McGill University is a public institution that was founded in 1821 and is located in Quebec, Canada. The university has two campuses: the downtown campus in Montreal and the Macdonald campus in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. The two campuses are approximately 20 miles apart. The primary language of instruction is English, although in a recent year around 20 percent of university students said French was their mother tongue. In fact, around half of the population of Montreal speaks French as a first language. Around one-fourth of the student body is international, with students hailing from more than 150 countries. University housing is available for undergraduate and graduate students on both campuses.
The university is made up of 10 faculties and schools – agricultural and environmental sciences, arts, dentistry, education, engineering, law, management, medicine, music and science – that offer around 300 programs of study. Around two-thirds of the university's students study at the undergraduate level. Tuition costs are higher for international students, and McGill's academic calendar is based on a semester system. The university is affiliated with multiple teaching hospitals, and its medical school is the oldest in Canada. Research at the university takes place at more than 40 McGill research centers – such as the McGill Centre for Bioinformatics, the Centre on Population Dynamics and the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy – and at other affiliated institutes and hospitals. The creation of the first artificial blood cell is among the research achievements associated with the university.
Based in Montreal, McGill University ranks among Canada's most prestigious universities, attracting thousands of international students from over 150 countries every year, and the highest percentage of PhD students of any Canadian research university. McGill University owes its reputation to its 50 research centers and institutes, 400+ programs, rich history and thriving alumni network of 250,000 people around the globe.
Graduates are highly sought after by employers, with the following percentages of graduates in education or employment two years after graduation:
81% of art graduates
95% of engineering graduates
91% of medicine graduates
84% of science graduates
92% of all PhD respondents
Montreal also came first in the QS Best Student Cities 2017, a ranking of the most student-friendly cities around the world. Both safe and affordable, Montreal is infused with art and different cultures. Of its 3.5 million residents, 800,000 were born overseas and 220,000 are engaged in higher education. Rental costs here are significantly lower than in other major university cities, while many international institutes, pharmaceutical firms, financial companies, and aeronautical firms are based here, providing ample employment opportunities for students.
If, like 32% of McGill University’s graduate students, you are international, you are strongly urged to apply for any scholarships you may be eligible for, including any of these six international fellowships.
Maclean's ranking - top Canadian medical-doctoral university, #1 for 13 years in a row!
POSTGRADUATE
McGill University offers over 400 Postgraduate programs, including master’s degrees, PhDs, MBAs and graduate certificate programs, across 10 faculties:
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Arts
Dentistry
Education
Engineering
Law
Managment
Medicine
Music
Science
Browse all graduate courses here.
Admitting only the best and the brightest to McGill University!
Postgraduate admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree in a subject related to the field of study at a recognised university, a GPA of 3.2 (or any foreign equivalent) and proof of proficiency in English. For more information of minimum entry requirements, contact a graduate program coordinator.
McGill is the oldest university in Montreal and one of just three English-language universities in Quebec. It is a public research institution that takes its name from Glaswegian merchant, James McGill, whose bequest in 1813 led to the formation of McGill College. In 1829 it was established as the nation’s first faculty of medicine.
The university is made up of 11 faculties, with 11 schools, all housed in 300 buildings. It caters for roughly 40,000 students, 24% of whom come from over 150 countries. This makes it the most internationally diverse medical-doctoral university in Canada. It offers degrees and diplomas in over 300 areas of study.
McGill has an alumni network of roughly 250,000 living in over 180 countries. These include singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, actor William Shatner and astronaut Dave Williams. It also boasts 12 Nobel Prize winners and 140 Rhodes Scholars, more than any other university in the country.
Eureka moments associated with McGill include the discovery that atoms can be divided, the first map of the brain’s motor cortex, and the invention of Plexiglas.
McGill also lays claim to the invention of modern American football, hockey and basketball.
The main campus of the university is in downtown Montreal at the foot of Mount Royal. Next to the main campus is Milton Parc, an urban area that is home to many of the university’s students. The second campus is 18 miles west of the university in a more rural environment.
McGill has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1926, an organisation comprising the top North American research universities. It is also a founding member of Universitas 21, which is an international network of leading research-intensive institutions that work collaboratively to enhance global reach and encourage international scope.
The university library is made up of 13 smaller branches and holds over six million items in total.
