Montpellier is a sun-drenched city near the Mediterranean coast, with one of the youngest populations in France and a student-dominated centre. Home to one of the world’s oldest medical schools, it combines a lively atmosphere, a compact old town, and quick access to beaches that few other French university cities can match.

Universities and major institutes

University of Montpellier
Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3
Montpellier Business School
Polytech Montpellier (engineering)

Cost of living

Montpellier is moderately priced for a city of its popularity. A room in a shared flat typically runs €400 to €650 a month, with Boutonnet and the areas near the science and medical campuses usually a little cheaper than the Écusson. CROUS restaurants close to the main faculties serve canteen meals at a fixed, subsidised price, a straightforward way to eat properly on a tight budget. CAF housing assistance is available to some students depending on nationality, income, and scholarship status, though eligibility for non-EU students without a social-criteria scholarship has narrowed recently, so confirm your own entitlement with CAF rather than relying on older figures. Add a discounted tram pass and the fact that produce and eating out both tend to run a little cheaper than in Paris, and a modest budget goes further here than the coastal setting might suggest.

Getting around

Montpellier’s tram network, with lines designed by different artists and instantly recognisable by colour, covers the city thoroughly, linking the Écusson, the university campuses, and the beaches at Palavas-les-Flots. It is dense enough that most students manage without a car entirely, and discounted student passes make regular use genuinely cheap. The flat terrain and warm climate also make cycling popular for much of the year, particularly between the centre and the science faculties.

Weather and lifestyle

Montpellier has a genuinely Mediterranean climate: long, hot, dry summers, mild winters, and considerably more sunshine overall than students arriving from Paris or Lille tend to expect. Life spills outdoors for much of the year, with terraces around Place de la Comédie busy well into the evening and weekend trips to the beach a normal part of student routine from spring onward. As elsewhere in France, expect many smaller restaurants and shops to close for a few weeks in August, when the city empties out a little and the coast fills up instead.

Working while you study

Non-EU students can generally work up to 964 hours a year on a student residence permit. With limited French, hospitality and retail are the most realistic options, helped by the tourist trade along the coast in summer, alongside campus jobs through CROUS. Montpellier’s large student population means these roles are competitive, and better opportunities, including tutoring or work tied to the health and life-sciences sector, tend to open up once French has improved.

Neighbourhoods for students

Écusson (Old Town): the historic, pedestrian centre.
Boutonnet: close to the main university, student-heavy.
Antigone: modern and central.
Aiguelongue / Hôpitaux-Facultés: near the science and medical campuses.

Studying in Montpellier