Université de Montréal
Quebec's flagship French university - world-class in medicine, law, and sciences at a fraction of Ontario costs.
Université de Montréal is Quebec's largest French-language university and one of the world's leading Francophone research institutions. It ranks among the world's top 200 universities (#162 in QS 2027). UdeM has a full-scale academic health centre (CHUM), a renowned law faculty, and close ties to Mila, the Quebec AI institute and one of the world's most influential AI research centres. Courses are primarily in French.
What average do you need to get into UdeM?
There is no single UdeM acceptance rate - admission is program-by-program. Top competitive programs like Medicine (MD) require high 90s (CEGEP or undergrad based), while programs at the more accessible end admit students with averages around high 90s. A competitive overall average for most UdeM programs is roughly the mid-80s and up. Check the per-program admission averages below to find your target.
Key Facts
- Location: Montreal, QC
- Founded: 1878
- Students: 69,200
- Maclean's ranking: #11
- QS World ranking: #162
- Approximate domestic tuition: $3100/year
- Co-op available: No
Top Strengths
- Medicine
- Law
- AI & Computer Science
- Pharmacy
- Dentistry
- Music
- Architecture
Admission Averages by Program
Real admission average ranges for UdeM programs, from most accessible to most competitive:
- Medicine (MD) — admission average: high 90s (CEGEP or undergrad based) (One of North America's most respected medical schools. French-language instruction.)
- Law (LLB) — admission average: high 80s-low 90s (CEGEP) (One of Canada's top civil law faculties.)
- Computer Science (DIRO) — admission average: high 80s-low 90s (Connected to Mila - the world's leading AI research lab. Exceptional for ML careers.)
- Pharmacy (PharmD) — admission average: high 90s (Highly competitive, one of a small number of Canadian PharmD programs.)
- Dentistry (DMD) — admission average: high 90s + DAT (One of Canada's 10 dental schools.)
- Architecture — admission average: high 80s + portfolio (One of Canada's most respected architecture programs.)
- Criminology — admission average: high 80s (Strong French-language criminology program.)
- Psychology — admission average: high 80s (Large program with strong clinical and research infrastructure.)
- Music (Faculty of Music) — admission average: Audition-based (Highly regarded Francophone music conservatory.)
- Nursing (Sciences infirmières) — admission average: high 80s (Strong clinical training in Montreal hospital network.)
- Education — admission average: mid-to-high 80s (Quebec teacher certification pathway, French instruction.)
- Political Science — admission average: mid-to-high 80s (Strong for Quebec and Canadian policy careers.)
- Optometry — admission average: high 80s-low 90s (One of Canada's only two optometry schools.)
Things to Know
- Mila (the Quebec AI institute, founded at UdeM) is among the world's top AI research centres - CS/ML students have access to extraordinary resources.
- All instruction is in French - functional French is required. This is a genuine barrier for anglophone students.
- Quebec residents pay some of the lowest tuition in Canada (~$3,100/year before fees). Out-of-province Canadians pay a higher non-resident rate, so check UdeM's current fee schedule.
- UdeM's medical school and affiliated hospitals (CHUM) form one of North America's strongest academic health systems.
Notable Alumni
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau
- Jean Drapeau
- Yoshua Bengio (faculty)