Why McGill is popular with American Students?

I was surprised to learn that few students from my D16 class will be attending McGill. Here in California we have so many great public options, so why to choose public university in Canada? Is it cheaper for Americans? Especially for those who would not qualify for FA?

Because it is a top school with somewhat less competition than the very top schools in the US.

International tuition at McGill is as low as C$17,000 in many programs. Merit aid is offered to American students.

If the student is a dual citizen tuition is only C$8000 for all programs.

Students may have a desire for an international experience but are hesitant to go overseas. McGill is fully accredited in most areas by the relevant American accrediting board, not true of most overseas schools.

Montreal is a unique and fascinating city for a college age student. It is also a very safe city.

My daughter was accepted to the UC to which she applied. However, she really wanted to go to someplace different than home for a new experience. The UC would be $6,000 more the first year and the following years McGill is even less expensive because of living off campus. I think the education is similar at a UC, but to be able to travel to and international place is a growing, learning, and exciting experience. And we will likely save some money.

I also reiterate everything that TomSrofBoston said.

Great education, great city, and a lot cheaper than tuition in the USA!

I also know American students who go to the University of British Columbia.

This article is over 10 years old but it gives an insight into the campus culture at McGill versus similar US schools:

http://www.mcgill.ca/reporter/38/01/drinking/

Yep, some schools/majors in McGill are (still) very affordable for Americans, costing as or less than in-state tuition.
And there are great public options in CA, but the top ones are now extremely difficult to get in to. So McGill (somewhere around/equivalent to UMich/UW-Madison/UCLA, I’d say) may have been their best option.

Would love to consider McGill for my son but engineering tuition for US students is over $35,000 CDN. My son probably wont qualify for any merit-aid considering the caliber of students at McGill. So it’s not affordable for us. Too bad.

McGill has history, charm, and excellence to challenge some of the Ivy Leagues, but at a lesser cost, for the mos part. My wife was lucky enough to be accepted at Medical School there out of Beloit, where she was a foreign student. Very rigorous, but she has found her education has stood up over the years. I’m guessing that US students looking for something a little different, but not TOO different, will be looking at a place like McGill. Montreal is a medium sized city with a big city feel and sophistication. Not for everyone, but some love it.

McGill is a world class university (ranked much higher than most of the US schools actually, just look at this http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2016) with an extremely affordable tuition for a school of that caliber. And the city is wonderful. What could be a better combination?

For the same reasons lots of American kids are now considering UK schools - great quality with a cheaper price tag.