McGill University
Université McGill
Canada's top QS-ranked university, an English-language campus at the foot of Mount Royal in bilingual Montreal.
- Students
- 40,531
- 28,167 undergraduates
- International
- 27%
- of students
- Tuition
- CA$31,837
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1821
About McGill
McGill was founded in 1821 from the bequest of Montreal merchant James McGill and is one of Canada's oldest universities; its faculty of medicine, established in 1829, was the first in Canada. The main downtown campus sits between the city's business district and the slopes of Mount Royal, and the Macdonald Campus in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue houses agricultural and environmental sciences. In fall 2025 McGill had 40,531 students, including 28,167 undergraduates, and 27% of its students are international.
Teaching is in English within a largely francophone city. The university is organised into 11 faculties plus 15 schools and academic units, with undergraduate entry through faculties such as Arts, Science, Engineering, the Desautels Faculty of Management, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Education and the Schulich School of Music, and interfaculty degrees such as the B.A. and Sc. McGill reports 749.2 million dollars in research funding (FY2024) and 166 Canada Research Chairs.
Admission is grade-based and program-specific: there are no essays for most programs, and applicants are compared on their curriculum's grades against published competitive ranges. McGill suits independent, academically strong students who want a big-city life, low Quebec tuition if they are residents, and a strongly international student body.
Grandescunt aucta labore
“By work, all things increase and grow” — university motto
Why students choose McGill
Ranked 30th in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and first in Canada; 43 McGill subjects placed in the global top 50 of the QS subject rankings published in March 2026.
Quebec residents pay about $3,118 a year in tuition, among the lowest in North America for a university of this standing.
Montreal gives students a bilingual, affordable big city; McGill reports being first in Canada for employment outcomes in QS 2027.
McGill offers need-based financial aid to new first-year students regardless of citizenship, alongside merit-based Major Entrance Scholarships.
Admissions
Fall 2027 entry
Selectivity
McGill does not publish a single admit rate. Admission is to a specific program and based on grades against competitive ranges that change each year: for example IB 33-36 for Arts, 35-39 for Science and 39-42 for Architecture; Quebec CEGEP R-score minimums for fall 2026 ranged from 29.5 (Kinesiology) to 34.4 (Mechanical Engineering).
Typical entry requirements
| IB Diploma | Grades of 5+ in every HL and SL subject as a baseline; typical totals Arts 33-36, Science 35-39, Management 35-38, Engineering 32-42 by specialization, Architecture 39-42 |
|---|---|
| A-levels | Three A-levels in different subjects; Architecture A*A*A*-AAA, Engineering/Science/Management A*AA-AAB, Arts AAA-ABB |
| Ontario (OSSD) | Top-6 4U/M average with at least four 4U/DU courses; ranges from low-to-mid 80s (Education) to low-to-high 90s (Architecture) |
| Quebec CEGEP | Overall and core R-score; fall 2026 minimums e.g. Management 29.69, Architecture 32.0, Neuroscience 34.1, Mechanical Engineering 34.4 |
| US high school | Grades 10-12 plus optional SAT/ACT; program prerequisites such as pre-calculus, chemistry and physics for Engineering |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 90 TOEFL iBT 90 with 21 in each section (100 for Management and Education TESL); IELTS Academic 6.5 with 6.0 in each component; Duolingo 125 (130 for B.Com. and B.Ed. TESL). Exempt after four consecutive years of study in an English-primary country, or with IB English 5+, A-level/GCSE English C+ or an English CEGEP. |
Deadlines
- US and international curricula (incl. IB, A-levels) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~3 monthsJanuary 15, 2027
Supporting documents due March 1, 2027; Major Entrance Scholarship application January 21.
- Canadian high school (outside Quebec, incl. Ontario) Non-binding In ~4 monthsFebruary 1, 2027
Supporting documents due May 4; mandatory second grade self-report in spring; Major Entrance Scholarship February 7.
- Quebec CEGEP Non-binding In ~5 monthsMarch 1, 2027
Supporting documents due April 15. Music applicants apply by January 15; Nursing by February 1.
Dates are from McGill's requirements pages for the current admission cycle, which list month and day only; years assume fall 2027 entry.
How to apply
Apply directly to McGill online (applications open October 1; fee $140.16 CAD), choosing your program(s), then self-report grades and upload supporting documents. Most programs require no essay or references; some (e.g. Music auditions, Architecture) have extra requirements. McGill does not use OUAC.
What admissions looks for
- Grades in your curriculum measured against the program's competitive range; meeting a range does not guarantee admission.
- Program prerequisites, such as calculus, chemistry and physics for Engineering or math plus two sciences for Science.
- Strong performance in the most recent year of study, via self-reported and then official grades.
- For some programs, auditions or other supplementary material (e.g. Schulich School of Music).
Tips for applying to McGill
- 1 Check the prerequisites for your exact program: IB SL Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation does not count where math is required.
- 2 Admission is program-specific, so compare your grades with each program's range; Architecture, Engineering and Management sit at the top end.
- 3 Submit the Major Entrance Scholarship application by its January or February deadline; it is separate from the admission application.
- 4 US applicants: SAT or ACT is optional for fall 2027, but McGill says sending scores gives it information earlier and can speed up a decision.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in CAD
McGill awards merit-based Major Entrance Scholarships (separate application) and need-based entrance financial aid for new first-year students regardless of citizenship, and says it ranks first among Canadian universities for the share of its operating budget devoted to scholarships and bursaries (Maclean's). International students with study permits may work off campus.
- $5,748
- Quebec residents, B.A. total annual fees 2026-27
- $15,615
- Non-Quebec Canadians, B.A. total annual fees 2026-27
- $57,647
- International, B.A. total annual fees 2026-27
- $140.16 CAD
- Application fee
Academics
Academic calendar: Two terms (Fall and Winter)
Architecture (B.Sc.(Arch.))
McGill's most competitive entry: IB 39-42 and A*A*A* to AAA typical ranges.
Neuroscience (B.Sc.)
Among the highest CEGEP R-score cut-offs (34.1 for fall 2026 entry).
Engineering (B.Eng.)
Mechanical (IB 38-42) and Bioengineering (IB 39-41) sit at the top of the admission ranges.
Desautels Faculty of Management (B.Com.)
Direct-entry business degree with calculus prerequisites and a higher English-test bar (TOEFL 100).
Medicine and health sciences
Canada's first faculty of medicine (1829), linked to the McGill University Health Centre.
Research
- 749.2 million dollars in research funding in FY2024, half of it federal.
- 166 Canada Research Chairs and 216 Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada.
- Ernest Rutherford carried out Nobel-winning work on radioactivity at McGill, and Yoshua Bengio, a McGill graduate, is a Turing Award-winning pioneer of deep learning.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Engineering
- Desautels Faculty of Management
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences
- Schulich School of Music
McGill ranked 36th in the world and first in Canada for employment outcomes in the QS World University Rankings 2027.
Student life
McGill's downtown campus is a green enclave in the middle of Montreal, with the lower field in front of the Arts Building and Mount Royal rising directly behind. Many first-years live in residence, including Upper Residence on the mountain's slope, before moving into apartments in the Plateau or Milton-Parc. Montreal's festivals, cafés, nightlife and relatively low rents shape student life as much as the campus does. Varsity teams compete in U Sports as the Redbirds and Martlets.
- Varsity athletics in U Sports as the McGill Redbirds (men) and Martlets (women).
- Upper Residence and Royal Victoria College among first-year residences.
- 27% of students are international.
- Molson Stadium on campus hosts football and major events.
Housing. First-year students can live in McGill residences near the downtown campus; most upper-year students rent apartments nearby.
Location
Montreal is Canada's second-largest city and a majority French-speaking one, known for its festivals, food, music and relatively low rents for a major city. McGill's downtown campus sits a few minutes' walk from the metro and the city centre. Winters are long and very cold, with an underground city linking many downtown buildings; summers are warm and busy.
Nearest airport: Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
Notable alumni
- WL Wilfrid Laurier7th Prime Minister of Canada
- JT Justin Trudeau23rd Prime Minister of Canada
- JP Julie PayetteAstronaut who flew two space missions; former Governor General of Canada
- WO William OslerPhysician often called the father of modern medicine; co-founder of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
- JN James NaismithInventor of basketball
- LC Leonard CohenPoet, novelist and singer-songwriter
- WS William ShatnerActor best known as Captain Kirk in Star Trek
- YB Yoshua BengioComputer scientist; 2018 Turing Award for deep learning
Frequently asked questions
What is McGill's QS World University Ranking for 2027?
McGill is 30th in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and the top-ranked university in Canada.
When is the McGill application deadline for fall 2027?
January 15 for US and international curricula (including IB and A-levels), February 1 for Canadian high school students outside Quebec, and March 1 for Quebec CEGEP students.
What IB score do you need for McGill?
McGill expects at least 5 in every IB subject; typical totals are 33-36 for Arts, 35-39 for Science, 35-38 for Management and 39-42 for Architecture.
Does McGill require the SAT?
No. For fall 2027, SAT or ACT scores are optional for US-curriculum applicants, though McGill says sending them can speed up a decision.
How much is McGill tuition for international students?
For students entering in 2026-27, international tuition ranges from about $31,837 CAD (Education, Kinesiology, Social Work) and $35,561 CAD (Architecture, Music) to $71,687 CAD (Commerce) per year; a B.A. is $54,000 CAD. McGill guarantees the rate for the length of the degree.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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