Address: 845 Sherbrooke Street West, H3A 0G4 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Medicine, Law, Engineering
Established in 1821, McGill is one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious English-language universities, known for its research intensity, international student body, and strong programs in medicine, law, and arts.
McGill is an English-language university in the largest French-speaking city of North America, and that contrast shapes much of its identity. It has about 39,500 students and 7,100 staff, and around 30 percent of the students come from outside Canada. The downtown campus sits at the foot of Mount Royal on Sherbrooke Street, with stone buildings from the nineteenth century next to modern laboratories, and the Macdonald Campus for agriculture lies on the western tip of the island.
The university received its royal charter in 1821 on the basis of a bequest by the merchant James McGill. Its record in science is strong. Ernest Rutherford carried out the work on radioactivity that won him the 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry while a professor in Montreal, Wilder Penfield founded the Montreal Neurological Institute in 1934, and Brenda Milner, who studied memory with the patient known as H.M., spent her career there.
Medicine, law and engineering are the best-known faculties, and the Faculty of Engineering offers civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, mining and software degrees. Research strengths include neuroscience, sustainable engineering and artificial intelligence, and Mila, the Quebec AI institute, has a McGill branch. McGill is a member of the U15 group of Canadian research universities and of the Global U7 Alliance.
Teaching is in English, although students are free to submit work in French, and a basic knowledge of French is useful in the city. Quebec residents pay the lowest tuition in Canada, students from other provinces pay more, and international students pay the highest rates. Admission depends on grades, and the competition for engineering and medicine is strong.
Montreal has a large student population, relatively low rents for a major city and a busy music and arts scene. About 305,000 people have graduated from McGill, among them the poet and singer Leonard Cohen and the actor William Shatner.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Life Sciences, Physics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities and the Global U7+ Alliance. Partnerships with numerous international universities and research organizations. Strong industry collaborations, particularly in life sciences and AI.
Research:
A leading research-intensive university with strengths in neuroscience, law, sustainable engineering, artificial intelligence (Mila affiliation), and environmental science. Over $700 million in annual research funding.
Famous Alumnis:
Leonard Cohen, William Shatner, Justin Trudeau, Ernest Rutherford, Wilder Penfield, Brenda Milner, John Humphrey
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
7100
Current students***:
39500
Foreign students***:
30%
Cumulative former students***:
305000
Pros
High academic standards, strong international reputation, vibrant multicultural city (Montreal), extensive research opportunities, Rhodes Scholar production.
Cons
Highly competitive admissions, demanding workload, some older facilities alongside modern ones, primarily English instruction in a French-speaking province.
Best For
Students seeking a highly reputable, research-intensive education with a global perspective in a bilingual and culturally rich city, particularly in medicine, law, arts, and sciences.
University of Toronto overlaps with this university on physics, life sciences and data analytics, so the two are easy to compare, and it is also a public institution and also offers certificate and diploma programmes.
University of British Columbia sits close to this institution on ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics; it also offers certificate and diploma programmes and covers marine science as well.
Université de Montréal sits close to this university on physics, life sciences and data analytics; it covers bioinformatics and chemistry as well, and is larger, enrolling about 67,500 students against roughly 39,500 here.
For students who like the ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics focus of this institution but want another option nearby, University of Calgary fits well: it has almost the same size, at about 35,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Queen's University is the closest domestic counterpart for physics, life sciences and data analytics; it is also a public institution and does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Looking internationally, University College London in the United Kingdom is where physics, life sciences and data analytics get a comparable treatment; it covers robotics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 48,000 students against roughly 39,500 here.
University of California, Berkeley, based in the United States, is built around physics, life sciences and data analytics much like this institution, and it is also a public institution and does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here.
Columbia University in the United States shares the physics, life sciences and data analytics orientation of this institution, and it is slightly smaller, at about 34,200 students against roughly 39,500 here, and is private, whereas this institution is public.
In the United Kingdom, The University of Edinburgh teaches much the same core subjects, physics, life sciences and data analytics, and it is slightly larger, at about 46,000 students against roughly 39,500 here, and is also a public institution.
University of Melbourne in Australia pursues a similar profile in physics, life sciences and data analytics, and it covers agriculture and microbiology and genetics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 58,100 students against roughly 39,500 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 McGill University?
The main campus is at 845 Sherbrooke Street West in Montreal, at the foot of Mount Royal.
How large is McGill?
About 39,500 students and 7,100 staff, with roughly 30 percent of students from abroad.
What language is used for teaching?
English. Students may submit written work in French, and basic French helps in daily life in Montreal.
When was McGill founded?
It received its royal charter in 1821, based on a bequest from the merchant James McGill.
What is McGill known for?
Medicine, law, engineering, neuroscience and sustainable engineering, with a strong international student body.
How much does tuition cost?
Quebec residents pay the lowest rates in Canada, students from other provinces pay more, and international students pay the highest fees. Check the current schedule.
Which famous scientists worked at McGill?
Ernest Rutherford did his Nobel-winning work on radioactivity there, and Wilder Penfield and Brenda Milner built the Montreal Neurological Institute's reputation.
Which research networks does McGill belong to?
The U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities and the Global U7 Alliance.
Is Montreal affordable for students?
Rents are lower than in Toronto or Vancouver, and the city has a large student population and a busy cultural scene.
Who are famous alumni?
Leonard Cohen, William Shatner and Justin Trudeau are among the people who studied at McGill.
*: 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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