An inclusive engineering university

The world needs women engineers

Engineering is the discipline of choice for young women inspired by science and technology and who aspire to play roles with an impact on society and enjoy careers rich in potential. To remain competitive in the digital age, companies will need the talents of women as well as those of men. Today, robotics, virtual reality, e-health, energy, mobility, the “Internet of things,” and more are all exciting fields likely to capture the interests of women.

“Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15 percent more likely to have financial returns above their national industry median.”

^{McKinsey Report, Diversity Matters}

“Gender-diverse teams make better business decisions up to 50% of the time.”

^{Forbes Report, Hacking Diversity with Inclusive Decision Making}

More and more female students at Polytechnique Montréal

Polytechnique Montréal encourages young women to take an interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (known by the acronym “STEM”), and works to break down stereotypes. Over the years, it has taken part in multiple initiatives aimed at promoting careers in science to young women. The school supports its female students’ growth and fulfilment, along with the professional development of its women alumni and faculty members. Thanks to those actions, Polytechnique has seen constant growth in the proportion of its female students, outpacing the national average for engineering schools and faculties, though that proportion remains lower than in other fields of study.

In the mid-1980s, the proportion was around 15%, while today it stands close to 30%. At the bachelor's level, 30 % of the students are female and represents 31% of this fall's new registrations.

We are thereby helping to achieve the goals of the Engineers Canada “30 in 30” initiative, which aims to ensure that by 2030, at least 30% of newly licenced engineers are women.

Some statistics


New undergraduate enrolments Comparison: Polytechnique/Québec – engineering faculties _{Fall 2023}	Undergraduate enrolments Comparison: Polytechnique/Canada/Québec – engineering faculties _{Fall 2023}
Enrolments at Polytechnique, all levels _{Fall 2023}	Enrolments at Polytechnique, professional master’s _{Fall 2023}
Enrolments at Polytechnique, research master’s _{Fall 2023}	Enrolments at Polytechnique, doctoral _{Fall 2023}
Bachelor’s Degree Graduates Comparison: Polytechnique/Canada/Québec – engineering faculties _{Fall 2022}