Want to study in la belle province's biggest city? We can't blame you! Montreal is a great place to go to school. In fact, Montreal has the highest concentration of post-secondary students of all major cities in North America — just edging out Boston in the United States. Let's take a look at some of the big names!
(For our purposes, we'll focus on institutions that teach in English. We'll also skip over the many CÉGEPs in Montreal, which offer pre-university training and some technical programs. That's a story for another time...)
Universities
McGill earns constant accolades as one of the country's leading universities. In 2020, it topped Maclean's list of the best medical and doctoral schools, as it has done for over a dozen years. Located in the heart of Montreal, McGill teaches around 30,000 students every year. If you're looking for a world-class university for everything from undergrad to post-doc, McGill has you covered.
Concordia is a comprehensive university founded in 1974 through a merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, offering hundreds of programs for undergrads and graduate students. It's one of the largest urban universities in Canada, and ranks among the top 100 new universities in the world. Home to the John Molson School of Business, Concordia teaches over 46,000 students, some of whom manage a $1.5 million investment fund. Talk about practical learning!
Colleges
CDI has expanded recently, and continues to grow, with campuses across the country. CDI College in Montreal has a proven history of teaching students essential skills in areas of business, health care, and technology. In fact, the School of Health Care is the largest private health care college in Canada — CDI's speciality since 1975. CDI College is also now offering full-time diploma programs in the evening, so you can fit your education into your busy schedule.
La Salle was founded in 1959, based in Montreal, and is made up of six schools: fashion, arts & design, hotel management & tourism, business & technology, social sciences & education, VFX & game design, and e-learning. As a member of the LCI Education Network, LaSalle has a strong international focus, with schools in nearly a dozen countries. If you'd like to spread your wings and explore the world in a career-ready field, LaSalle may be for you.
If you're a theatre nerd with a burning desire to tread the boards, you may be a good fit for the National Theatre School (NTS). Established in 1960, NTS admits fewer than two hundred students to its intensive training program that covers all aspects of theatre, from playwriting and acting to production design and directing. Admission is highly selective, but the specialized education can't be topped.
We've only just scratched the surface of the many great opportunities in the beautiful city of Montreal. From universities to colleges, business school to theatre, Montreal is an incredible city in which to live, work, and study.
Hungry for more? Check out our complete listings for Montreal.
