(Hossein Taheri/McGill University)
McGill University attracts bright students from around the world. “At McGill, we see strength in diversity, and we are proud to welcome talented students from more than 150 countries across the globe,” says principal Suzanne Fortier. McGill has cultivated more Rhodes Scholars and Nobel Prize laureates than any other school in Canada. Its faculty and alumni have won 12 Nobel Prizes for pioneering work in areas such as economics, radioactivity and fission. As a research-intensive school, McGill is affiliated with more than 100 research centres and networks. The Max Bell School of Public Policy was launched in 2017 to create a research and teaching hub for real-world public policy and governance issues.
The main campus’s location between Mount Royal Park and downtown Montreal offers students lots of opportunities for off-campus activities (visiting art galleries, festivals and hundreds of restaurants, cafés and bars), and rent is much cheaper than in most cities. The smaller Macdonald Campus enjoys a scenic location on the island of Montreal, about 35 km west of downtown. It’s home to programs in agriculture, environmental sciences and nutrition.
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Standout Programs
• Managing for Sustainability: Commerce students can pursue a major or minor in this program, which combines management studies with environmental science and sustainability. Classes with other faculties emphasize a holistic approach.
• Bio-Physical Science: Students can choose from a slate of interdisciplinary program offerings that bridge the world of living organisms and the physical sciences. The program prepares grads for diverse careers.
• Natural History: This minor, offered through McGill’s Redpath Museum, explores the science and importance of natural history museums and how they are maintained. Studies in zoology, botany, environmental sciences and field courses round out the program.
Cool Courses
• Indigenous Field Studies: Students in law, social work, medicine and anthropology learn about Indigenous cultures and focus on Iroquoian teachings.
• Statistical Foundations of Data Analytics: Explore the ways artificial intelligence can be brought to organizations. Students use AI to complete tasks, such as using data from 150,000 NBA basketball shots to understand better basketball strategies for coaches.
Tuition
$4,597 ($9,993 out-of-province students) (includes compulsory ancillary fees)
Minimum Entering Grades
Arts: 87% · Science: 91-93.8% · Commerce: 95% · Engineering: 87-95.3%
Student Body
Undergraduates: Full-time: 24,106 · Part-time: 3,495
Graduates: Full-time: 9,373 · Part-time: 2,058
International Students: First-year: 35.3% ·
Graduate: 40.4%
Male-Female Ratio: 40 to 60
Housing Facts
Residence Spaces: 3,474 (3,019 reserved for first-year students)
Residence Costs: Double room with meals: $14,612 to $17,580 · Single room with meals: $15,380 to $18,452 · Double room without meals: $4,092 to $4,220 ·
Single room without meals: $4,476 to $4,612 · Apartment-style: $4,868 to $12,523
More Schools: Concordia University, Université de Montréal, University of British Columbia, Queen’s University, University of Toronto