HEC Montréal is a public business university in Montréal, Quebec, within the Montréal metropolitan area. It is moderately selective in admissions, with HEC Montréal having an acceptance rate of 35–40%. It is a mid-size university with a student population over 14,000, including around 4,000 international students. Some of its most popular courses are MBA, Master in Management, MSc in Data Science and Business Analytics, and BBA. The six-year graduation rate is good, and HEC Montréal graduates reportedly have a median initial salary of around INR 46,00,000–54,00,000 or CAD 75,000–88,000 ten years after graduation.
McGill University is a public research university located in Montréal, Quebec, also within the Montréal metropolitan area. As highly competitive as it is, McGill's acceptance rate is approximately 38% in total, with its Desautels Faculty of Management MBA acceptance being around 30%. McGill is a large university with approximately 32,000 undergraduates and thousands of graduate students. Some of the most popular programs are Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, Biology, and Business Administration (MBA/Management). McGill's six-year graduation rate is about 85%, and its alumni have median earnings of around INR 57,00,000–62,00,000 or CAD 95,000–1,02,000 ten years after graduation.
| HEC Paris | McGill University | |
|---|---|---|
| ranking (overall) | # 9 Financial Times 2025 # 334 Center for World University Rankings 2025 # 252 Center for World University Rankings 2022 | # 27 QS World University 2026 # 41 Times Higher Education 2026 # 27 Center for World University Rankings 2025 |
| Programs | PG Programs -9 Doctorate Programs -3 | UG Programs -50 PG Programs -74 Doctorate Programs -3 |
| Acceptance Rate | 8.0 % | 46.0 % |
| Exam Score | GMAT-700 IELTS-6.5 TOEFL-90 | IELTS-6.5 TOEFL-86 |
| Cost to Study | Average Tuition Fees 36480 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 670 Per Year | Average Tuition Fees 55389 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 19154 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 2850 Per Year |
| placement (average package) | Almost 100% of the students ind employment after graduation. The average salary of Masters in International finance is around $78,000 and is $165,000 after three years on an average. The MBA program students have an average salary of around $128,628 and the joining bonus is around $18,000 on an average. | McGill University is one of the top public universities in Montreal, Canada. It is ranked #31 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and #42 in graduate employability ranking. McGill University Graduates & Alumni Salaries - By Degree
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| application requirements | Submit official transcripts Submit recommendation letters Submit entrance exam scores Submit english langugae proficiency scores | 4-year bachelors is required for pursuing for PG course. 3 year UG degree with A grade is also accepted |
| CollegeDunia Reviews | 8.7/10 Read 3 reviews | 7.3/10 Read 25 reviews |
Top Courses Comparison
| ranking | # 5 for Business by QS World University 2026 # 12 for Business by Financial Times 2024 | # 60 for Business by QS World University 2025 # 84 for Business by Times Higher Education 2025 |
| exam scores | Duolingo - 135/160GMAT - 690/800IELTS - 7.0/9PTE - 72/90TOEFL - 100/120 | IELTS - 7/9TOEFL - 100/120 |
| documents required | #Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose | #Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose |
| application dates | Oct 2, 2025 (Round 1 Application Deadline For September 2026 Intake) Dec 16, 2025 (Round 2 Application Deadline For September 2026 Intake) Feb 19, 2026 (Round 3 Application Deadline For September 2026 Intake) Apr 9, 2026 (Round 4 Application Deadline For September 2026 Intake) May 28, 2026 (Round 5 Application Deadline For September 2026 Intake) | Nov 15, 2025 (First Application Deadline For Fall 2026 Intake) Jan 15, 2026 (Second Application Deadline For Fall 2026 Intake) Mar 15, 2026 (Final Deadline For Fall 2026 Intake) |
Other Popular Comparisons
| General Facts | HEC Paris | McGill University |
|---|---|---|
| Type of University | School | University |
| Established | 1881 | 1821 |
| Student:Faculty Ratio | :1 | 15:1:1 |
| Male:Female | 0% Male, 0% Female | 0% Male, 0% Female |
| Location Facts | HEC is located on a 110-hectare woodland campus in Jouy-en-Josas, 16 km. (10 miles) southwest of central Paris, close to Versailles. | Two Campuses: Downtown Campus, located between Montreal and Mount Royal Park; Macdonald Campus, located on the western tip of the island of Montreal |
| Library | The HEC library (Learning Center) is packed full of +60 000 books, articles, databases, videos and other learning tools, many of which are fully accessible online. Nevertheless, it stays open 7 days a week from 9am top 6pm, providing a positive study space for single and group work. The library is located in Building U, above the Hall of Honor. It is accessible only for HEC Students, professors and staff members. | Printed books - 4,851,382; E-books: 2,707,183; Printed journals- 33,706 and E- journals - 1,15,228 |
| Campus Life | There are around 130 clubs or "associations" on campus. The HEC Student Council (Bureau des Élèves in French, or BDE) is in charge of the social entertainment on campus. It is also in charge of coordinating all club activities and representing the students in front of the campus administration. The BDE organizes weekly events such as POWs ("Parties of the Week"), lunches and dinners, speakers, and sports events. HEC parties, which usually are organised every Thursday, are some of the most recognized ones among all French schools and universities. The BDE is composed of a 40-student team that is elected each year in April and for which the competition among students creates the well-known Student Office Campaign. The HEC MBA Council is in charge of all social activities related to the MBA student body. It manages the MBA students' Piano Bar in the Expansiel Building (Building A), coordinates and sometimes funds all MBA club activities (speaker events, sports events, dinners, etc.), works to expand the HEC MBA brand, develops campus and alumni relations, sets up the new MBA students' integration week, and generally relays student concerns and needs to the administration. Elections for the MBA Council are bi-annual to accommodate both January and September MBA intakes | The campus offers Macappella, Happy Geet, MAC and MAC Agro Ecology group, Robotics, Food Science Association, CERES, Gorilla Composition, Happy Belly, and Judging Club.Join/attend/enjoy 700 musical performances each year, athletic competitions, art, theatre, and other extracurricular activities. |
| Hostel | #Residence Room - $670 | #Large Single Room - $1075 #Small Single Room - $875 #Single Room - $900 |
| Famous Alumni | Francisco Madero, President of Mexico Georges Schwob d'Héricourt (class of 1882), President of the SFCO | Justin Trudeau (Prime minister of Canada), Daliso Chaponda (Comedian), William Osler (world renowned physician), Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (American Football player), Mackenzie Davis (Actress), Ken Dryden (Former member of parliament), and Leonard Cohen (Singer). |
| City Life | Located in the heart of the Upper Bièvre Valley and in the southeast of the Versailles Grand Parc agglomeration community, Jouy-en-Josas has the privilege of being close to Paris (15 km) and Versailles (5 km). The city is fortunate to have a town with a remarkable natural, historical and cultural heritage. The Bièvre, a river that rises in Guyancourt and flows into the Seine in Paris, the forests and the rolling hillsides that adorns the city are a rich natural heritage, just like the Upper Bièvre Valley. | Main industries of Quebec are mining, manufacturing. Water is one of the significant natural resources of Quebec. Therefore a lot of industries around hydroelectric power raised around the city. Montreal has cheap rents, various parks and cycling lanes, affordable public transit, and more. For the flourishing industry, the unemployment rate is slightly higher than Canada. Women are financially independent as compared to 3/4th of men. |
HEC Montréal vs McGill University
Subject Strength & World Rankings (2025/2026)
HEC Montréal was established in 1907 and is one of Canada's oldest business schools, and it is highly ranked in Business Administration, Finance, Data Analytics, and Management, frequently placed in the world's top 100 for business and economics by QS and THE subject rankings. It is particularly highly regarded in French-speaking Canada and is a member of Université de Montréal. McGill University, founded in 1821 in Montreal, is an all-around world-class university ranked 30th in QS World University Rankings 2026 and 46th in THE World University Rankings 2025. McGill's Desautels Faculty of Management is internationally acclaimed, especially in Finance, International Business, Marketing, and Strategy, and its MBA is ranked among the top 100 worldwide by Financial Times. In general, McGill has wider global prestige, and HEC Montréal specializes largely in business and economics.
General Information
HEC Montréal is a French-speaking business school, although it delivers programs in French, English, and bilingual forms, and draws more than 14,000 students from over 150 nations. It is largely sought by students who desire to learn in a bilingual (French-English) setting. McGill University is an English-language research university with more than 40,000 students, providing a broad spectrum of programs in sciences, humanities, law, medicine, engineering, and management. McGill's international brand name recognition and varied academic environment make it more global in visibility than HEC Montréal's narrower business-focused mission.
Acceptance Rate & Admission
HEC Montréal admissions are selective but less restrictive than McGill. Admission to undergraduate studies demands good academic performances, and graduate programs such as the MBA typically expect competitive GMAT/GRE scores and professional work experience. Acceptance rates at HEC Montréal are around 35–40% for all programs. McGill University is more competitive, with a total acceptance rate of approximately 33%, but significantly lower (less than 20%) for highly sought programs such as MBA, Medicine, and Law. The average GMAT of the McGill MBA is 670, whereas that of HEC Montréal's MBA is slightly less, approximately 630–650, due to variations in applicant pools.
Research Impact & Facilities
HEC Montréal boasts robust applied research centers like the Tech3Lab (UX & AI Lab), the Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO), and various entrepreneurship hubs, positioning it as a business analytics and AI in management applied leader. McGill, being a research university of the world, has a far larger reach, with top-notch facilities such as the McGill Innovation District, Desautels Capital Management, and healthcare, engineering, and AI partnerships. Though HEC Montréal is a Canadian top-tier business research institution, McGill's interdisciplinary global research influence cannot be matched in terms of scale.
Cost & Financial Aid
HEC Montréal is less expensive, particularly for Quebec students. International MBA fees are approximately CAD $54,000, and the BBA is around CAD $30,000 per year for international students. McGill is pricier, with international undergraduate fees averaging CAD $50,000–$55,000 per year and the MBA at approximately CAD $102,500. Each school provides scholarships, but McGill has greater international scholarship funds, while HEC Montréal appeals to budget-conscious students because Quebec has subsidized education.
Graduate Studies & Research
HEC Montréal graduates enjoy high employability in finance, consulting, supply chain, and data analytics, especially in Quebec and French-speaking markets, with mean MBA salaries of CAD $90,000 (INR 55 lakh). McGill graduates, particularly from Desautels, have wider international prospects, especially in consulting, banking, and global business, with MBA graduates averaging about CAD $120,000 (INR 73 lakh) three years post-graduation. McGill's international alumni community comprises CEOs, Nobel laureates, and international leaders, whereas HEC Montréal graduates are particularly prominent in Canada, Europe, and Francophone nations.
