The University of Sherbrooke (shortened to UdeS from the French ‘Universite de Sherbrooke’) is one of the fastest-growing, most exciting universities in Canada. Founded in 1954, it’s a new but successful institution. It’s already famous for its international community and fantastic subject departments for engineering, medicine, and humanities.
Since UdeS is located in Quebec, Montreal, it’s a French-speaking university. All courses are taught in French, so students from across the globe who speak the language can study there, but applicants will need a certain standard of French language ability to be eligible for admission. Sherbrooke does also offer some intensive language courses for students who speak French as a second language.
The teaching quality at UdeS is brilliant. Many lecturers, tutors and other faculty staff have been recognised by high-level competitions and award boards in Canada as experts in their fields. Whatever course they’re studying at the institution, UdeS students can expect an education from some of the best minds in Canada.
UdeS offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and diploma programmes across three beautiful campuses in Quebec and Montérégie. Students enjoy a mix of natural beauty and exciting city life, and many love the location as much as they love the learning.
Postgraduate programmes at UdeS are really popular with international students. There are currently 1,115 international students enrolled at the university, and 67 per cent of them are postgraduates. International students are welcome on campus at UdeS, and with lots of student support services and extracurricular options to help them get settled in, they’ll feel at home in Canada in no time.
UdeS is a great option for any hard-working French-speaking person who wants to get an education that will prepare them fully for the working world. It’s also a great option from the social side of things, as international and domestic students alike will be joining a friendly and welcoming student community with lots of societies, living in a beautiful setting complete with all the right amenities.
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The teaching quality at UdeS is recognised around the world. The fact that it’s smaller than lots of other Canadian institutions doesn’t mean there are fewer resources or facilities, but it does mean that every student gets a great education from tutors, lecturers, and clinical staff. There are over 3,800 staff members in total, all available to support student needs and all committed to providing a good learning experience (including quality teaching, collaborative opportunities, and practical skills).
UdeS teachers want students to be able to express themselves in class. This isn’t a university where students sit in silence in the lecture theatre every single day. It’s a university that offers a flexible and varied education, including lots of internship and work placement opportunities to give students a real understanding of their profession before they enter the field as a graduate.
This high-achieving research university has worked on/is working on some respected projects with an international impact. It’s one of the top 800 universities in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings 2023. Employer satisfaction levels are high. Student satisfaction levels are high. There is a clear education system at UdeS based on four core values:
Various UdeS professors and academics have achieved academic awards like the Order of Canada Award, the Rutherford Memorial Medal in Physics and the Discovery of the Year Award (via the magazine Quebec Science).
All students, including international students, are given wonderful chances to learn, grow and develop by their teachers at UdeS. Intensive and supportive French language courses at Sherbrooke are second to none. Plus, with an international faculty ratio of 57.4 per cent, there’s a lot of educational and personal support available to students who are settling into a new life in Canada from faculty who have done the same.
University entry requirements at UdeS will change between courses and levels of study. Before applying, the university recommends that applicants check the entry requirements for their specific course to make sure they’re eligible for admission.
There are some general university requirements to consider too, though, including 13 years of schooling and the appropriate level of education. Specifics will be different for different countries, so international students will need to do their research on the UdeS website for an undergraduate programme. For a master’s programme, this level of education changes and previous university requirements in relevant subjects are required.
Any student who wants to study at the doctoral level at UdeS must have successfully achieved a master’s with a research project in a relevant field/the equivalent. They must also provide three letters of recommendation, including one from a professor who impacted their education directly. They must also provide a detailed analysis of their previous interests and research areas.
All courses at Sherbrooke are taught in French, so university entry requirements across all levels of study will include a certain level of French language understanding. Without this minimum level of French ability, a student at UdeS won’t fully connect with what they are learning, and they won’t be able to get the most out of their education.
All applicants to Sherbrooke need to be aware of the French language requirements for entry. These change slightly depending on the level of study, and there are lots of support programmes and French language learning programmes available to students who only speak French as a second language and want to improve.
Just like English proficiency would be assessed at an English-speaking university, French proficiency must be assessed at a French-speaking university. Because a functional knowledge of French is a must, students may be required to take more than one language proficiency test before being admitted.
The requirements for each course are specified on the individual course page. Generally, Sherbrooke assesses French skills via several internationally recognised tests, including The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). There are six bands/levels that students can achieve. From lowest to highest:
All undergraduate and postgraduate applicants need to reach at least the B2 band to be eligible for admission, but some postgraduate courses will ask for a band of C1 or above.
Some of the Graduate Research programmes that the university offers give students the chance to learn French during their training, particularly at PhD level. They must have the approval of their thesis supervisor and the relevant faculty to ensure this, though.
The student admission process at UdeS can seem stressful for applicants outside of Canada, but it’s actually very simple. There are several steps in the journey to admission, including some that need to be taken before an official application is made and a choice of programme is submitted:
Once an offer/rejection comes through, accepted international students will need to confirm their place, get their immigration documents in order and register for their chosen courses. This will bring the university admission process to an end, and successful applicants will become soon-to-be students at UdeS.
While UdeS doesn’t offer its students any full scholarships, international students have the option to apply for a waiver of their higher fees. This waiver brings fees down to the same cost as they would be for domestic students, and it’s available to students enrolled in full-time doctoral (and some master’s) programmes. The master’s programmes are:
This higher tuition waiver is funded by the Quebec government or one of the university’s partner countries. Quebec currently has over 40 country partnerships. Even though international students are supported by it, they must still provide proof of their financial abilities before leaving their home country/applying for university scholarships. The deadlines for submitting the applications vary for students enrolled in different postgraduate programmes, and some exclusions apply.
All students must submit their applications for the waivers by the appropriate deadlines. Students can contact the UdeS International team if they have any questions relating to funding their studies or want information about other routes to financial aid.
UdeS has nine faculties across three excellent campuses. It offers a wide range of courses and programmes at all levels, from applied and pure sciences to creative arts and design to business and management. The nine faculties that all these courses are organised into are:
The main UdeS campus is by far the biggest, and it’s also the administrative centre of the university. It contains most of the faculties and is home to most of the student support services available to international and domestic students.
The Health Campus, also located in the city of Quebec, is one of the best in the area. It’s partnered with a few different leaders in biomedical research and engineering. The final campus in Montérégie is called Longueuil, and it’s home to over 100 programmes and its own range of academic and social support services.
There are also lots of great research institutes and centres inside UdeS’s nine faculties. All UdeS research aims to have a positive impact on the planet, the world, and the local community. Institutes on the three campuses include:
Quebec is one of Canada’s most diverse and exciting cities, and UdeS students will be able to enjoy all the facilities and amenities of Quebec, as well as all the facilities and amenities on campus. This includes restaurants, shops, and a range of evening activities. The whole of Quebec can be one large student activity centre.
In terms of on-campus extracurricular activities, there are lots of options. All three campuses have a student recreation centre with lots of sports facilities, including pools, courts, pitches, and fitness studios. International students can become members of AIEUS (The International Student Association of UdeS) to help them get settled in and make connections. Through AIEUS, they’ll get the chance to attend lots of fun events, including the annual Multicultural Dinner.
Academically, there are even more great facilities at UdeS. Each lecture theatre and seminar room is designed to be as comfortable as possible to help create efficient working environments. The many subject-specific libraries don’t just provide students with all the research books, archives, and periodicals that they’ll need for their studies. They’re also great student life centres with private work rooms, bookable study rooms, AV and multimedia technology and access assistance.
There are various options for off-campus and on-campus housing at UdeS. Places for on-campus accommodation are competitive and limited, so all students are advised to apply as early as possible.
On-campus student accommodation at UdeS is offered to students in order of when they apply for it, so the sooner an application for accommodation can be submitted, the better. It’s a popular place to study and live, but international students shouldn’t worry. Even if they can’t get a place on campus, they are lots of other student house and apartment options to explore in Quebec.
At the main campus, university accommodation is offered to students who are enrolled in full-time courses. There are two different options, Complex E and Complex G. These residences offer students all the amenities they need for easy student life and take part in green initiatives, aiming to improve the environment and have a positive impact on the wider Quebec community.
Students can sign eight and 12-month leases, and there are other options for those who only need accommodation during the summer and winter semesters. Rent is always taken on the first of the month, and costs vary depending on what level the student is studying at. When applying for accommodation, all students are required to pay a CAD 370 deposit. This must be done via the PaySafe Booking Form and does not guarantee a room (it will be refunded if there is no availability).
There are all-inclusive on-campus and off-campus student houses at the Health Campus, including Uni-Logi and The Summit Residences. There is no on-campus accommodation at Longueuil, but there are lots of options in the area, including Facebook groups for housing in wider Montreal. International students who want to live off-campus are responsible for finding their own accommodation, but the university is happy to support them through the process.
UdeS takes the health, wellbeing and academic support of its students extremely seriously. That’s why it has a full range of student support services and options available for international students who may need help getting used to student life in Canada.
These student support options include things that’ll help students with their mental and physical requirements. The Health Clinic and Psychology departments are both great resources for students struggling with depression, anxiety or needs requiring a specialised nurse.
Similarly, international students should know that they can benefit from the UdeS Psychological Intervention Consultation Service, which pairs them with a professional student guide. This guide can then offer a personalised student support programme covering a range of issues (personal, social, cultural, economic, environmental, and academic).
There are also lots of specialist student services for people with learning disabilities or accessibility requirements, and the Student Ombudsman’s department is always ready to help with any academic or student record disagreements someone may be experiencing.
UdeS wants to make sure that all of its graduates find work in their field after leaving the university. For international students, job prospects in Canada are very good, and they can expect to be working at the top of many industries and technologies within a few years. Famous graduates from UdeS include the politician and former Quebec premier Jean Charest, high-achieving cross-fit sports star Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and the former Mayor of Sherbrooke, Bernard Sevigny.
Politicians, activists and sportspeople have started their journey to success at UdeS, and they’ve all had the headstart that is leaving the university ready to work. UdeS prepares its students for the working world through several well-resourced career services. Its Co-Op Work Term and Professional Development services are second to none when it comes to giving students great opportunities and expanding their career options from day one.
There are almost 5,000 work term opportunities each year with over 1,000 companies worldwide, and students can expect a lot of help when it comes to employment opportunities, networking, and career preparation. They can speak to a career guide about their future, and they can benefit from a range of career fairs, career days and recruiting campaigns.
Other employment services include internships with various employers and an online portal full of useful career resources. Whatever a student wants to achieve, in Canada or somewhere else, they can do it at UdeS. The average salary of a UdeS graduate is currently CAD 24,638 per year, which means that past students can earn a comfortable living wage, even early in their careers.
CAD$7,956
CAD$3,360
UNDERGRADUATE
CAD$17,730
POSTGRADUATE
CAD$19,140
Overall experience
100% of reviewers recommend Université de Sherbrooke
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In 2004 I entered to the National University of Uzbekistan successfully and studied at the Foreign languages department. My major is English language and Literature. I began my 1st job at the vocational college as a teacher of English and after 7 years I was adopted to Namangan State University. During read full review
In 2004 I entered to the National University of Uzbekistan successfully and studied at the Foreign languages department. My major is English language and Literature. I began my 1st job at the vocational college as a teacher of English and after 7 years I was adopted to Namangan State University. During 2 years from 2015 to 2017 I proceed my studying so I have been working at Namangan Institute of Engineering and Technology as a teacher of English since I got my master's. I'm looking for nice University to study on PhD. Could you please let me know about your Institute in details and a scholarship if it has. Thanks in advance, Best wishes Marufjon show less