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Best universities in Canada 2024

Find the best universities in Canada using Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings data 2024

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September 27 2023
Best universities in Canada 2018

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Top 10 universities in Canada 2024

Scroll down for the full list of best universities in Canada

Canada Rank 2024  World University Rank 2024   World University Rank 2023  University Province City
1  21   18  University of Toronto Ontario Toronto
2  41   40  University of British Columbia British Columbia Vancouver
3  49   46  McGill University Quebec Montreal
4  =103   85  McMaster University Ontario Hamilton
5  =109   118  University of Alberta Alberta Edmonton
6  =111   111  University of Montreal Quebec Montreal
7  =158   201–250  University of Waterloo Ontario Waterloo
8  =177   =137  University of Ottawa Ontario Ottawa
=9  201–250   201–250  University of Calgary Alberta Calgary
=9  201–250   201–250  Western University Ontario London

Canada is home to a number of the world’s top universities. In fact, 31 Canadian institutions are counted among the best in the world, according to Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024.

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With eight universities in the top 200, Canada offers plenty of opportunities for a world-class education for international students.

Compared with the US, Canada can also provide cheaper tuition fees, a simpler application process and more opportunities for permanent residency after graduation.

Canada’s top institution – the University of Toronto – scores particularly highly for research impact, which means it produces high-quality academic work that is well respected.

Many of Canada’s universities are renowned for promoting a global outlook by recruiting international students and staff and encouraging international collaborations, so there will be a large community of overseas staff and students at any university in Canada.


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5. University of Alberta

The University of Alberta is located in Edmonton, capital of the province of Alberta. It is a public research university and was established in 1908. 

Alberta has produced one Nobel Laureate, four justices of the supreme court of Canada, including a chief justice, and housed 68 Rhodes Scholars, the highest number in Canada.

The university has five campuses across Edmonton, and 18 faculties across a range of subjects including arts, engineering, law, and nursing. 

The university has two student unions, one for undergraduates and one for graduate students. 

4. McMaster University

McMaster University is located in Hamilton, Ontario. Students and faculty come from more than 90 countries.

The university is named after William McMaster, a prominent Canadian senator and banker who donated C$900,000 to found the institution.

McMaster’s medical school is world-renowned, and there are also faculties of engineering, business, humanities, social sciences and science. The university places a strong emphasis on research working to target some of the most urgent needs in society, particularly in the field of health sciences.

The university holds some 70 international exchange agreements with institutions around the world.

3. McGill University

Students at McGill University come from more than 150 countries. 

The university was founded in 1821. Its main campus is at the base of Mount Royal in downtown Montreal. First-year students have the option to live on the park-like campus.

In 1829, McGill University founded the nation’s first faculty of medicine, and to this day the university scores particularly highly in world rankings for clinical subjects.

The university offers more than 300 degree subjects to 31,000-plus students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level.

There is a range of services for students including the Career Planning Service, the Office for Students with Disabilities and the Academic Advising Service.

Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen and the actor William Shatner are graduates of McGill. The university also educates more Rhodes Scholars than any other Canadian institution.

2. University of British Columbia

Some 33 per cent of students at the University of British Columbia are international.

Eight Nobelists are associated with the university, as are 71 Rhodes scholars and 65 Olympic medallists.

The University of British Columbia has two campuses: one in Vancouver and one in Okanagan.

The university is organised into 12 faculties on the Vancouver campus and a further seven on the Okanagan campus. The university offers a special joint undergraduate programme with Sciences Po in Paris.

Faculties at the university include applied science, education, music, nursing, the arts, law, and medicine.

The university offers a number of scholarships for international students, including the Donald A. Wehrung International Student Award for candidates from war-torn countries.

Three Canadian prime ministers have been educated at UBC, including current prime minister Justin Trudeau, who graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree.

1. University of Toronto

Notable alumni of the University of Toronto include five Canadian prime ministers and the writers Michael Ondaatje and Margaret Atwood. In total, 10 Nobel laureates are affiliated with the university.

The University of Toronto is structured as a collegiate system, much like prestigious institutions in the UK such as the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The seven colleges all have distinct histories and traditions.

Some 25 per cent of students at the university are international.

More than 700 undergraduate degrees and 200 postgraduate degrees are on offer, and the university is one of the world’s best for medicine.

There are more than 1,000 associations and clubs available for students to join across the university’s three campuses.


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Best universities in Canada 2024

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 profile

Canada 2024 Rank  World University Rank 2024   World University Rank 2023  University Province City
1  21   18  University of Toronto Ontario Toronto
2  41   40  University of British Columbia British Columbia Vancouver
3  49   46  McGill University Quebec Montreal
4  =103   85  McMaster University Ontario Hamilton
5  =109   118  University of Alberta Alberta Edmonton
6  =111   111  University of Montreal Quebec Montreal
7  =158   201–250  University of Waterloo Ontario Waterloo
8  =177   =137  University of Ottawa Ontario Ottawa
=9  201–250   201–250  University of Calgary Alberta Calgary
=9  201–250   201–250  Western University Ontario London
=11  251–300   251–300  Université Laval Quebec Quebec City
=11  251–300   251–300  Queen’s University Ontario Kingston
=11  251–300   251–300  Simon Fraser University British Columbia Burnaby
14  301–350   301–350  Dalhousie University Nova Scotia Halifax
=15  351–400   351–400  University of Manitoba Manitoba Winnipeg
=15  351–400   501–600  University of Saskatchewan Sasketchewan Saskatoon
=15  351–400   301–350  University of Victoria British Columbia Victoria
=15  351–400   401–500  York University Ontario Toronto
=19  401–500   501–600  University of Guelph Ontario Guelph
=19  401–500   601–800  Université du Québec Quebec Quebec City
=21  501–600   601–800  Carleton University Ontario Ottawa
=21  501–600   601–800  Concordia University Quebec Montreal
=21  501–600   601–800  Memorial University of Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador St John's
=21  501–600   601–800  University of Windsor Ontario Windsor
=25  601–800   601–800  University of New Brunswick UNB New Brunswick Fredricton
=25  601–800   601–800  Ontario Tech University Ontario Oshawa
=25  601–800   801–1000  Toronto Metropolitan University Ontario Toronto
=28  801–1000   801–1000  Lakehead University Ontario Thunder Bay and Orillia
=28  801–1000   801–1000  University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) British Columbia Prince George
=28  801–1000   601–800  University of Regina Sasketchewan Regina
31  1201–1500   1201–1500  University of Lethbridge Alberta Lethbridge
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