Founded in 1878, Université de Montréal is one of Canada’s largest universities and a leading French-language research institution. It has two affiliated schools: Polytechnique Montréal (engineering) and HEC Montréal (business).
The Université de Montréal is one of the largest French-language universities in the world, with about 67,500 students and 10,200 staff. It has two affiliated schools, Polytechnique Montréal for engineering and HEC Montréal for business, which operate with their own governance but share the Montreal research environment. The main building, with its tower on the north slope of Mount Royal, is a landmark in the city.
It began in 1878 as a branch of Laval University in Quebec City and became independent in 1920. Its strongest areas are health sciences, law, the social sciences and, increasingly, artificial intelligence. Mila, the Quebec AI institute created by Yoshua Bengio, who shared the 2018 Turing Award with Geoffrey Hinton and Yann LeCun, is based at the university and has helped make Montreal one of the main centres for deep learning.
Research also covers pharmacology, immunology, neuroscience and astrophysics, with close links to the hospital centres CHU Sainte-Justine and the CHUM. The astrophysicist Hubert Reeves and the jurist Louise Arbour are among the alumni, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau studied law here before entering politics. A large new science campus in the Outremont district has reorganised sciences and mathematics.
Teaching is in French, and a good command of French is required for most programmes, although a number of graduate courses are taught in English. Quebec residents pay the lowest tuition in Canada, while international students pay higher fees. Some French nationals benefit from reduced rates under an agreement between France and Quebec, so applicants should ask about their status.
Montreal offers a large student life, relatively low rents and a cultural scene that works in two languages. Many students live in the Plateau or Côte-des-Neiges, close to the campus by metro. About 355,000 people have graduated from UdeM.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Life Sciences, Physics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Certificate, Diploma, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. Strong partnerships with CHU Sainte-Justine and CHUM (hospital networks). Hub for AI research (Mila – Quebec AI Institute, co-founded by UdeM).
Research:
A major research university with strengths in artificial intelligence (Mila), health sciences (pharmacology, immunology, public health), data science, law, and social sciences. Extensive research funding.
Famous Alumnis:
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Louise Arbour, Denys Arcand, Yoshua Bengio, Roger Guillemin, Hubert Reeves
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
10200
Current students***:
67500
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
355000
Pros
Leading French-language research university, global hub for AI research, strong in health sciences, vibrant campus life in Montreal.
Cons
Primarily French-language instruction may be a barrier for non-French speakers, large university, navigating bureaucracy can be challenging.
Best For
French-speaking students seeking a comprehensive research university, particularly strong in AI, health sciences, and social sciences, in a dynamic and multicultural city.
On content, University of Toronto and this university are close, as both teach chemistry, physics and life sciences; it covers engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 97,500 students against roughly 67,500 here.
McGill University shares the core fields of this institution, namely physics, life sciences and data analytics; it is also a public institution, and also offers graduate certificate, graduate diploma and mba programmes.
The comparison with University of British Columbia is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on life sciences, data analytics and AI and machine learning, and it has almost the same size, at about 70,500 students, and is also a public institution.
On content, University of Alberta and this institution are close, as both teach chemistry, life sciences and AI and machine learning; it also offers mba programmes and covers agriculture and ecology and sustainability as well.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of chemistry, life sciences and data analytics can consider University of Ottawa, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of California, Berkeley offers an international parallel to this institution, with chemistry, physics and life sciences as common ground; it covers engineering as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 45,300 students against roughly 67,500 here.
Charles University, in the Czech Republic, takes a similar route through chemistry, physics and life sciences; it does not run the certificate and diploma programmes found here and covers microbiology and genetics and mathematics as well.
Abroad, Kazan Federal University (Russia) covers chemistry, physics and life sciences in a comparable way, and it is also a public institution and does not run the certificate and diploma programmes found here.
University of Gothenburg in Sweden shares the bioinformatics, chemistry and physics orientation of this university, and it does not run the certificate and diploma programmes found here and covers marine science and computer vision as well.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on chemistry, physics and life sciences is University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and it is also a public institution and does not run the certificate and diploma programmes found here.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Université de Montréal?
The main campus is at 2900 Boulevard Édouard-Montpetit, on the north slope of Mount Royal in Montreal.
How large is it?
About 67,500 students and 10,200 staff.
What language is used for teaching?
French. A good command of French is required for most programmes, and some graduate courses are in English.
Which schools are affiliated with UdeM?
Polytechnique Montréal for engineering and HEC Montréal for business.
What is Mila?
Mila is the Quebec artificial intelligence institute founded by Yoshua Bengio. It is based at UdeM and is a major centre for deep learning research.
What are the strongest fields?
Health sciences, law, artificial intelligence, pharmacology, neuroscience and astrophysics.
How much does tuition cost?
Quebec residents pay the lowest tuition in Canada, and international students pay higher fees. Some French nationals have reduced rates under a France and Quebec agreement.
When was UdeM founded?
In 1878, as a branch of Laval University, and it became independent in 1920.
Who are famous alumni?
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Louise Arbour, Hubert Reeves and Yoshua Bengio are linked to the university.
Is Montreal a good student city?
It is a large and lively city with relatively low rents for a major city, good public transport and a bilingual cultural scene.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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