A New University Ranking Just Dropped & These Canadian Schools Topped The List

Montreal universities managed to secure top spots in a ranking of the best Canadian schools based on reputation. However, in a more recent ranking focused on social and environmental sustainability, higher education institutions including McGill and Concordia appear to have a lot of work to do.

The QS World University Rankings released its first-ever global report on the best universities based on sustainability and while Montreal may not have performed too well, a couple other Canadian spots made up for it.

A total of 700 schools were considered in the very first edition of the ranking, which used "indicators designed to measure an institution's ability to tackle the world's greatest environmental, social and governance challenges," QS said.

The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) came in first on the 2023 list. Canada then came in hot with the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia securing the second and third spots, respectively.

The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, close out the top five. The ranking also included a few more recognized Canadian institutions, including Western University in London, Ontario, which ranked 17th. But how did McGill and Concordia University measure up? Well, not great.

Although both schools did, in fact, make the list, McGill landed in the 42nd spot while Concordia found itself grouped in the 201 to 220 overall ranking range — proving we've got ways to go. As for other Quebec universities, a few made the cut. Université de Montréal (60), Université Laval (321-340), and Université du Québec (321-340) were all included in the 2023 ranking.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.