French universities?

I have wondered whether @mooshi5 should consider any options in Canada.

There are three universities in Quebec (two large, one small) which teach in English, but which would allow a student to live in a largely French-speaking or bilingual environment (McGill, Concordia, Bishop’s). There are multiple universities in Quebec that teach in French, with U. de Montreal being the largest, highest ranked, and best known.

There are a few French or bilingual universities elsewhere in Canada. There is a small French language university in New Brunswick (U. de Moncton), and another in Nova Scotia (U. Ste. Anne). Both are small and I do not know what majors are available. A daughter took a 5 week French immersion course at one of them over the summer and it was very good and surprisingly affordable.

The University of Ottawa is officially bilingual, with some classes taught in English and some classes taught in French (if you only speak one language you need to be careful to sign up for the correct class). The last time that I checked U.Ottawa provided a tuition break for bilingual students who took some classes in both languages, and I think that this even applies to international students.

One advantage of Canada is that it is relatively near by for those of us who live in the northern parts of the US. Another is that it is sort of “semi-abroad”, in the sense of being a foreign country but not all that far away and not all that unfamiliar. How affordable it is will depend upon which university and other considerations (such as whether you get merit aid and what citizenships you have) but at least universities in Canada generally even for international students are cheaper than full pay at private schools in the US. Some even for international students are not much more expensive compared to in-state prices at some public American universities. The exchange rate is favorable for us Americans (but not for students going the other way).

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