Deciding on which university to go is not easy. You might feel overwhelmed by the rankings! College and university rankings have most often been conducted by QS ranking, Times Higher Education (THE), US News and Maclean’s Magzine.
Many applicants solely focus on a university’s overall ranking. However, in most cases, the right place for you won’t be the one ranking the highest. You should always dig deeper into the subject rankings!
| THE | QS | Maclean’s |
| Teaching (the learning environment) : 30% | Academic Reputation 40% | Students 28% |
| Reputation survey: 15% | Employer Reputation 10% | Faculty 24% |
| Staff-to-student ratio: 4.5% | Faculty/Student Ratio 20% | Resources 20% |
| Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio: 2.25% | Citations per faculty 20% | Student support 13% |
| Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio: 6% | International Faculty Ratio 5% | Reputation 15% |
| Institutional income: 2.25% | International Student Ratio 5% |
Critieria used to rank universities by THE, QS and Maclean’s
Canadian University Global Ranking 2020
| Global Ranking | School |
| 18 | University of Toronto |
| 34 | University of British Columbia |
| 42 | McGill University |
| 72 | McMaster University |
| 85 | Université de Montréal |
| 136 | University of Alberta |
| 141 | University of Ottawa |
| 201-250 | University of Calgary |
| 201-250 | University of Waterloo |
| 201-250 | Western University |
| 251-300 | Dalhousie University |
| 251-300 | Université Laval |
| 251-300 | Queen’s University at Kingston |
| 251-300 | Simon Fraser University |
| 351-400 | University of Manitoba |
| 401-500 | University of Saskatchewan |
| 401-500 | University of Victoria |
| 401-500 | York University |
| 501-600 | Carleton University |
| 501-600 | University of Guelph |
| 501-600 | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 601-800 | Concordia University |
| 601-800 | Lakehead University |
| 601-800 | Université de Québec |
| 601-800 | University of Regina |
| 601-800 | Ryerson University |
| 601-800 | Université de Sherbrooke |
| 601-800 | University of Windsor |
| 801-1000 | University of Northern British Columbia |
| Global Ranking | School |
| 29 | University of Toronto |
| 35 | McGill University |
| 51 | University of British Columbia |
| 113 | University of Alberta |
| 137 | Université de Montréal |
| 140 | McMaster University |
| 173 | University of Waterloo |
| 211 | Western University |
| 233 | University of Calgary |
| 239 | Queen’s University at Kingston |
| 280 | Dalhousie University |
| 281 | University of Ottawa |
| 314 | Simon Fraser University |
| 364 | University of Victoria |
| 416 | Université Laval |
| 439 | University of Saskatchewan |
| 462 | Concordia University |
| 511-520 | York University |
| 561-570 | Université de Québec |
| 571-580 | University of Guelph |
| 601-650 | University of Manitoba |
| 651-700 | Carleton University |
| 651-700 | Université de Sherbrooke |
| 651-700 | University of Windsor |
| 701-750 | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 801-1000 | Ryerson University |
| Global Ranking | School |
| 18 | University of Toronto |
| 30 | University of British Columbia |
| 49 | McGill University |
| 126 | McMaster University |
| 139 | University of Alberta |
| 139 | Université de Montréal |
| 178 | University of Calgary |
| 198 | University of Ottawa |
| 217 | University of Waterloo |
| 262 | University of Victoria |
| 276 | Western University |
| 290 | Simon Fraser University |
| 315 | Université Laval |
| 322 | Dalhousie University |
| 379 | Queen’s University at Kingston |
| 388 | University of Manitoba |
| 416 | York University |
| 469 | University of Guelph |
| 483 | Carleton University |
| 541 | University of Saskatchewan |
| 581 | Université de Québec |
| 657 | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 671 | Concordia University |
| 722 | Université de Sherbrooke |
| 904 | Ryerson University |
| 938 | University of New Brunswick |
| 1018 | University of Windsor |
Maclean’s Ranking by Subject
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of British Columbia |
| 2 | University of Toronto |
| 3 | University of Alberta |
| 4 | York University |
| 5 | Western University |
| 6 | McGill University |
| 7 | McMaster University |
| 8 | Queen’s University |
| 8 | University of Waterloo |
| 10 | Université de Montréal |
| 11 | Simon Fraser University |
| 12 | University of Calgary |
| 13 | Concordia University |
| 14 | Université de Laval |
| 15 | Ryerson University |
| 16 | University of Ottawa |
| 17 | Wilfrid Laurier University |
| 18 | University of Victoria |
| 19 | Université de Québec à Montréal |
| 19 | University of Regina |
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of Toronto |
| 2 | University of British Columbia |
| 3 | University of Waterloo |
| 4 | Université de Montréal |
| 5 | McGill University |
| 6 | University of Alberta |
| 7 | McMaster University |
| 8 | Simon Fraser University |
| 9 | Concordia University |
| 10 | Carleton University |
| 11 | Queen’s University |
| 12 | University of Ottawa |
| 13 | University of Victoria |
| 14 | University of Calgary |
| 15 | Western University |
| 16 | University of Manitoba |
| 17 | University of New Brunswick |
| 18 | St. Francis Xavier University |
| 19 | Université de Sherbrooke |
| 20 | York University |
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of Toronto |
| 2 | University of British Columbia |
| 3 | University of Waterloo |
| 4 | McGill University |
| 5 | University of Alberta |
| 6 | McMaster University |
| 7 | Université de Montréal |
| 8 | Concordia University |
| 9 | Carleton University |
| 10 | University of Calgary |
| 11 | Queen’s University |
| 12 | University of Victoria |
| 13 | Western University |
| 14 | York University |
| 15 | University of Manitoba |
| 16 | University of Ottawa |
| 17 | Dalhousie University |
| 17 | Ecole de Technologie Supérieure |
| 17 | Ryerson University |
| 20 | Université de Québec à Montréal |
| 20 | Simon Fraser University |
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of British Columbia |
| 2 | University of Toronto |
| 3 | University of Waterloo |
| 4 | McGill University |
| 5 | University of Alberta |
| 6 | Université de Montréal |
| 7 | McMaster University |
| 8 | University of Victoria |
| 9 | York University |
| 10 | Carleton University |
| 11 | Simon Fraser University |
| 12 | University of Ottawa |
| 13 | Queen’s University |
| 14 | Dalhousie University |
| 14 | Western University |
| 16 | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 17 | Concordia University |
| 18 | Université de Québec à Montréal |
| 19 | Université Laval |
| 20 | University of Calgary |
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of Toronto |
| 2 | University of British Columbia |
| 3 | McGill University |
| 4 | University of Alberta |
| 5 | University of Guelph |
| 6 | McMaster University |
| 7 | Dalhousie University |
| 8 | Simon Fraser University |
| 9 | Université de Montréal |
| 10 | Queen’s University |
| 11 | University of Ottawa |
| 12 | Western University |
| 13 | Université Laval |
| 14 | University of Waterloo |
| 15 | University of Calgary |
| 16 | University of Victoria |
| 17 | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 18 | Université de Québec à Montréal |
| 19 | University of Saskatchewan |
| 20 | Mount Allison University |
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of Toronto |
| 2 | University of British Columbia |
| 3 | McGill University |
| 4 | University of Alberta |
| 5 | Simon Fraser Unversity |
| 6 | Western University |
| 7 | University of Calgary |
| 8 | Queen’s University |
| 9 | University of Ottawa |
| 10 | York University |
| 11 | Concordia University |
| 12 | Ryerson University |
| 13 | University of Victoria |
| 14 | Brock University |
| 15 | University of Waterloo |
| 16 | Université Laval |
| 17 | Université de Montréal |
| 18 | Université de Québec à Montréal |
| 19 | University of Manitoba |
| 20 | University of Saskatchewan |
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of Toronto |
| 2 | University of British Columbia |
| 3 | McGill University |
| 4 | McMaster University |
| 5 | University of Calgary |
| 6 | University of Alberta |
| 7 | Université de Montréal |
| 8 | Western University |
| 9 | Dalhousie University |
| 10 | University of Ottawa |
| 10 | Queen’s University |
| 12 | Université de Laval |
| 13 | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 14 | University of Manitoba |
| 15 | University of Saskatchewan |
| 16 | Université de Sherbrooke |
| 17 | Laurentian University |
| 18 | Lakehead University |
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of Toronto |
| 2 | University of Alberta |
| 3 | University of British Columbia |
| 4 | McMaster University |
| 5 | University of Calgary |
| 6 | McGill University |
| 7 | Dalhousie University |
| 8 | Western University |
| 9 | University of Ottawa |
| 10 | Queen’s University |
| 11 | York University |
| 12 | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 13 | Université de Montréal |
| 14 | University of Manitoba |
| 15 | Université de Laval |
| 16 | University of Victoria |
| 17 | Ryerson University |
| 18 | Université de Sherbrooke |
| 19 | University of Saskatchewan |
| Rank | School |
| 1 | University of British Columbia |
| 2 | University of Toronto |
| 3 | McGill University |
| 4 | University of Waterloo |
| 5 | Western University |
| 6 | Queen’s University |
| 7 | Dalhousie University |
| 8 | Simon Fraser University |
| 9 | University of Calgary |
| 10 | York University |
| 11 | University of Alberta |
| 12 | McMaster University |
| 12 | Université de Montréal |
| 14 | University of Victoria |
| 15 | Carleton University |
| 16 | Brock University |
| 17 | Concordia University |
| 18 | University of Ottawa |
| 19 | University of Manitoba |
| 19 | University of Lethbridge |
Recommendation
UNESCO has questioned whether rankings “do more harm than good”, while acknowledging that “Rightly or wrongly, they are perceived as a measure of quality and so create intense competition between universities all over the world”.
Moreover, ranking is a straightforward quantitative number that makes it easier for students, parents, and employers to do school comparison.
The ranking of your university is usually more important than the rest of your resume at the time you graduate, and your degree matters tremendously for signalling intelligence. However, if you can hustle and make money, your peers will respect you more than having a degree with no practical skills.