The Best Universities In The World Were Ranked & 3 Canadian Schools Made The Top 50

A new ranking measuring the best schools in the world dropped and three Canadian institutions managed to make the top 50. Times Higher Education released its 20th edition of the World University Rankings of 2024, highlighting the best schools across the globe, with the University of Toronto making Canada proud yet again.

Times Higher Education, a British magazine reporting news and issues related to higher education, analyzed universities from over 166 countries and carefully examined 18 calibrated performance indicators that were then grouped into five areas including teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook.

When it comes to the best school across the globe, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom snagged the number one spot on the ranking, with Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the University of Cambridge rounding off the top five.

So, which three Canadian universities made the top 50?

The University of Toronto was ranked 21st with an overall score of 88.6 The Toronto-based university scored highest for research environment (94.1) and industry (96.1). The University of Toronto was the only Canadian school to appear this high on the list, with the University of British Columbia (UBC) coming in at number 41…20 spots later.

UBC received an overall score of 78, scoring highest in categories such as research quality (90.5) and international outlook (95).

As for Montreal's McGill University, the school was ranked 49th overall with a total score of 76. Montreal's McGill also scored highest in two categories including research quality (88.8) and international outlook (92.5).

A slew of other Canadian schools also made this year's ranking. However, only the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and McGill University secured spots in the top 50.

McMaster University ranked as the next Canadian institution on the list, landing in the 103rd spot with an overall score of 66.3. The University of Alberta (109), the University of Montreal (111), and the University of Waterloo (158) all followed suit.

Wondering which universities topped the 2024 list? Here's the complete top 10 of the best universities in the world:

1. University of Oxford — United Kingdom
2. Stanford University — United States
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — United States
4. Harvard University — United States
5. University of Cambridge — United Kingdom
6. Princeton University — United States
7. California Institution of Technology — United States
8. Imperial College London — United Kingdom
9. University of California, Berkeley — United States
10. Yale University — United States

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