Whether you speak French, English, or both, Montreal remains one of Canada’s strongest cities for higher education. The city, often regarded as Canada’s cultural capital, ranked 18th globally and first in Canada in the QS Best Student Cities Rankings 2026. Each year, about 320,000 students, including 40,000 international students from more than 150 countries, study in Montreal.
If these facts make you consider Montreal a potential destination for higher education, you will find this article helpful. Here, we have listed affordable universities and colleges in Montreal.
Affordable Schools in Montreal for International Students
1. Dawson College
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: around CA$7,354 to CA$9,519 per full-time term for international CEGEP students, depending on the program category
Dawson College is a public English-language CEGEP in downtown Montreal. Its campus is connected to Atwater Metro and sits on 12 acres of green space. Dawson has about 8,000 day students and offers 28 programs, including two-year pre-university programs and three-year technical programs.
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 scholarships, bursaries, and awards organized into 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. It operates through the Sir George Williams and Loyola campuses. For 2024–2025, Concordia reported 48,657 total students, including 43,922 students in credit courses. International credit-course students accounted for 8,781 students, or 20% of credit enrollment. The university offers more than 200 undergraduate and graduate programs.
Its building engineering, kinesiology, clinical exercise physiology, and journalism programs are among its standouts. Concordia also offers a wide range of scholarships and awards. Some awards are assessed automatically, including many undergraduate entrance and in-course scholarships, while others require a separate application.
3. HEC Montreal
- Admissions | Tuition Fees | Scholarships
- Tuition Fees: around CA$17,072/term for a 15-credit international BBA term | from around CA$25,733 for the full-time MSc thesis stream, with other graduate programs varying by program and stream
Established in 1907, HEC Montreal was the first business school in Canada. Its campus is situated in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. The institution reported 14,484 students in 2025, including 3,815 international students. HEC Montreal also reported more than 160 study programs and cited Eduniversal 2025 as ranking it second among business schools in Canada.
Although HEC Montreal is a French-language institution, its Bachelor of Business Administration program offers French and bilingual French-English paths, with a trilingual option also available. Some graduate programs are offered in English or bilingual formats, so students should check the language of instruction for their chosen program. The school and the HEC Montreal Foundation offer scholarships and financial support; HEC Montreal reported CA$6.22 million in student assistance in 2025.
4. Vanier College
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: around CA$7,354 to CA$9,519 per full-time term for international CEGEP students, depending on the program category
Vanier College is an English-language public CEGEP located in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough. Like Dawson, it offers pre-university and technical pathways for students who want to continue to university or enter the workforce after college-level training.
This affordable college in Montreal offers programs in study areas such as nursing, environmental and wildlife management, architectural technology, liberal arts, music, and commerce. Students can also apply for selected scholarships and awards, including Vanier-listed awards such as the Gustav Levinschi Foundation Scholarships and the Academic Performance and Community Involvement Award.
5. Université du Québec à Montréal
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: around CA$29,415/year for international bachelor’s students | around CA$21,181 to CA$25,036 in the first year for many international master’s programs | around CA$4,526 in the first doctoral year
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 created in 1969, and its origins include institutions such as École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal and Collège Sainte-Marie. In Fall 2025, UQAM reported 34,845 students, including 4,994 foreign students from 94 countries.
UQAM offers 378 study programs, including 212 undergraduate programs, 133 graduate programs, and 33 doctoral programs. Prospective degree students should expect French to be the normal language of instruction, although the university’s School of Languages offers language courses. The university offers a variety of scholarships and bursaries to its students in collaboration with the UQAM Foundation and outside organizations.
6. McGill University
- Admissions | Bachelor’s Tuition | Master’s and Ph.D. Tuition | Scholarships
- Tuition Fees: varies by program for international undergraduate students | around CA$10,674/term for master’s thesis residency and CA$9,581/term for PhD residency for international graduate students, with non-thesis and professional programs varying by credit and program
McGill University is one of Canada’s leading universities and ranked 30th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027. Founded in 1821, it reported 40,531 students in Fall 2025. International students made up 27% of its student body.
The university offers a broad range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs through its faculties and schools. McGill also provides scholarships and need-based financial aid. In its most recent undergraduate admissions cycle reported on its scholarship page, McGill’s Scholarships Office offered more than CA$6.2 million in entrance scholarships to over 2,000 students, and its Student Aid Office offered CA$6.3 million in entrance bursaries to 550 students.
7. TAV College
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: CA$7,500/semester for full-time international AEC students | from CA$275/semester for Quebec-resident DEC students and CA$670/semester for Quebec-resident AEC students
The final school in our list of affordable colleges and universities in Montreal is TAV College, a private subsidized college located in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. It offers instruction in English and French and has a multicultural campus community.
At TAV, students can choose from more than 17 AEC and DEC programs, which cover study areas such as digital marketing, administration and computing, social sciences, and pre-university studies. The college assists eligible students through financial aid options, including Quebec loans and bursaries and internal full or partial tuition credit.
International students proficient in English and French can have more options when studying at an affordable school in Montreal. These institutions offer quality education, multilingual environments, and a wide range of program choices. Consider the universities and colleges listed above if you want to pursue an affordable program in this city.
We hope this article on affordable universities and colleges in Montreal was helpful and insightful. Make sure also to check out the Canada Page and Available Courses for International Students!
