McGill.CA / Undergraduate Admissions

French language proficiency

The language of instruction at McGill University is English. However, certain McGill programs include a mandatory internship, or ‘stage’, which will be completed in a hospital, clinic, social service centre, or school setting where the ability to communicate proficiently in French is essential. Proficiency in French is necessary for students to effectively and safely work with and support patients, families, and team members and for the successful completion of the programs listed below.

Programs that require proof of French proficiency: 

  • Nursing (for applicants to the B.Sc.(N), only)

  • Physical & Occupational Therapy

Criteria to meet French proficiency requirements

If you answer 'yes' to at least one of the following questions, upload a single page with your full name, McGill ID, the question to which you answered ‘yes’, and your signature. Do not attach other supporting documents unless specifically requested in your Minerva checklist.

  1. Have you completed secondary 4 and 5 at a school in Quebec where French was the primary language of instruction?
  2. Have you completed secondary 4 and 5 in a Quebec school with bilingual instruction (a minimum of three academic courses in each of secondary 4 and 5, aside from language courses, taught in French) AND obtained an average grade above 75% in French language classes?
  3. Will you have graduated from a high school program where French is the primary language of instruction (e.g. Baccalauréat Francais, Certificat d'enseignement secondaire supérieur (Belgique), Certificat de maturité (Suisse))?
  4. Did you study in a French-language school during the final two consecutive years of secondary school?
  5. Do you have a Diploma of Collegial Studies (DEC) granted by a francophone CEGEP before the introduction of the Épreuve uniforme de français in 1998?
  6. Will you have passed the Épreuve uniforme de français langue d'enseignement et literature at a French CEGEP?
  7. Will you have you completed 60 credits or more of an undergraduate program in a francophone university in Quebec?
  8. Have you been enrolled for 2 consecutive years or more in a full-time undergraduate program in a francophone university outside of Quebec?


If none of the above exemptions apply to you, you will need to submit the results for one of the following approved certificates or tests listed below.

​​​​​Acceptable means to demonstrate French proficiency

Students are expected to obtain a level of B2 or higher (level 6 on the Échelle Québecoise (EQ)) on any of the tests listed below. A copy of your results must be uploaded to your Minerva account.

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