Financial Questions

The following information is for international students registered in a degree or diploma program at Polytechnique Montréal. Exchange students must follow up with the relevant authorities in their country of origin.

International students are not eligible for the Québec Education Ministry’s student loans and bursaries program. International students are eligible for a number of scholarships from Polytechnique Montréal, but none of them cover the full cost of tuition. Students are also encouraged to look into scholarships offered by external organizations. Note that under some circumstances, they may be exempt from differential fees and pay the same tuition fees as Québec-based students.

If you receive funding from your government or another organization, verify the payment dates and details before coming to Canada. Ask for a detailed list of the costs covered by your grant or scholarship. You also need to check whether the funds will arrive in time to cover your initial outlay. If your scholarship includes medical coverage, ensure that you have specific documentation attesting to this, since you will need it to withdraw from Polytechnique’s compulsory health insurance plan.

If your scholarship fails to cover your academic and living expenses, you must provide Québec and Canadian immigration authorities with proof of sufficient additional financial resources.

For further information on planning your budget, consult our budget pages.

Payment of tuition fees from abroad

In certain cases, Canadian immigration authorities will require that tuition fees be paid in full (for a semester or a full academic year) before a study permit can be issued.

If you want to pay your tuition fees from abroad, visit this page for more information on how to proceed.

Exemption from Differential Fees

In line with current regulations in Québec, all foreign students must pay international tuition fees, which are higher than the tuition fees paid by students who are Québec residents.

However, certain students are exempt from paying international tuition fees; these students pay the same tuition as Québec students. The categories of differential fee exemptions are described on the website of the MEES (Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement Supérieur)

Polytechnique Montréal also offers a limited number of differential fee exemption scholarships to Thesis Master’s (maitrise recherche) students. Students must apply for these through the Registrar’s Office at the start of each semester, but the scholarship cannot apply to the first term of the program.

Scholarships and Awards

Scholarship and awards directory

You can visit this directory (in French) to get a glimpse of the list of awards available to Polytechnique students. You will be able to use filters in order to discover which ones are open to international students.

Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program

The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) offer merit scholarships enabling students from developing countries in La Francophonie to study in Canada.

However, students who have obtained or intend to apply for permanent resident status in Canada are not eligible. The CBEI and WUSC expect award recipients to return to their country of origin once they have completed their studies.

Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship program

This program offers scholarships to students from other Commonwealth countries who wish to pursue graduate studies in Canada.

To know more about this scholarship, please visit the website of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD)

Organization of American States (OAS) Fellowship Programs

This program assists students from OAS member states. Scholarship recipients must have completed an undergraduate degree and meet the admission criteria for graduate studies or research.

Programs offered by national and international organizations

Tax Obligations

On this page, you will find some basic information regarding your income tax obligations.

Filing an income tax declaration to the Canada Revenue Agency and Revenu Québec is generally an obligation for those living in Canada, even temporarily, whether they have earned an income in Canada the previous year, or not. Under certain conditions, tax payers can receive tax returns after filing out their declaration.

The Student Services Office does not offer individual consultations on the theme of income taxes. However, each year during the month of March, a workshop meant as an introduction to the Québec and Canada tax systems is offered. Time and dates are announced in the course of the Winter term and can be found on Polytechnique's Institutional Calendar.

If you do not want to file your declaration by yourself, HEC Montréal's Société de Relations d'Affaires offers an income tax clinic during a week-end in March or April, where volunteers can help you file your declaration. If you have missed the clinic, consult the list of Volunteer Tax Preparation Clinics in Montréal. This service is either free or offered at a very low cost to low-revenue individuals and families. Consult the list to know their admissibility criteria. It is also possible to refer to specialized companies dealing with tax declaration preparations or accounting services.

The are also several softwares which allow you to file your declaration and to send it electronically .

Finally, numerous information is available to tax payers on the Canada Revenue Agency website, including a webinar for international students.

Support in case of financial difficulties

Students must ensure that they will have access to enough financial resources to pay for their tuition fees and living expenses throughout their program. However, should they face unforeseen and punctual financial difficulties, emergency help can be provided under certain conditions.

A permanent emergency help fund is available to answer the immediate needs of Polytechnique Montréal students who find themselves in great precarity. Students can also turn to other resources available in the larger community, such as food banks. To know more, visit this page (in French only).

LINKS

Government of Québec - Financial Assistance for International Students

Canada Revenue Agency

Québec Revenue Agency

I Choose Montréal: Students and Income Tax

211 - Social and community organizations near you