study in Montreal
Canada's cultural capital — bilingual, festival-driven and cheaper than Toronto, inside an immigration system that runs on its own rules, its own certificate and its own money.
Montreal is the best-value large city in Canada on rent alone, and the most distinctive culturally. It is genuinely bilingual, dense with festivals, and has a student population large enough to shape the city's character. The universities are strong and the winters are the harshest of any city on this page.
The essential thing to understand is administrative. Quebec runs its own immigration selection, and studying here means a two-stage process: a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) from the province first, then the federal study permit. Two applications, two fees, two waiting periods.
Quebec also sets its own financial requirement, and it is well above the federal figure — a change that caught many applicants out when it rose sharply for 2026.
Four universities, two English-medium and two French-medium. English-medium study is entirely possible here; French becomes important for work and for permanent residence.
McGill University
English-medium and internationally known; medicine, law, engineering and management.Concordia University
English-medium and applied; engineering, computer science, business, film and fine arts.Université de Montréal
French-medium; one of Canada's largest research universities, with strong medicine and AI research.Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
French-medium; social sciences, education, management and the arts.Montreal's rents are the lowest of the big three Canadian cities by a wide margin. That saving is real — but Quebec requires you to prove substantially more money up front than the rest of Canada, so the entry cost is higher even though the running cost is lower.
Against the other cities we cover in Canada, Montreal is mid-range. That is our reading of this country’s own spread, not a published index.
Quebec sets its own requirement, well above the federal one: CA$24,617 per year.
The practical texture of the place — what a week actually looks like.
Climate
The harshest winter of any city here — long, deep cold and heavy snow. The underground city connects much of downtown for exactly this reason.
Getting around
A good metro and bus network, and one of the most bike-friendly cities in North America outside winter. Student transit passes are meaningfully discounted.
Housing
Markedly cheaper and more available than Toronto or Vancouver. Leases traditionally turn over on 1 July, which shapes the whole rental year.
Working
Up to 24 hours a week off campus during term. Functional French widens the part-time market considerably; without it you are limited to English-speaking workplaces.
Language
You can study entirely in English. Working, renting and dealing with the provincial government are all easier with French — and permanent residence routes increasingly require it.
Community
A smaller Nepali community than Toronto's, within a very large and diverse international student population.
Before the federal study permit, Montreal students must obtain a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) from the Quebec government — a separate application, fee and processing time.
Quebec's own proof-of-funds requirement for a single applicant is CA$24,617 per year
Two consequences follow, and neither is optional. First, your timeline is longer: the CAQ must be approved before the study permit is filed, so start months earlier than a Toronto applicant would. Second, if you intend to stay, Quebec's permanent-residence routes increasingly require demonstrated French at an advanced level — a multi-year commitment that should be part of the decision now, not a discovery in your final semester.
Montreal is one of 5 cities we cover in Canada. Tap any pin to compare — the city you pick moves your total cost more than almost any other choice you make.