Three Canadian universities have been included in the top 40 of Quacquarelli Symonds’ (QS) World University Rankings for the second consecutive year.
QS is a respected authority in analyzing higher education institutions globally. It claims its World University rankings are “the only ranking system to measure both employability and sustainability performance.”
Where Did Canada’s Top Universities Rank in QS’ World University Rankings for 2025?
Interestingly, these three institutions are Canada’s most popular provinces for newcomers. Moreover, all but one of Canada’s top 10 schools for 2025 (as per QS) are in Ontario, British Columbia, or Quebec. The University of Alberta is the sole exception. Here are more details about Canada’s top 10 universities for 2025 towards the end of this summary.
University of Toronto (UofT)
- Overall rank: 25
- Overall score: 84.1
- Score by factor:
– Academic Reputation: 99.7
– Faculty/Student Ratio: 44.9
-Citations per Faculty: 50.8
-Employer Reputation: 96.9
-International Faculty/Student Ratio: 96.9 (Faculty) and 96.1 (Student)
-Sustainability: 100
-Employment Outcomes: 98.7
-International Research Network: 97.7
Key Points About UofT: UofT has dropped a few spots from last year’s 21st position but remains Canada’s highest-ranking post-secondary institution for the second consecutive year. It ranked first globally in sustainability and received scores above 96.0 in several categories, confirming its status as one of the world’s top universities.
McGill University
- Overall rank: 29
- Overall score: 83
- Score by factor:
-Academic Reputation: 94.3
-Faculty/Student Ratio: 62.3
-Citations per Faculty: 57.9
-Employer Reputation: 87.6
-International Faculty/Student Ratio: 83.7 (Faculty) and 89.6 (Student)
-Sustainability: 99.1
-Employment Outcomes: 98.3
-International Research Network: 94.2
Key Points About McGill: McGill University moved up one spot from last year, now ranking 29th. This marks the first time since 2022 that McGill has been in the top 30. McGill has consistently ranked within the top 35 for the past 13 years.
University of British Columbia (UBC)
- Overall rank: 38
- Overall score: 81
- Score by factor:
-Academic Reputation: 98.3
-Faculty/Student Ratio: 34.5
-Citations per Faculty: 57.7
-Employer Reputation: 94.3
-International Faculty/Student Ratio: 95.5 (Faculty) and 72.8 (Student)
-Sustainability: 99.8
-Employment Outcomes: 74.6
-International Research Network: 96.2
Key Points About UBC: UBC has dropped four spots from its 34th position in 2024. It achieved high scores in several categories, including academic Reputation and sustainability, ranking fourth globally.
Additional Top Universities in Canada: Besides UofT, McGill, and UBC, the following institutions complete Canada’s top 10 universities for 2025 according to QS:
- University of Alberta (#96 overall)
- University of Waterloo (#115 overall)
- Western University (#120 overall)
- Université de Montréal (#159 overall)
- McMaster University (#176 overall)
- University of Ottawa (#189 overall)
- Queen’s University (#193 overall)
About QS: QS publishes its World University Rankings annually, evaluating institutions based on eight factors, including three newly added in 2024. These factors are:
- Academic Reputation (30%)
- Citations per Faculty (20%)
- Employer Reputation (15%)
- Faculty/Student Ratio (10%)
- International Faculty/Student Ratio (10%)
- Sustainability (5%)
- Employment Outcomes (5%)
- International Research Network (5%)
Each institution is given an overall score and a score for each factor. The QS website provides a detailed breakdown of these criteria.