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Introduction

Everybody loves to know how their university ranks compared to others. It gives us a sense of pride for being a part of that top-ranking university, and bragging rights against our competition. It can even help us decide where we should go to school.

So, with the new 2022 rankings having just been published, let’s check out which Canadian universities ranked in the top spots!

QS Top Universities

QS Top Universities provides one of the most comprehensive ranking lists available. You can check out the world’s top universities, the top universities based on a program, and even which university produces the universities most employable graduates! These rankings are calculated based on six metrics. These are academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, and the international student ratio. Read more about QS World University Rankings methodology.

QS Top 10 Universities in Canada

School Rank in Canada
University of Toronto 1
McGill University 2
University of British Columbia 3
Université de Montréal 4
University of Alberta 5
McMaster University 6
University of Waterloo 7
Western University 8
University of Ottawa 9
University of Calgary 10

Times Higher Education University Rankings

Times Higher Education (THE) also publishes an annual world university ranking list. Their lists are carefully judged based on 13 performance indicators that measure a school’s performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook. THE offers rankings for universities in specific countries, the world, and for program subjects. Explore THE’s website for more details!

THE’s Top 10 Universities in Canada

School Rank in Canada
University of Toronto 1
University of British Columbia 2
McGill University 3
McMaster University 4
Université de Montréal 5
University of Alberta 6
University of Ottawa 7
University of Calgary 8
Simon Fraser University 9
University of Waterloo 10

U.S. News & World Report

The U.S. News & World Report offer rankings for universities across the world. These schools are ranked based on 13 indicators that measure their academic research performance and their global and regional reputations. Learn more about their methodology. The schools listed below are universities in Canada that have been numerically ranked based on their positions in the overall Best Global Universities rankings.

U.S. News & World Report’s Top 10 Global Universities in Canada

School Rank in Canada Global Rank
University of Toronto 1 [16]
University of British Columbia 2 [35]
McGill University 3 [51]
McMaster University 4 [133]
University of Alberta 5 [135]
Université de Montréal 6 [151]
University of Calgary 7 [169]
University of Ottawa 8* [199*]
University of Waterloo 8* [199*]
Western University 10 [294]

An * indicates a tie.

What’s the difference?

These three lists look very similar, so what’s the difference? The University of Toronto has taken the top spot on all of the lists, while McGill University and the University of British Columbia alternate between second and third. One difference shows Western University on QS’s and U.S. News & World Report’s lists, but not THE’s where Simon Fraser University beats it out.

It’s good to compare different rankings to see the commonalities and differences between them. This shows a general agreement amongst everyone about which universities are some of the best in Canada.

Remember, rankings can’t tell us everything about a university, but they can help give us an idea about its reputation. Be sure to do more research on schools you’re interested in to determine which one is best for you.


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