Lea GagnonThe 5 Best Art Schools in Montreal to Unlock Your Creative Career
Montreal is widely celebrated for its vibrant cultural fabric, making it an incredible backdrop for any aspiring visual creator. When trying art classes isn’t enough, pursuing higher education with the right curriculum can greatly help with learning.
Finding the best art schools in Montreal means looking beyond basic courses to discover environments that genuinely foster creative discipline and technical mastery.
Whether your goal is classical oil painting or digital entertainment design, the local options offer deeply specialised environments.
We’ve evaluated the top institutions across the city to help you launch your professional creative career, so read on to know your options!
How much does an art school cost in Montreal?
The annual tuition fees for art schools in Montreal range from $3,000 to $12,000 for domestic students, while international students can expect $15,000 and up. This varies widely based on residency status and the institution.
| Student Residency Status | Estimated Annual Tuition |
| Quebec Residents | $3,000 – $5,000 |
| Canadian Non-Quebec Residents | $8,000 – $12,000 |
| International Students / Private Colleges | $15,000 – $50,000+ |
How We Reviewed
1. Academy Fine Arts De Montréal
Website:http://www.academ.ca/
Address: 524 Saint-Hubert Street (2nd floor)
Contact: (514) 508-5119 | [email protected]
Hours: Administration Hours Monday-Thursday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Friday 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM | Visiting Days Tuesdays, Thursdays 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Appointments Required)
Academy Fine Arts De Montréal stands out internationally as an approved Art Renewal Center (ARC) institution dedicated to the preservation and teaching of realistic visual art. They bypass modern abstract trends in favour of traditional foundational mastery.
When looking for comprehensive training, the focus remains firmly rooted in classical techniques such as sight-size drawing and meticulous oil painting.
We visited the Saint-Hubert Street studios and chatted with a couple of students who were working under northern skylights. The technical precision we saw was striking, to say the least.
Plus, the rigorous curriculum also builds immense discipline.
Just be aware that getting into that professional tier requires jumping through a few hoops. Sadly, you can’t go straight into the full-time intensive track without finishing a regular introductory session first.
The mandatory portfolio interview with the pedagogical team can also feel quite intimidating for beginners.
Customer Reviews
If I could give 10 stars, I would
“I could appreciate the beauty of drawing but I couldn’t create anything myself. And OMG how surprised I was that you can learn!!! I absolutely love the studio and what is the most precious is that the teacher uses individual approach to each student, patiently explaining things, showing, encouraging you to truly learn and create. If I could give 10 stars, I would. Thank you, Académie des Beaux Arts ❤”
- Olga A, Google Review
Highly recommended
“The Montreal Academy of Fine-Arts rivals with the best in class international classical drawing academies. I learned classical drawing at that school and now I teach there as well. I highly recommand it if you want to learn how to observe and how to draw from life.”
- Karim Aktouf, Google Review
2. Montreal School of Fine Arts – EBAMA
Website:https://ebama.ca/
Address: 1335 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est
Contact: (514) 898-4179 | (514) 942-7817 | [email protected]
Hours: Workshops/Studios Open Every Monday 11:00 AM-9:00 PM; Tuesday 2:30-9:00 PM; Wednesday 2:30-9:00 PM; Thursday 11:00 AM-5:30 PM
Montreal School of Fine Arts – EBAMA is the only art school in Montreal that offers students the convenience of purchasing professional drawing and painting supplies on-site at competitive prices.
Their setup eliminates the usual frantic trips across town to look for specific pigments or charcoal grades. The simplified day-to-day logistics are a massive win for students.
Also, the overall structure here provides excellent training modelled on classic academic standards. It’s coupled with continuous enrollment options so you can start working at your own pace.
We also appreciate that they run unique landscape painting internships abroad in historic European settings.
However, the school maintains an incredibly strict attendance policy that might clash with a volatile work routine.
In particular, you’re only permitted a single absence and a makeup class per 10-week block. Under this rule, you risk losing your investment if your external schedule changes unexpectedly.
Customer Reviews
Critiques are done with a positive eye
“Great school, Nicolai is an excellent teacher who explains well and allows you to use your own creativity at the same time learning to draw classically. As for the students everyone encourages each other. All critiques are done from a positive eye from teachers and students. I always look forward to my Monday classes.”
- Keith Donald West, Google Review
Adapts their teaching according to students’ level
“A lot of different teachers and art classes for young and adults. You can find the detailed description on their site.They really adapt their teaching according to the level of the student and his\her needs. My daughter really appreciates Mme Stéphanie. We cannot wait for classes to restart.”
- I’m Ren, Google Review
3. Cestar College – Syn Studio
Website:https://synstudio.ca/
Address: Suite 210, 3440 Ontario St E
Contact: (514) 998-7625 | [email protected]
Hours: Class Schedules every Monday 5:00-7:00 PM; Thursday 6:00-9:30 PM; Sunday 3:00-5:00 PM
Cestar College – Syn Studio focuses exclusively on highly specialized entertainment design, digital painting, concept art, and comic creation. These are taught directly by active industry professionals working at major video game and film studios.
This institution is ideal for aspiring concept artists trying to break into the booming gaming industry.
One example is when a close friend of ours completed their digital painting intensive track last semester. The portfolio critiques they received from working art directors completely reshaped their approach to character design.
The school also does a phenomenal job of linking traditional anatomical drawing skills with modern digital software workflows, which is vital for commercial success.
Another plus is that local neighborhood residents can even get a neat discount on tuition.
On the downside, they have a hard minimum age limit of 16 years. Younger prodigies will have to wait before accessing these specialised classrooms.
Customer Reviews
Back for life art sessions
“As a former teacher at the school I am a bit biased, but along with teaching some of the courses I took a few as well and have been back for life art sessions since. Good atmosphere and an emphasis on practical skills I appreciate as a working artist.”
- Salgood Sam, Google Review
Thoroughly enjoyed my time at the school
“I already had a good foundation in digital drawing, but I wanted to learn traditional drawing techniques: charcoal, ink, oil paint, observational drawing, life drawing, and so on. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the school. I also took some character design courses.”
- Hug, Google Review
4. Concordia University – Centre for Digital Arts
Website:https://www.concordia.ca/
Address: 1400 De Maisonneuve Boulevard West
Contact: 514-848-2424 / [email protected] / [email protected]
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (Closed annually from August 21 to September 8)
The traditional university environment of Concordia University beautifully integrates academic research, studio creation, and pedagogy within a dedicated Department of Art Education embedded inside a comprehensive Faculty of Fine Arts.
The program gives you full access to specialized digital art spaces and production depots, making it highly versatile.
Overall, this institution is ideal if you want to gain field experience teaching at local community centers.
Beyond that, their programs conform to provincial guidelines to secure your formal teaching certification. The primary hurdle to consider is the massive time investment required.
There’s a heavy formal degree commitment spanning three to four years, which demands strict adherence to rigorous academic core curricula and lengthy, mandatory provincial student-teaching practicums, leaving little room for outside work.
Customer Reviews
You can get so many opportunities
“Nice place can call it actually university. So great faculties who can teach you very well even you can get so many opportunities there which can make your future brighter and better. Reception is very helpful and can find metro station under university building which is the best thing for students and for real time saving.”
- Yash Barot, Google Review
Very nice library building
“Very nice library building, not allowed to stay past a certain time unless you are a student at Concordia (for study time reasons). Very comfy seating almost anywhere you want to have a group meeting you can.”
- Jordan Kadanoff, Google Review
5. Université de Montréal
Website:https://admission.umontreal.ca/
Address: Office of Admissions and Recruitment Pavillon J.-A.-DeSève, 3rd floor, 2332 Édouard-Montpetit Blvd
Contact: 514-343-7076
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30 AM-12:00 PM; 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
A French-language university, Université de Montréal, uniquely combines advanced multidisciplinary artistic creation with advanced technological tools.
Students can access these tools in the dedicated 70-station Multimedia Laboratory (LaM), which is equipped with full-HD television and radio broadcast studios. It’s perfect for tech-forward creators looking to supplement their foundational knowledge.
The curriculum also offers a unique graduate diploma (D.E.S.S., or Diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées) that lets you explore complex mapping projects or secure a professional internship in industry.
However, planning your graduation requires careful attention, as the university warns that the program cannot be completed in two terms due to strict scheduling. This can often extend study time and tuition costs.
Customer Reviews
Classes are good and so are the teachers
“I just finished my bachelor’s in biology and I really had a great time at school. I didn’t participate in the extracurricular life but I could see there was always something interesting going on. The classes are good and so are the teachers. Alot of options for courses to take.”
- Marc A., Google Review
Very high education standards
“Very high education standards, with a dissemination and creation of knowledge that is amongst the most recognized nationwide. It still remains tiring when you get to walk all the way up the hill, but there are many alternative ways to get there!”
- Maxime Meloche, Google Review
