Maclean's released their rankings for Canada's best primarily undergraduate schools for 2022.

Universities in the Primarily Undergraduate category are largely focused on undergraduate education, with relatively fewer graduate programs and graduate students. If you're interested in earning a bachelor's degree in Canada, you may want to check out these schools.

Maclean's rankings are based on the school's reputation, student satisfaction, and 11 other performance indicators. Check out Maclean's University Rankings 2022 Methodology to learn more.

The rankings for 2022 are as follows:

1. University of Northern British Columbia

The University of Northern British Columbia or UNBC prides itself on being a university "in the North — for the North." UNBC is in the top 5% of universities worldwide, the only Canadian university of its size to be included in the rankings, according to the Times Higher Education. The university has over 3,500 undergraduate students. Its mission is to "inspire leaders for tomorrow by influencing the world today."

1. Mount Allison University

Mount Allison University is a liberal arts and science university with approximately 2,300 full-time students. It offers degrees in Arts, Commerce, Science, Fine Arts and Music. Students can choose from over 50 programs of study. Mount Allison has a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio to ensure students receive one-on-one attention. To date, 55 Mount Allison students have become Rhodes Scholars - one of the best per capita records of any university in Canada.

3. Trent University

Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, was founded on the ideal of interactive learning that's personal, purposeful and transformative. Founded in 1964, Trent now has over 11,000 students. They have a 20:1 student to faculty ratio and offer 100+ academic programs in the arts, sciences, social sciences and professional programs. Trent also has a campus in Durham, in the Greater Toronto Area.

4. Saint Mary's University

Saint Mary's University is in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The university offers high-quality programs in Liberal Arts, Environmental Studies, Business, Science, and Engineering. Saint Mary's has over 7,000 full-time and part time students and their average introductory class size is 40. The university values experiential learning opportunities such as labs, co-ops, (internships in all faculties), traveling abroad, and real research possibilities.

5. Acadia University

Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, is one of the oldest and most respected liberal arts universities in Canada. The university offers over 200 degree combinations in Faculties of Arts, Pure & Applied Science, Professional Studies, and Theology. Some of their most popular majors are in biology, marketing, English, psychology, environmental studies, and kinesiology. Acadia is home to over 3,500 full-time undergraduate students and has an average class size of 32.

School Overall Ranking Rank Last Year
University of Northern British Columbia 1 [5]
Mount Allison University 2 [1]
Trent University 3 [8*]
St. Mary's University 4 [4]
Acadia University 5 [3]
University of Lethbridge 6 [2]
University of Prince Edward Island 7 [10]
Lakehead University 8 [8*]
Ontario Tech University 9* [11]
St. Francis Xavier University 9* [6]
Université de Moncton 11 [13]
Bishop's University 12 [7]
St. Thomas University 13 [14]
University of Winnipeg 14 [16]
Laurentian University 15 [12]
Nipissing University 16 [15]
Mount Saint Vincent University 17 [18]
Brandon University 18 [17]
Cape Breton University 19 [19]

An * indicates a tie.


Don't see the school you're interested in? Don't worry — reputation isn't everything. Remember to consider program offerings, campus feel, extracurricular activities, and other factors that make each campus unique!

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