Concordia University is a great higher education institution in one of Canada’s most friendly cities: Montreal. Frequently ranked in the top 600 universities globally with many great courses, it’s an exciting place for any student to continue their education and prepare for professional success. Concordia’s unique teaching methods are unlike lots of other universities in Canada, and they’re very interesting and exciting to modern students who want an equally modern learning experience.
First started in 1974 when Loyola College and Sir George William College merged, Concordia has a long history and an exciting present. Campuses are still based at the famous locations of the two historic colleges, so everyone enrolled can get the best of both worlds, mixing and matching busy city student life with quiet, nature-filled student life.
Students can study at either the undergraduate or postgraduate levels at Concordia. Some of its subjects and programmes are respected and highly rated on a global level. All of its subjects come with quality teaching standards (kept up by expert lecturers and tutors) and a wide range of great resources and learning facilities.
Concordia is one of Canada’s leading research universities, and it has many research facilities, centres, institutes, groups and associations. Every academic year, Concordia’s important research projects make a positive difference to the world and the local community in Quebec. Also, every academic year, more international students choose Concordia, a university that’s always working to give its students opportunities, from scholarships to internships.
Employers across the world are noticing Concordia graduates and alumni for their skills and high levels of employability, just as students across the world are noticing what Concordia can do for them. From safe, comfortable accommodation to the full student support programme, every part of student life at Concordia is well-organised and helps to create a great student experience. Montreal is the most student-friendly city in North America, and Concordia might be the most student-friendly university.
Discover more about studying at Concordia:
Teaching quality
Entry requirements
Scholarships & funding
University structure
Facilities
Student support
Graduate outcomes
Concordia is one of Montreal’s most exciting universities. It’s currently ranked 551st in the QS World University Rankings and 601st in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. With multiple subjects in the global top 200 (art and design subjects in the top 50 and other subjects like communication, geography and English in the top 200), students clearly get a great education at this university and enjoy high-quality teaching no matter the subject area.
Teaching at Concordia has a strong research base and is focused on helping students become industry leaders, as well as on sharing community and sustainability values with them. Part of the high teaching quality comes from the level of flexibility students have to get involved with developing their skills and knowledge, as well as the modern context that considers the environment and the planet at all times.
There are over 36,000 students at Concordia, taught by over 1,371 academic staff members. Class sizes are just right to create a friendly, welcoming learning environment with room for collaboration and conversation. In terms of quality teaching, this kind of set-up is hard to beat.
Concordia has won some great awards recently, and its researchers and lecturers are also regularly up for prizes and awards. In 2022, as an example, the Concordia University Advancement and University Communications Service won gold in the international CASE Circle of Excellence Awards for its Black History Month social media campaign.
Different courses at Concordia have different entry requirements, but there are also some general minimum university entry requirements that international students will have to meet to be considered for admission. At the very least, all international undergraduate students must have completed and graduated from/be on track to graduate from a secondary school/secondary education institute recognised by Concordia. They must also have a certain level of English language ability.
The same university requirements apply to international postgraduates, but the need for high-school-level qualifications is replaced by the need for previous university qualifications. Postgraduate applicants to master’s programmes, for example, will need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject with a GPA equivalent to a B grade, while postgraduate applicants to doctoral programmes will need a minimum of a master’s degree in a relevant subject with a GPA equivalent to a B grade.
Overseas applications can view a full list of equivalent qualifications needed to gain entry on the Concordia website, which will also be the best place to explore any course-specific entry needs and confirm eligibility.
English Score Required
The language of teaching and assessment at Concordia is English, and all international students will have to submit English language scores for entry at Concordia if they can’t prove their proficiency in another way. Common English testing methods include the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
The minimum score requested by the university depends on whether or not a student needs to take ESL (English as a Second Language) courses. For undergraduate students who do need to take these courses, the minimum overall IELTS band score required for admission consideration is 6.5 or 6 in some cases, with no individual band scores below 5.5.
For undergraduate students who don’t, the minimum overall IELTS band score required is 7, with no individual band scores below 5.5. Certain other scores will apply to individual programmes and courses, so applicants should do their research to find out what applies to them.
Admission
The university admission process at Concordia is simple and easy. The institution welcomes students from over 150 countries and a wide range of backgrounds. All international students will need study visas to be students in Quebec, which can be a complicated process, but the university supports applicants every step of the way and offers all the advice that it can. Though the student admission journey is slightly different for undergraduates and postgraduates, both routes follow 11 easy steps:
- An applicant chooses their course and level of study.
- An applicant confirms their ‘applicant category’.
- An applicant chooses the entry term they’re applying for (autumn or winter).
- An applicant adds their personal information.
- An applicant shares their contact information.
- An applicant selects the academic programme (course) and plan (subject) they’re applying for.
- An applicant details their academic history.
- An applicant shares any honours or achievements and adds a CV (the CV addition is optional).
- An applicant attaches all the supporting documents to their application that have been requested.
- An applicant finishes their application and hits submit. All international applicants will then need to pay an application fee of CAD 100 (the same price for undergraduate and postgraduate).
- An applicant waits to get a rejection or an offer of admission.
Postgraduate students will follow most of the same steps as undergraduates, but they will be asked for other specific information. This includes any master’s thesis or theses, published research, scholarships, awards or academic honours and three letters of reference from suitable referees. The referees should be someone the student knows well, an academic, and a person able to prove that the student is ready for postgraduate studies.
The average annual tuition fee for international students at Concordia is CAD 18,960. There are many scholarships and funding options available to reduce tuition fees, although there are no direct university scholarships from Concordia for international students. Instead, Concordia works with the Canadian government to give overseas students at both levels of study financial aid and funding support.
Scholarship applications should still be submitted directly to Concordia, who will then apply on the student’s behalf. The four scholarships/awards available are the Canada-ASEAN Scholarship and Educational Exchange for Development, the Canada-CARICOM Skills Training for a Green Economy Scholarship Programme, The Emerging Leaders in the Americas Programme and the Study in Canada Scholarship.
The Canada ASEAN Scholarship (often called the SEED programme) offers funding support to students from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Scholarship can be used for tuition fees, travel costs, health insurance, accommodation costs and living costs, and the value of the award changes depending on the student’s length and level of study.
For example, a student at any level studying for a minimum of four months or one term is entitled to CAD 10,200, while postgraduate students who will be there for five or six months are entitled to CAD 12,700, and undergraduate students who will be at Concordia for eight months or two terms are entitled to CAD 15,900.
Across the Sir George Williams Campus and the Loyola Campus, there are a number of courses and programmes at different study levels being taught at Concordia. The university splits these courses into an organisational structure made up of five academic faculties and nine further schools, colleges and institutes:
- Concordia Continuing Education
- The Concordia Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies
- The Faculty of Arts and Science
- The Faculty of Fine Arts
- The Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science
- The Institute for Co-Operative Education
- The John Molson School of Business
- The Liberal Arts College
- The Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability
- The School of Community and Public Affairs
- The School of Graduate Studies
- The School of Irish Studies
- The Science College
- The Simone de Beauvoir Institute
At each of the Concordia research centres and institutes, staff researchers work hard to help local communities, positively influence national policy, and encourage international collaboration. There are Concordia research centres for a wide range of topics, from clinical health to sustainable futures, and there are many opportunities for students to get involved with important research projects during their studies.
At the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, there are a few different research groups and faculty-recognised centres operating in these areas. The John Molson School of Business is home to the wonderful Laboratory for Sensory Research, while the Faculty of Fine Arts has, along with others, the Centre for the Arts in Human Development.
Concordia has two campuses, both located in exciting and naturally beautiful parts of Montreal. The Sir George Williams Campus is in the middle of the city, with 40 buildings in total and some great transport links for easy commutes from accommodation across Montreal. The Loyola Campus is further out, with more natural spaces and a peaceful, relaxing energy.
Across both Concordia campuses, there are lots of great academic and social facilities for students. Academic student life centres include well-designed, modern lecture theatres and teaching rooms, the large and fully-stocked Concordia University Library and the many research centres, institutes and specialist laboratories that students can access to collaborate with staff researchers on valuable projects across a range of subject areas.
The Concordia University Library is definitely the most popular student activity centre for studying on campus, with lots of physical and digital materials for students at all levels of study (and faculty members, too) to use in their learning and research. The library is also a good place to access IT support, and it comes complete with bookable study rooms for group work and silent study spaces for focused independent work.
The Concordia Student Union (CSU) is a great resource for students, representing their needs, offering them guidance and hosting a number of extracurricular events on campus (as well as managing Concordia’s long list of clubs, teams and student groups).
On the social side of things, there are lots of comfortable relaxation spaces on campus, as well as a number of places to eat. One good example is the community University of the Streets café, which Concordia students love. There are some great student recreation centres for fitness and staying active, like Le Gym at the Sir George Williams Campus.
The Arts and Culture Hub is always hosting events and gallery shows for students searching for entertainment, and the fun of Montreal is never far away, especially on the central campus. All the facilities and amenities of the city are as available and accessible to students as the facilities and amenities included on campus.
Accommodation
Concordia offers on-campus and off-campus university accommodation to international students. Montreal is a diverse, welcoming city that invites students from across the globe to mix, connect and make lasting friendships, and all the student accommodation options in the city encourage this, just as the student accommodation options on campus do.
Concordia recommends on-campus residences to first-year students, as they’re very convenient and easier for international applicants to book from overseas without viewing first. Concordia can confirm the high living standards available and offer lots of images to international students so they know what to expect better than they might with a private student house or apartment rental.
On-campus options are available at both Concordia campuses, and the choices include Grey Nuns Residence, Hingston Hall and the YWCA Residence. All housing is close to useful amenities like gyms and study centres, and students can check out exactly what is provided at each residence on the Concordia website.
Each on-campus accommodation option also comes with a meal plan. The cost of a room depends on its size and the building it’s located in. For example, a small single room with a sink at Grey Nuns costs CAD 825.08 monthly, while the same room type at Hingston Hall is CAD 703.44 monthly.
If students want to live off campus, then they can rent a private student house or apartment. There are a number of housing providers that Concordia works with to help make this journey easier for students (including students looking for a house after living on campus in their first year). To give an example of what to expect, the price of rooms in shared apartments in Montreal ranges from CAD 350 to CAD 1,500, depending on the location and the size of the room.
Concordia takes the health and wellness of its students very seriously. It offers a long list of student services and student support options to whoever needs them, including academic guidance, mental health resources, disability assistance and targeted help for minority groups on campus. For international students, for example, the International Students Office provides a full student support programme, helping with everything from student visa applications to adjusting to life in Canada.
The Concordia mental health service offers group and one-to-one appointments with trained professionals who act as student guides, helping specific students with their individual needs, goals and issues. Appointments are mostly made by phone and video call, they are free and are available to book 24 hours a day.
There are also many academic student support services to make sure that people can always get the most out of their learning experiences on campus. Concordia understands that all students have unique needs and issues, and whatever those might be, it wants to be able to help. No Concordia student is ever left behind or without a place to go when they have a problem.
Concordia makes the global top 500 universities for graduate employability rankings. It has an employment outcomes rating of 33.5 per cent that’s improving every academic year, and some of its employment outcomes in specific subject areas are even more impressive. For example, the employer reputation rating for arts and humanities subjects is 55.7 per cent, and for communication and media studies subjects, it’s 65.6 per cent.
Concordia students are taught everything they need in the classroom to be prepared for the standards of the professional world. This is one reason why they have such good job prospects. The other is that they have access to some well-designed career services that allow them to understand their career options and boost their employability before graduation arrives. It’s a winning combination for graduates and employers. Employment services available to students and recent graduates include:
- Career counselling services with a focused career guide
- Career advice and guidance
- Networking events
- Job fairs
- Digital resources
- Over 2,000 career and personal development books (via the Student Success Resource Centre)
- A graduate job listing portal
- Work placement and internship opportunities
- Employability workshops for things like CV writing and interview preparation
Whichever programme or course students wish to study at Concordia, they can find a rewarding career path during their studies and follow that path after graduation. The skills they learn at Concordia will help them a lot when they enter the world of work, whether they’re planning to start a career in Canada or anywhere else in the world.