Registration and admission are two different things. To be registered at UdeM, students must first be admitted. For information on admission to UdeM, visit the Admission website.

In Quebec, registration is on a session-by-session basis. Registration takes place in September for the fall session, in January for the winter session, and in May for the summer session. In Europe, registration is valid for the entire academic year (unless otherwise specified). Please contact the student records management technician (TGDE) in your department for information on how to register for a PhD program.

Once you are registered in a joint PhD, avoid splitting your stays in Montreal. It is essential to maintain an administrative link with UdeM. If you are an international student and are spending your first year of doctoral studies outside Quebec, you must be registered at UdeM as of the session indicated in your letter of admission. If you do not maintain this administrative link with UdeM, you may be unable to obtain authorization to enter Canada when it is time to pursue your program here.

The costs vary with your citizenship status (Quebec resident, Canadian non-resident of Quebec, French student, or student from another country) and the stage you have reached in your studies (coursework, thesis writing,* or thesis evaluation/correction).

The amount for one session includes tuition, compulsory fees, cancellation fees (if applicable and under certain conditions), insurance fees, and interest (if applicable). To estimate the amount you will be billed, visit the Paying for Your Studies page.

*Once you have completed your required courses and paid the associated fees, you will move to "thesis writing" status, for which the tuition fees are lower.

For more details on the costs of a joint PhD, please go to the Joint PhD Costs page. For more information on financial assistance opportunities, please go to the Financial Support page.  

You must spend at least three sessions at UdeM during your program. During these stays, you must complete the courses and activities required by your program of study and specified in your joint PhD agreement. It is also important to complete the compulsory steps in the UdeM PhD program. For more details, go to the Joint PhD Milestones page.

When you are abroad, you must complete the CHE_Cotutelle_Séjours_Externes (Joint PhD Residency Outside Quebec) form and attach a Declaration of Stay Outside Quebec form signed by your research supervisor at the partner university. Only after this declaration has been received will your tuition fees be waived. For more details on the procedure to follow, go to the Joint PhD Costs page.

The Coordinator will provide you with the appropriate UdeM agreement template for your partner institution and will assist you in drafting the agreement in cooperation with your co-supervisors and the partner institution’s joint PhD/cotutelle service. For more information on the steps to follow to set up your joint PhD, visit the Drawing up a Joint PhD Agreement page.

For more information on drafting your joint PhD agreement, visit the Agreements page.

Drafting a France-Quebec Joint PhD/cotutelle agreement form: useful information

A. Preamble

The name of the Assistant Vice-Rector for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is Julie Carrier.

B. Administrative provisions

Article 1

Clearly indicate the number and name of the program (or option, if applicable) at both institutions, as this information will appear on your diplomas.

Article 2

You must state the expected dates of your stays.

Article 3

If you are a Quebec student, you are covered by the Régie de l’assurance-maladie du Québec (RAMQ) for health insurance purposes. If you take out private insurance, please indicate this. While in France, you will have health coverage under intergovernmental agreements.

If you are a French student, you are covered by the RAMQ under intergovernmental agreements during your stay in Quebec and by social security when you are in France.

Students from other countries who are enrolled in a joint France-Quebec program are strongly advised to take out private insurance.

C. Academic provisions

Article 4

State the names of your supervisors. In addition, your supervisors are required to provide evidence for the usefulness and relevance of the joint PhD.

Article 5

List the courses in your joint PhD program identified by your co-supervisors and/or your home unit. If your studies at the partner institution do not include any courses, state this and list any other activities such as seminars, conferences and research work.

State the session during which you will be taking the comprehensive exam in the "Comprehensive Exam" section. Keep in mind that all PhD students at UdeM, whether they are from Quebec or outside Quebec, have to take the comprehensive exam.

Article 6

State the location of the thesis defence, which must be the same as your place of residency at the time. If it changes, inform both institutions, as an addendum to the joint PhD agreement will have to be drafted.

D. Other provisions

Practical steps

You must sign the agreement before having it signed by the co-supervisors and the heads of the two institutions. At UdeM, each academic unit (faculty, school, department, program) has its own graduate studies coordinator.