Université du Québec à Rimouski

About Université du Québec à Rimouski

UQAR is a constituent of the Université du Québec system and a separate degree-granting university, not simply a regional campus of another institution. Québec government financial reporting describes Université du Québec constituents as separate legal entities that are largely funded by the Ministry of Higher Education. UQAR’s official institutional material dates its creation to 1969. The university’s two principal campuses serve distinct parts of eastern Québec. Rimouski is the original campus and provides access to programs and research shaped by the St. Lawrence maritime environment. Lévis, across the river from Québec City, supports another substantial academic community. UQAR also delivers university education through regional locations in eastern Québec; however, the programs available at these locations are narrower and can change by admission term. Applicants should therefore confirm the actual teaching site instead of assuming that every UQAR program is offered in Rimouski or Lévis. UQAR is an appropriate choice for students seeking a French-language Québec university with undergraduate and graduate pathways and a strong regional orientation. Its active fall 2026 admission list includes bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral offerings. Some programs are campus-specific, capacity-limited, delivered outside the main campuses, or available in nontraditional formats. The institution’s official admissions material—not the database record—should guide decisions about language, location, and availability.

Admission requirements are program- and applicant-specific. Canadian citizens and permanent residents applying for fall 2026 faced a March 1 deadline for capacity-limited programs; other programs listed August 30, 2026 as the closing date, subject to available capacity and possible earlier closure. UQAR’s live open-program page indicated that some fall 2026 programs were still accepting Canadian and permanent-resident applications after March 1. Applicants should rely on that live list because an advertised general closing date does not guarantee that a particular program remains open. International timelines are earlier. Fall 2026 international admission closed on March 1, 2026. For the next published cycles, applications for winter 2027 were scheduled from April 1 to August 1, 2026, while fall 2027 applications were scheduled from September 1, 2026 to March 1, 2027. International students cannot begin in the summer because full-time study is unavailable then for immigration purposes. Applicants educated outside Québec must follow the credential and document rules applicable to their education system. Most holders of foreign credentials must provide valid evidence from a recognized international French test at UQAR’s required threshold. Individual program pages may impose additional prerequisites, selection criteria, portfolio or supporting-document requirements. Admission is followed by separate immigration, registration, and payment steps for international students, including the Québec Acceptance Certificate and study-permit process where applicable.

UQAR offers studies at the first, second, and third cycles, corresponding to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral education. Its fall 2026 open-program list demonstrates activity across areas such as education, engineering, management, nursing and health, environmental studies, and the natural and social sciences. The precise mix differs among Rimouski, Lévis, and regional teaching sites. Applicants should use the individual program page to confirm prerequisites, curriculum, campus, admission term, and whether attendance is in person, remote, or otherwise structured. The university connects teaching and research closely to the environments and communities it serves. Its 2025 research-development plan identifies four current areas of research excellence: marine and coastal-zone sciences; nordicity; rurality and maritimity; and prevention and inclusion in social and health practices. These themes are interdisciplinary, bringing environmental and natural sciences into contact with engineering, health, and social inquiry. This orientation can be particularly relevant to students interested in coastal change, northern environments, community development, or regionally grounded professional practice. Academic experiences vary by discipline. UQAR describes field activities, laboratories, real cases, creative workshops, competitions, and workplace placements among the applied components used across its offerings, but these are not features of every program. Graduate applicants should distinguish course-based programs from research programs involving a thesis or dissertation and verify whether a prospective supervisor is needed. French is the normal academic language; only limited doctoral exceptions may allow admission based on functional English.

Key Highlights

• Public constituent university within the Université du Québec system
• Founded in 1969
• Principal campuses in Rimouski and Lévis
• Additional teaching activity at several locations across eastern Québec
• Operating with programs open for fall 2026 admission

Student Life & Environment

Student services operate at both Rimouski and Lévis, though facilities and activities are not necessarily identical. UQAR’s student-services material describes orientation counselling, financial-aid guidance, disability and accessibility support, short-term psychosocial assistance, international-student integration, employment and placement support, and help with academic success. International support includes arrival and integration assistance, information about immigration-document renewals and insurance, activities, and a peer-matching program. Students can participate through campus associations, program-based associations, interest groups, committees, student conferences, and sociocultural or community activities. Sports and recreation programming is also offered, with schedules and charges published separately. Prospective students should check current offerings for their intended campus rather than assuming that a Rimouski activity is available in Lévis or at a regional site. University residences are available at the Rimouski campus. UQAR advises admitted students seeking a residence place to reserve as soon as possible. Students at Lévis and those who do not secure a residence must investigate off-campus housing; the university does not sign leases or make rental arrangements on a student’s behalf. This makes early housing planning especially important for students arriving from abroad.

Location & Surroundings

The record is associated with Rimouski, a city in Québec’s Bas-Saint-Laurent region on the south shore of the St. Lawrence. UQAR’s Rimouski campus is at 300 allée des Ursulines. Its coastal setting is directly relevant to the university’s work in marine, coastal, environmental, northern, and regional subjects. Students considering Rimouski should expect a smaller regional urban environment rather than a major metropolitan campus. UQAR’s second principal campus is at 1595 boulevard Alphonse-Desjardins in Lévis, across the St. Lawrence from Québec City. The university also serves communities through locations elsewhere in eastern Québec, but the set of programs open at these sites changes by term. International students should account for onward travel after arriving in Montréal or Québec City. UQAR’s arrival guidance places Rimouski about 550 kilometres from Montréal’s main international airport and about 315 kilometres from Québec City’s airport, with intercity bus travel among the suggested connections. Housing and transportation decisions should be based on the actual campus named in the admission offer.

Costs & Career Outcomes

UQAR’s published fee estimates for fall 2026, winter 2027, and summer 2027 vary by residency category, cycle, program structure, and credit load. For Québec students, the indicative fall 2026 total was CAD 1,911.23 for a 15-credit undergraduate load. Extra program charges and student-association insurance were not included in that estimate, and fees are normally indexed. Graduate research programs use different fee structures, while Canadian students from outside Québec and international students may owe higher amounts. Students should use UQAR’s official fee simulator for an individualized estimate. Certain French and francophone Belgian students newly admitted to specified programs receive Québec-rate treatment under rules announced for fall 2026, but this does not apply automatically to every applicant or program. International students must also budget for immigration, insurance, travel, and housing. UQAR’s international guidance states that, from January 1, 2026, a single applicant must demonstrate at least CAD 24,617 for essential living needs; this is a financial-capacity requirement, not a forecast of total annual attendance costs. Career support is available at Rimouski and Lévis. Services include individual employment guidance, assistance with job-search materials, employer and recruitment events, and access to Le Poste, UQAR’s placement and employment portal. Work placements are incorporated into some programs, but students should verify whether a placement is required, optional, paid, or available at their specific campus.