How to Study at the Université de Montréal as an International Student: The Complete 2026 Guide

Here is the most useful thing to know about the University of Montreal — officially the Université de Montréal (UdeM): it teaches in French, and it rewards international students who embrace that. UdeM automatically considers every admitted international student for an exemption scholarship that can cut undergraduate tuition by $14,436 a year, and it waives the extra international fees entirely for PhD students. Combine that with Quebec's already moderate tuition and UdeM offers strong value for a research university — for a student who prepares for French.

Founded in 1878 with faculties of theology, law and medicine, UdeM today forms Quebec's largest higher-education hub together with its two affiliated schools, HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal — 71,146 students between them. UdeM describes itself as the largest francophone university in the Americas, second in Canada for research activity, and reports $775.4 million in research income. For Indian students planning to study in Canada, this guide explains the French requirement, the Quebec CAQ and the real 2026-27 numbers.

Université de Montréal at a Glance

The Language Question — Answered Clearly

Every Indian applicant asks the same thing first, so let us answer it directly. UdeM's eligibility conditions for bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes all include "demonstrate adequate knowledge of French". This is not a formality — lectures, assignments and exams are in French. The good news is that UdeM has built a clear route for non-francophone students.

• The level: UdeM describes B2 as the French level required for admission to its programmes. Each programme's page sets out its exact requirement, and since Winter 2026 written expression is assessed at admission, so you will know right away whether you need one or two French courses in first year.
• Accepted proof: the TEF, TCF, DELF, DALF, UdeM's intensive programme (PIFU) or courses at UdeM's École de français. Tests must be taken within 24 months of the start of your session.
• Conditional offers: UdeM can make a conditional offer while you are still working toward your French result, and it always considers your best test result.
• Intensive University French Program: a four-month, 400-hour immersion programme for non-francophone students. Completing it successfully brings you to the B2 level UdeM requires, and it counts as proof of French in place of a separate test.
• Studying in English at graduate level: UdeM lists a small set of graduate programmes open to English-speaking students — most of them doctoral — where research departments are willing to create a bilingual environment. No bachelor's degrees are on that list.

What Can You Study at UdeM?

UdeM offers 600 programmes across 13 faculties and schools, and 27% of its students are in graduate studies — one of the highest shares in Canada. It is strongest where research intensity matters.

• Health and life sciences: medicine, pharmacy, nursing, optometry and a deep bench of biomedical research, supported by 19 affiliated health institutions.
• Computer science: UdeM teaches computer science from bachelor's to PhD, and its PhD in Computer Science appears among the graduate programmes UdeM presents to English-speaking applicants — confirm the language arrangements with the department.
• Law, social sciences and humanities: UdeM's Faculty of Law also offers an LLM in Comparative Common Law and a Master in Business Law in a Global Context among its graduate programmes listed in English.
• Engineering and business are taught at UdeM's affiliated schools, Polytechnique Montréal and HEC Montréal, which have their own admissions and fees — check them separately if those are your fields.

Admissions for Indian Students

• Bachelor's: UdeM sets general undergraduate eligibility by country or diploma. Check the country requirements on UdeM's admission site and confirm with admissions how your Class 12 results will be read for your chosen programme.
• Master's: an undergraduate degree deemed equivalent, with a GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.3 or the equivalent. For a research master's you must also find a professor willing to supervise you. UdeM's online Grade Converter translates international marks into Quebec's scale.
• PhD: a master's with a GPA of at least 3.3 out of 4.3 or equivalent, plus a supervisor.
• Graduate deadlines: for a fall start, the official application window runs from 1 August of the previous year to 1 February; programme pages take precedence and some extend later.
• International cut-off dates: even where a programme stays open, international students must apply by 1 April for fall, 1 August for winter and 1 December for summer, because immigration steps can take three to six months. Aim well before those dates.

The Real Cost of UdeM

International students in Quebec pay basic tuition plus supplementary fees set under the Quebec government's policy. UdeM's registrar publishes the rates:

• Other fees (student services, association and other mandatory charges) are added on top of tuition.
• Master's years run three terms, so a full-time research master's student pays tuition for three sessions a year.
• Quebec's living-cost benchmark: to get a CAQ, a single student aged 18 or over must show $24,617 a year for basic needs (effective 1 January 2026), plus tuition and the cost of a return trip from home. Budget on at least that.

The UdeM Exemption Scholarship

No form, no separate deadline

UdeM evaluates every eligible international applicant automatically once they receive an offer of admission. Shortly after you accept, you receive an email saying whether you qualify and for how much. Keep that email — you will need it later.

Bachelor's — level A or B, based on your marks

The only criterion is the excellence of your academic record, judged on the transcripts in your application. For 2026-27, level A is $481.20 per credit ($14,436 a year full-time) and level B is $229.32 per credit ($6,879.60 a year). A record that does not reach level A or B receives no exemption, so strong Class 12 results pay off directly here.

Master's — research or non-research

Research master's: $353.69 per credit, or $15,916.05 a year over three sessions. Non-research master's: $251.88 per credit, or $11,334.60 a year.

PhD — the full supplementary fee waived

Doctoral students receive a complete waiver of the additional international tuition, paying the same rate as Quebec graduate students. For a research-minded Indian student, this makes a UdeM PhD unusually affordable.

Keeping it

You must stay continuously enrolled full-time (unless an absence is approved), and short programmes such as certificates, minors, majors and the preparatory year are excluded. It cannot be combined with another tuition exemption.

Quebec's CAQ and the Canadian Study Permit

Studying in Quebec means two approvals: Quebec's CAQ first, then the federal study permit. Knowing the order and the timing is what keeps an autumn start on track.

• Quebec's own caps: Quebec sets a maximum number of CAQ applications per educational institution for the period 17 December 2025 to 16 December 2027, in two one-year periods. For the university network, Quebec says numbers are maintained at a level similar to 2024. CAQ renewals are exempt. This makes applying early in each cycle the smart move.
• Federal cap: Quebec's allocation under the 2026 federal international student cap is 93,069 study permit applications for students who need an attestation.
• Master's and PhD students at public institutions no longer need a federal PAL from 1 January 2026, but they still need a CAQ to study in Quebec.
• Work while you study: up to 24 hours a week off campus in term, unlimited in scheduled breaks. Since 1 April 2026, post-secondary students no longer need a separate co-op work permit for a work placement that is a required part of their programme, as long as it makes up 50% or less of the programme and the school confirms the requirement in a letter.

Applying from Bangalore and Karnataka

• Karnataka II PUC and other boards: we could not confirm an India-specific admissions page on UdeM's site, so ask UdeM admissions how your Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) II PUC results — or CBSE or ISC results — map to your programme before you apply.
• Degrees from Karnataka universities: UdeM assesses graduate applicants through equivalency and its Grade Converter rather than a published list of Indian institutions. Run your marks through the converter, then confirm with the department.
• French in Bangalore: the Alliance Française de Bangalore is the city's official French centre — a natural place to start classes. Check which of UdeM's accepted tests (TEF, TCF, DELF, DALF) you can sit locally, and build your B2 timeline back from UdeM's 1 February graduate deadline or your undergraduate programme's date.
• Biometrics: IRCC lists a Bengaluru visa application centre (run by VFS Global) among its Indian collection points. Appointments are free to book, so book your slot as soon as IRCC asks for biometrics.
• Travel: from Kempegowda International Airport, expect at least one connection to reach Montreal.
• In person: Falcon Nova's office is on the 7th floor of Kirloskar Business Park in Hebbal, North Bangalore — book free counselling there or online.

Staying On After Graduation

• PGWP eligibility: federal rules apply in Quebec too. Bachelor's, master's and doctoral graduates have no field-of-study restriction, and programmes must be at least eight months long — or 900 hours for Quebec programmes.
• Three years for master's graduates whose programme met that minimum, even if it was shorter than two years.
• Language: NCLC 7 in French or CLB 7 in English, in all four skills. A UdeM graduate who studied in French is well placed for the French option.
• Quebec paperwork: graduates of certain Quebec schools must include an official letter confirming programme length and code with their PGWP application — ask UdeM's international office for it before you leave.

Is the Université de Montréal Right for You?

UdeM is a superb fit for an Indian student who is ready to study in French or is set on a research career. A strong academic record earns an automatic exemption scholarship; a doctoral student pays the Quebec rate; and Montreal offers a large, bilingual job market once you graduate. For the right student, this is one of Canada's most rewarding choices.

The keys are timing and language. Start French early enough to reach B2, apply well before 1 April for a fall start so the CAQ and study permit have room, and choose between UdeM, HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal based on your field. Get those three right and the rest of the application follows naturally.