Language courses in Montreal: free Francisation Québec, McGill fees and BAnQ resources

Quick answer: Quebec runs its own free French courses, Francisation Québec, for anyone aged 16 or over who lives in the province, and eligible full-time learners can get $230 a week while they study. McGill’s School of Continuing Studies charges $525 for a 30-hour French@Work course. A free BAnQ library subscription gives Quebec residents Mango Languages and other French courses online.

How public language classes work in Montreal

Montreal is different from the rest of Canada. Quebec runs its own French courses for newcomers through the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) under the Francisation Québec banner, rather than the federal LINC and CLIC programmes. The Quebec government says it offers free French courses to everyone aged 16 or over who lives in Quebec and is not subject to compulsory school attendance, as well as to people planning to settle there.

Full-time courses run for about 10 weeks a session, 25 to 30 hours a week, Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 4pm, in class anywhere in Quebec or at a distance. Part-time courses run in the day, evening or at weekends for 6 to 20 hours a week, usually for 10 or 11 weeks. Classes are held at universities, cégeps, community organisations and school service centres; in Montreal, the adult education centres of the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal appear in public listings for French courses.

Francisation Québec support	Amount	Who it is for
Tuition, admission and course fees	Free	Residents of Quebec aged 16+ (small fees possible for materials or outings)
Participation allowance	$230 a week	Eligible immigrants on full-time courses
Childcare	Up to $25 per learning day per child	Learners whose children need care while they attend
Transport	$25 a week	Eligible full-time learners not receiving the $230 allowance

Refugee claimants and people already receiving some benefits, such as employment insurance or social assistance, cannot get the $230 allowance. You apply for financial help at the start of a session and have 60 days to do so. Our explainer on free French courses for newcomers to Quebec covers eligibility for students and temporary workers.

Montreal language course fees: a sample

We read these providers’ own pages in September 2026. They are examples, not a full price list for the city.

Provider	Course	Hours	Fee
Francisation Québec (MIFI)	Full-time or part-time French	25–30 hours a week full-time; 6–20 part-time	Free
McGill School of Continuing Studies	French@Work course, online	30 hours over 6 weeks	$525
McGill School of Continuing Studies	French@Work expert-level workshop	15 hours over 4 weeks	$385
McGill School of Continuing Studies	Credit courses, Quebec rate (summer 2026)	Per credit	$100.89 plus compulsory fees
McGill School of Continuing Studies	Credit courses, Canadian non-Quebec rate A	Per credit	$420.24 plus compulsory fees

McGill’s French@Work fee includes registration, tuition and course materials; each 30-hour course combines 12 contact hours with 18 hours of independent work. Credit courses are charged per credit, so residency matters: a student who qualifies for the Quebec rate pays $100.89 a credit, while the rate for Canadians from outside Quebec admitted since fall 2024 is $420.24, before compulsory fees such as a $41.89 general administrative charge per term.

Free language help at the library

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), whose Grande Bibliothèque is in the Quartier Latin, says a subscription is free for Quebec residents. It gives online access to Mango Languages, which covers more than 70 languages including French, and to Mozaik, which BAnQ says includes 11 French-as-a-second-language courses and two intensive francisation courses. The Grande Bibliothèque also has a service for newcomers.

Private lessons and schools: typical prices

We did not find a published source for typical tutor rates in Montreal. National ranges are in our Canada language course costs guide. Private schools in Montreal mostly sell French and English courses to international students and professionals, and many also prepare candidates for the TEF and TEFAQ tests.

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How to choose a language course in Montreal

Leisure language classes are not licensed in the way a trade is, so compare providers on what they publish and what they will put in writing:

Level and outcome. Ask which level the course starts and finishes at and how many teaching hours that takes. Government-funded English and French classes use the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and NCLC; most institutes use the CEFR scale explained in our guide to CEFR levels A1 to C2.
Price per hour, not per course. The courses on this page run from 8 hours to 375 hours, so divide the fee by the teaching hours before comparing.
What is extra. Registration fees, memberships, placement tests and textbooks are often charged on top of tuition.
Eligibility for free classes. LINC and school board ESL classes have immigration-status and address rules, and most need a language assessment first. Ask what to bring before you go.
Refunds and transfers. Ask for the refund policy in writing before you pay.
Tests and certificates. If you need a result for immigration, check the course prepares for the exact test you will book: see language tests for Express Entry. For DELF and other certificates, see DELF, DELE and the Goethe-Zertifikat.
Free first. If you live in Quebec, check whether Francisation Québec covers what you need before paying for a private French course. Part-time courses can take up to 70 working days to start after a first application.

Language course providers in Montreal

These providers appear in public business and education listings for Montreal. We have not checked their teaching, prices or accreditation, and they have not paid to appear.