This section contains all the information you need on the costs of a joint PhD and on the procedures to follow during your residency abroad. If you have any questions, please contact the Coordinator.

Doctoral student’s responsibility

Students in a joint PhD program must ensure that they have the additional financial resources required for the study periods abroad included in that program and for the fact that some administrative procedures and formalities have to be completed at both institutions. The UdeM international website will help you estimate the cost of your stays. Each university will provide you with information on registration and tuition fees as well as on any other fees it will require you to pay as a joint PhD student.

Shared funding for training

France

The general principle governing the funding of a joint PhD is that, once the joint PhD agreement is signed, the student pays registration and tuition fees and related costs only to the institution where they are physically located for a given period and that they are then exempt from paying those fees to the other institution. Thus the two institutions share responsibility for the student’s training and also share the revenues from the fees that have to be paid for the training.

Note: Under no circumstances may students choose to pay their fees to one university instead of the other based on the amount of the fees. They pay their tuition fees to the university where they are physically located.

At Université de Montréal, the cost of a normal PhD program (not joint PhD) is calculated on the following basis:

• Six sessions with full-time status;
• Subsequently, a variable number of sessions with thesis writing status, depending on the total duration of the doctoral program.

To be granted thesis writing status, which is advantageous because tuition fees are then lower, students must have completed their coursework and the six required sessions, passed their comprehensive exam, and fulfilled all other obligations associated with full-time status in their program of study.

The cost of a PhD program at UdeM may be lower for students who have chosen the joint PhD option. They must complete and pay for a minimum of three sessions at UdeM. These sessions normally occur during the first two years of their PhD studies.

In addition to this minimum financial obligation (payment for three sessions), joint PhD students must pay the fees for any additional sessions they spend at UdeM.

Other countries

The development of joint PhDs/cotutelles with countries other than France means that a number of declining funding formulas have had to be applied, with a new formula being introduced if the existing one does not work.

Although they are generally based on the same core principles as in France (a minimum of three sessions of compulsory attendance at UdeM and payment of fees to the university where the student is physically located), the formulas differ because of several factors that are best explored with the Coordinator.

Exception to the principle of shared funding

The principle of shared funding for education means that joint PhD students avoid paying tuition fees and related costs simultaneously to both institutions. However, given the difference in the periods covered by tuition fees at each university (e.g. per session at UdeM and annually in France), a student may be required to pay tuition fees to both institutions for a given session.

France

France manages registrations on an annual basis, while Université de Montréal does so on a session-by-session basis and therefore requires three successive registrations for the same academic year (in September, January and May).

When the periods covered are identical or equivalent when added together, the principle of shared funding is easy to apply. Students who spend one academic year (fall, winter and summer) in France and the next year in Quebec will have no problem having their tuition fees waived at the institution they will not be attending that year.

However, students who change institutions during the same academic year and, for example, spend the fall session at one institution and the winter session at another must pay the annual fees to the French university and the fees required for the session(s) concerned to Université de Montréal. Each institution considers the student to be present during the period covered by the registration and applies its study funding rules accordingly.

In other words, split residencies increase the cost of a joint PhD, and it is best to be aware of this when planning the residency schedule required in the joint PhD agreement.

Other countries

For other countries with which a joint PhD is being contemplated, the academic calendar, operating procedures and tuition fee management model of the institution concerned must also be taken into account. It is best to check with your partner university as early as possible in order to plan your stays accordingly and avoid the risk of double billing.

How can you have your tuition fees waived?

Doctoral students enrolled at Université de Montréal are required to keep their files in good standing with the finance department and, consequently, to pay the tuition fees and other required costs. You will find more details on this financial obligation on the Paying for Your Studies page.

As a privilege, joint PhD students who are studying abroad may ask Université de Montréal to waive their tuition fees under certain conditions and for a specific number of sessions. This is not an absolute right. Furthermore, students must activate this privilege through a specific process and by a specific deadline. Students who do not provide the required documents in time to activate this privilege will be required to pay UdeM the fees normally charged to students enrolled at UdeM. These fees are charged to their account at the time of registration for each session. Note also that joint PhD students cannot claim the privilege to avoid other financial obligations related to their status as students at UdeM, which must be properly and fully discharged.

Note: UdeM does not retroactively reimburse students for tuition fees paid before their joint PhD is formalized.

Procedure

When joint PhD students spend a session outside Quebec, they must ensure that they register properly at UdeM at the start of each session and by the set deadline. They must also submit a declaration of stay outside Quebec to GPS by the required deadline. To do so, they must complete the CHE_Cotutelle_Séjours_Externes form via their Student Centre and attach a valid Declaration of Stay Outside Quebec form. The completed form must be received no later than:

• September 21, for the fall session
• January 21, for the winter session
• May 21, for the summer session

When students spend a session at Université de Montréal, they pay the tuition fees normally required for that session based on their status ("full-time," "thesis writing" or "thesis correction/evaluation"). They must ensure that they provide the partner university with the documents required to be exempt from paying fees to that university.

Cost of registration at UdeM

The cost varies with your status in Quebec. Are you a Quebec resident, a Canadian non-resident of Quebec, a French student, or a student from another country?

It also varies with the status assigned to you by UdeM at the various stages of your program. Are you in the "full-time" phase (the first two years, or longer if required), in the "thesis writing" phase (after passing the comprehensive exam and until you submit your thesis), or in the "thesis evaluation/correction" phase?

The amount charged to your account when you register for a session normally includes:

• Tuition fees;
• Compulsory related fees;
• Fees that may be waived  under certain conditions;
• Insurance fees;
• Interest on unpaid balances, if applicable.

For more details or to estimate the amount that will be charged to your account, go to the "Tuition Fees" page on the Registrar’s Office website

Insurance

Insurance is automatically billed at the time of registration to all Quebec and international students. French students are covered by the government insurance provided to Quebec students, and their insurance bill is reduced accordingly.

When you are abroad, you can cancel your insurance coverage. For international students, the insurance cancellation procedure is included in the procedure for waiving tuition fees, and the deadlines are the same. If students do not provide their Declaration of Stay Outside Quebec by the applicable deadline (see above), their insurance cannot be cancelled and they will have to pay it before registering for the next session.

Quebec students can cancel their insurance by contacting the insurer directly. However, many students prefer to maintain this insurance coverage during their stay abroad.

Full details on insurance costs and cancellation procedures for Quebec students are available on the Paying for Your Studies page. The UdeM international website offers useful additional information and personalized assistance if you have specific questions about insurance.

Thesis defence

A sufficient amount of money must be provided by the student and all parties concerned (supervisors, home units, universities) to cover the costs associated with the thesis defence and travel expenses incurred in setting up an evaluation committee. This matter should be examined as soon as the joint PhD agreement is signed so that the final stage of the joint PhD is not jeopardized.

Joint PhD students pay the usual fees for submitting their thesis to the institution where the defence will take place (reproduction, binding, and shipping if necessary). They must also submit a number of copies to the partner institution; the relevant procedures and associated costs vary from one institution to another.