Find a French learning option to fit your schedule, pace, and priorities.
Courses during the school day
McGill offers French courses at all levels, in regular or intensive formats, for three or six credits, over one term or the full academic year. Take courses as electives or in addition to your program.
3–6 hours per week for 1–2 terms.
During the day, Monday to Friday.
Offered in fall, winter, and summer terms.
Graded and S/U options available for electives. Additional-to-program course grades appear on transcript but do not affect GPA.
Eligible for tuition fee reduction.
Evening and weekend courses
With general, professional, and industry-specific options, continuing studies courses at McGill are a flexible way to learn French or improve your skills in addition to your program.
3 hours per week for 1 term.
Evenings (after 5 p.m.) and Saturdays.
Offered in fall, winter, and summer terms.
Grades appear on transcript but do not affect GPA.
Eligible for tuition fee reduction.
Immersive summer courses at McGill
The intensive schedules of McGill's summer French courses will help you fully immerse yourself in the language. Classes are available for beginner, intermediate, and advanced French-speakers.
10 hours per week for 8 weeks.
Monday to Thursday, during the day.
Summer term only.
Graded and S/U options available.
Eligible for tuition fee reduction.
Explore intensive summer French at McGill
Additional courses and programs
Summer immersion across Canada
Learn or improve your French skills while making new friends and experiencing a unique local culture in a cool part of Canada. The best part? It's free!
18 hours per week for 5 weeks.
Morning classes, afternoon cultural activities.
Summer only.
Transfer credit possible, subject to eligibility.
Tuition and housing costs fully funded.
Summer immersion for Canadian students
Summer immersion for international students
Additional courses and programs
French for health and psychosocial services
This non-degree program features oral and written courses (credit and non-credit) tailored to meet the linguistic needs of your future professional setting in health sciences and psychosocial services.
2.5–3 hours per week for 1–2 terms.
During evenings (5:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.).
Offered in fall, winter, and summer terms.
Graded and S/U options available. Additional-to-program course grades appear on transcript but do not affect GPA.
Learning French on your own time
Explore our featured resources to learn and practice French anytime, anywhere. There are options for all levels of learners, including:
- Online dictionaries, glossaries, and pronunciation guides
- Quizzes, games, and writing exercises
- Reading materials
- Quebec and industry-specific terminology guides
- Audio and podcasts
- French language media networks
- Movies and TV shows
Tips for choosing
How do you learn best?
I want to dive right in and progress quickly.
Intensive courses include lots of classroom time and combine theory with practice to build your skills faster, no matter what level your starting from.
- During the regular school year: Daytime French courses are the most time intensive.
- In summer: Immersive summer French courses at McGill let you focus on French in-depth without juggling your regular course load.
I crave structure, but also flexibility.
Evening and weekend courses offered at the School of Continuing Studies combine scheduling flexibility with a structured learning environment and clear academic support.
I learn through real-world experiences.
The summer French immersion across Canada programs include daily cultural activities where you'll use French outside of the classroom. It's a great way to learn while connecting with people and engaging with Francophone cultures.
I want to prepare to work in French.
Offered on evenings and weekends, French for Professional Communication is an excellent way to prepare to use French in the workplace.
You can also take specialized French training for working in Healthcare or Health and Psychosocial Sciences. These pathways can also lead to certifications recognized by employers.
Clubs and activities, such as the French Language Centre's Travailler en français workshops, offer additional opportunities to improve your skills.
I'm looking to build small, sustainable French learning habits into my routine.
Already know some French? Try self-study, explore French media, or join a club or conversation group to keep improving at your own pace.
Worried about your GPA?
Don't stress! There are lots of ways to learn French that won't affect your GPA.
- Daytime French courses offered by the French Language Centre and the immersive summer French courses at McGill can be taken as satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) courses. If you're eligible for this option, you'll get credit for passing, but no letter grade.
- Alternatively, you might be able to take a course in addition to your program, meaning you don't receive credits and your grade won't affect your GPA (check with your Faculty's Student Affairs Office for more info).
- Evening and weekend courses offered by the School of Continuing Studies are graded and appear on your transcript, but won't affect the GPA for your degree program.
- Some courses in French for Health and Psychosocial Services are non-credit or offer grading options that won't affect your GPA. Explore grading options for French for Health and Psychosocial Sciences.
- The summer French immersion programs are external and won't appear on your transcript, though Canadian students can claim transfer credit.
English isn't your first language?
No worries! Many of our students speak more than one language before learning French and our courses are designed with this diversity in mind.
You’ll learn in an environment that values your full linguistic repertoire and encourages you to draw on all your languages as assets in your French learning journey.
Through interactive, task-based, and experiential activities, you’ll build confidence in speaking and writing French while benefiting from innovative and supportive teaching approaches rooted in plurilingual and intercultural perspectives.
Assess your knowledge
Find out where your French skills stand today so you can take your French to the next level.
Other ways to improve your French
Join a club or activity
Explore French-language media
Free French classes by the Government of Quebec
Full-time, part-time, online, and industry-specific courses are available to all persons 16 years of age and older who are living or planning to settle in Quebec.