The Best Universities In Canada Were Ranked & 2 Montreal Schools Made The Cut

The best universities in Canada were ranked and not one, but two Montreal schools managed to make the cut, with one institution ranking in the top 10.

Maclean's, a Canadian news publication that covers topics about Canadian politics, popular culture, and current events, released its annual Canada's Best Comprehensive Universities ranking, which categorizes schools across Canada that have a "significant amount of research activity and a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs," Maclean's said.

When it comes to the best university in Canada, Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, British Columbia landed first. The west coast university ranked highest in areas such as scholarships and bursaries, total research dollars and faculty awards.

The University of Victoria ranked second overall, with scores highest in categories such as social sciences and humanities grants, library acquisitions and student services. Ontario's University of Waterloo ranked third, with scores highest in student-to-faculty ratio, library expenses and student services.

York University and Carleton University made up the remainder of the top five. While no Quebec school managed to make the top of the list, one Montreal university cracked the top 10.

Montreal's Concordia University ranked ninth out of 15 and scored highest in categories such as operating budget, medical/science grants, faculty awards, student services and library acquisitions. In fact, Concordia's 2024 position has improved after landing in the 10th spot in 2023.

The Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM) also made the cut, ranking 12th overall. UQAM scores big in areas such as operating budget, library expenses, library acquisitions, scholarships and bursaries and student services.

Wondering which other Canadian schools made it? Here's the complete ranking of the 2024 best comprehensive universities in Canada, according to Maclean's:

1. Simon Fraser University
2. University of Victoria
3. University of Waterloo
4. York University
5. Carleton University
6. Guelph University
7. Memorial University
8. University of New Brunswick
9. Concordia University
10. Toronto Metropolitan University
11. Wilfred Laurier University
12. Université de Québec à Montréal
13. Brock University
14. University of Regina
15. University of Windsor