Quebec hikes tuition for McGill, Concordia, imposes French requirement

The Quebec government is hiking tuition to $12,000 a year and imposing a French-language requirement for out-of-province students at McGill and Concordia universities.

Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry announced the new measures today, saying the government wants Canadian and foreign graduates to better integrate in Quebec society.

Quebec had initially proposed to raise tuition for out-of-province students to around $17,000 from $8,992, but today's announcement reduces that amount. However, the government has introduced a new requirement that 80 per cent of out-of-province students in English universities have an intermediate level of spoken French before they can graduate.

The new French-language standards will be in effect for the 2025-26 academic year, and the tuition raise starts in the fall. The other English-language university in Quebec, Bishop's, is spared the tuition hike but will have to meet the language requirements.