McGill vs Concordia

The R-score, also called the CRC, is the number Quebec uses to rank CEGEP results. McGill calls it the main measure for CEGEP applicants. It uses your overall R-score from the Ministry. It also works out a core R-score from the prerequisite courses for your program. You have to meet both to get an offer.

The core changes with the program. For Science it includes biology, math, chemistry and physics. For Engineering it is math, chemistry and physics. For Management it is your math courses. McGill also says it looks at all your results, and repeated courses and failures are taken into account.

Concordia uses the same score but sets its rules program by program. Many programs list only an overall CRC. Others add a math, science or physics minimum. Concordia calls its numbers indicators. It says a student who meets them is not guaranteed a place, because of the number of applications.

Take a student with an overall R-score of 30 and strong core courses. Against McGill's September 2026 minimums, that clears Arts at 27.5 and Commerce at 29.69. It also clears the B.Sc. group that includes computer science, at 28.0. It falls short of Civil Engineering at 30.6 and Software Engineering at 31.0.

McGill warns that these are last cycle's values. They are not the Fall 2027 scores, and they can move from year to year. A score just above a minimum is a reasonable try, not a safe one. A score well above it is a stronger position.

At Concordia, a 30 overall meets or clears every overall minimum in its current table. Aerospace Engineering is exactly 30. That includes Computer Science at 25 overall and 26 in math, Commerce at 26 and Psychology at 27.5. A few math-heavy programs ask for more in math, such as Actuarial Mathematics/Finance at 32. Some programs also need a portfolio, an audition or a dossier. A high CRC does not replace those parts.

McGill engineering minimums for September 2026 were among its highest. Bioengineering was 33.3, Electrical 33.1 and Mechanical 34.4. McGill says applicants to its most competitive programs should present all or nearly all prerequisites before entry.

Concordia's Gina Cody School lists Civil Engineering at 23 overall, 23 in math and 22 in physics. Mechanical Engineering is 25 overall, with the same math and physics floors. Software Engineering is 25 overall, 26 in math and 25 in physics. Concordia calls these minimum cut-offs, so treat them as a floor.

Computer science is set up differently too. At Concordia, the Bachelor of Computer Science is its own degree with a 25 overall and 26 math minimum. At McGill, you apply to a Science group and choose your program inside it. Read McGill Computer Science and Concordia Computer Science for the course lists.

Both schools can admit you without every prerequisite, but the rules differ. For Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mining, Materials and Software Engineering, McGill can accept students with at least four prerequisites. Those must include Math NYA and NYB plus any two science courses. Any missing course is added to your McGill program.

McGill is stricter for its very competitive engineering programs. It says Bioengineering, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering applicants should present all or nearly all prerequisites before entry. Students in the Sciences, lettres et arts DEC are not held back for missing courses, but they make them up at McGill.

Concordia says applicants missing some prerequisites may still be eligible. It still recommends finishing as many as you can inside your DEC. If you are choosing CEGEP courses now, keep the math and science courses your target programs list.

McGill's Fall 2027 deadline for CEGEP applicants to most programs is March 1, 2027. Its Quebec page lists April 15 for supporting documents and March 7 for the major entrance scholarship, but it doesn't say which year those two dates are for. Nursing has its own February 1 application date, and Music is January 15.

Concordia's fall deadline is also March 1. It reads late applications if places are still open. Check program availability first, since some programs fill. You can list three program choices, in order. If your first choice says no, Concordia moves to the next one for you.

McGill handles choices with applications instead. The fee is $140.16, and a second application for the same term costs nothing extra. After that, each one costs another $140.16. McGill expects CEGEP decisions from the end of February to mid-May.

Both universities charge the tuition rates Quebec sets. In 2026-27 the Quebec resident rate is $103.92 per credit at McGill and at Concordia. For 30 credits that is $3,117.60, by our calculation. Each school adds its own compulsory fees, and those differ.

Canadians from outside Quebec who started in Fall 2024 or later pay $432.85 per credit at both schools. That is the Quebec rate plus an out-of-province charge. For 30 credits it comes to $12,985.50, by our calculation. McGill Commerce and Engineering add a further supplement on top.

Concordia posted an April 28, 2025 notice about a Quebec Superior Court ruling. The court asked the government to review the out-of-province increase. Concordia said the higher rates stay until the government changes its rules. The 2026-27 tables at both schools still show $432.85. See McGill fees and Concordia fees.

McGill's Ontario page lists last year's typical minimum grade ranges. Arts was high 80s to low 90s in the top six English or French courses. Management was mid 90s in the top six. The Physical, Earth, Math and Computer Sciences group was low 90s. The deadline for Canadian high schools outside Quebec is February 1, 2027.

Concordia asks Ontario students for six 4U or 4M courses, including ENG4U. Programs add their own courses and minimum averages. Its fall deadline stays March 1. That later date can help if you decide on Montreal late in Grade 12.

Students from outside Quebec should plan for the $432.85 per credit rate at either school. You can only pay the Quebec rate if you meet the Quebec government's residency rules and prove it. Concordia warns that if your proof is late, you pay the higher fee first and get a credit later.

Concordia says CEGEP students with a CRC of 33 or above are eligible for its Undergraduate Excellence Awards. It describes this as a guaranteed $4,000 toward your Concordia education. Read the award page for the full rules before you count on it.

McGill runs a separate entrance scholarship application. Its Quebec page lists March 7 for that application and its documents. McGill says the scholarship deadline is usually about a week after the application deadline, so it comes fast.

Concordia also says every first-year applicant is considered for an entrance scholarship when they apply. Neither school's scholarship changes its admission minimums. Think of awards as a bonus after you choose the programs that fit your score.

Start with your program, then your score. If your R-score sits near a McGill minimum, add a Concordia program you would be happy in. The March 1 date at both schools makes that easy to do in one sitting.

Next, check how your core courses look. McGill's two-score rule can matter more than your overall number. A student with a 31 overall and a weaker math and science core may still miss a McGill program. Concordia's math and physics floors are lower, so the same file can fit there.

Last, compare the full cost. The tuition rate is the same, so look at housing, fees and awards. Each school's hub has residence and aid pages: McGill and Concordia.