Chicoutimi
Figures for the city of Saguenay as a whole (Chicoutimi is one of its boroughs; Statistics Canada publishes no borough-level data)
Chicoutimi is the central borough of the city of Saguenay and its urban heart, on the banks of the Saguenay River. It has the region's liveliest downtown, with shops, services and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), which animates student life. It is a practical anchor point for exploring the rest of Saguenay and its fjord. This section gathers the bilingual guides for settling in Chicoutimi: finding housing, accessing higher education and UQAC student life, exploring Mont Valin and the outdoors, and organizing your daily routine. Whether you arrive to study or work in the region, you will find every step explained one at a time.
5 guides
Sources: Statistics Canada · 2021 census
Cégep de Chicoutimi
Cégep de Chicoutimi: flagship programs, international students, campus life, costs and financial aid, and how to prepare your admission file.
The Cégep de Chicoutimi — public, francophone, founded in 1967. 2,500 students. Pre-university and technical programs. Flagship programs: Aeronautics (one of 2 CEGEPs in Quebec offering this training) · Police techniques · Nursing · Civil engineering · Arts and letters The Cégep hosts a growing number of international students. The cost of living in Saguenay makes studies very affordable. The i...
September 9, 2026 · 5 min
Read the full article
Finding Housing in Chicoutimi
Chicoutimi rental market: students, families, and neighbourhood options.
Chicoutimi's market has tightened sharply since 2024 — the vacancy rate has fallen to about 1.3% in the Saguenay metro area (SCHL survey, October 2025), and some Chicoutimi sectors are near 0%. This is no longer an especially easy market: in fall 2025, Montréal's rate (2.9%) was actually higher than Saguenay's. Three distinct segments: Student apartments near UQAC · Single-family homes and dupl...
August 5, 2026 · 5 min
Read the full article
Mont-Valin and Outdoor Life Around Chicoutimi
Mont-Valin and outdoor activities near Chicoutimi — fjord, skiing, snowmobiling.
The Parc national des Monts-Valin sits about 30 minutes north of Chicoutimi. · Winter: snow-covered firs in the shape of Valin ghosts · Summer: hiking, mountain biking, fishing Mont-Édouard (1 hour) — one of the region's favourite ski stations. · 44 trails (including 13 glade/sous-bois runs), vertical of 450 m · Comparable to the Laurentians, less crowded, more affordable Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jea...
August 5, 2026 · 4 min
Read the full article
First Steps in Chicoutimi
Settling in Chicoutimi, the central and university borough of Saguenay: city services, housing, transit, schools and where to get help.
Chicoutimi is the central borough of Saguenay (about 70,000 residents). Administrative, university and hospital hub: UQAC, Cégep de Chicoutimi, Hôpital de Chicoutimi, Vieux-Chicoutimi. Vieux-Chicoutimi, around rue Racine, houses restaurants, bars, shops and the Pulperie de Chicoutimi. The Saguenay River crosses the borough. · Saguenay's main City Hall · Regional SAAQ office · Service Québec Tak...
September 9, 2026 · 4 min
Read the full article
Studying at UQAC, Chicoutimi
The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi: programs, student life, and tips for international students.
The UQAC is one of the ten institutions in the Université du Québec network. About 6,250 students as of fall 2025, including roughly 1,500 international students — about one in four. That share has fallen sharply since 2024 as federal and provincial study-permit rules tightened. Flagship programs: engineering, management, forestry sciences, arts, computer science. UQAC is very welcoming to inte...
August 5, 2026 · 4 min
Read the full article