarships and bursaries.
FAQs: Studying in Montreal for International Students
Which University is the Cheapest in Montreal?
The university in Montreal that offers the cheapest tuition for international students is Vanier College, which has set international tuition fees starting at CAD 6,119 per semester. Please realize that this amount is the minimum tuition fee charged for international students, and sometimes, the tuition fees for Vanier College can increase, depending on the program.
For domestic students, the institution that offers the cheapest tuition is TAV College, with tuition fees of CA$ 875 per semester. Whether you are a Canadian citizen or an international applicant, please remember that tuition fees are only a tiny portion of your total attendance cost since you must also pay for your accommodation, food, and health insurance.
International students proficient in English and French can have more advantages studying at an affordable university in Montreal. These institutions offer the same quality of education as the other Canadian schools, so you won’t miss out on the multilingual courses and lower tuition fees they provide. Consider the universities listed above to pursue a cheap program in this city!
We hope this article on cheap universities in Montreal was helpful and insightful. Make sure also to check out the Canada Page and Open Courses to learn more about studying in Canada as an international student!
