The ranking was published by Nature Index, part of the Nature Portfolio at Springer, a publisher primarily focused on academic research, reviews, critical assessments, news, and analysis. The Index monitors and evaluates contributions to research articles featured in select journals within the fields of natural and health sciences.
The Nature Index ranked the top institutions around the world by sector (academic, government, corporate, healthcare and NPO/NGO) and by subject (biological sciences, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, health science and physical sciences). In order to determine where each academic institution ranks, the Nature Index looked at the research outputs of these universities across the globe from June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023.
The Nature Index uses article count (which they shorten to "count") and fractional count (called "share") to track research output. A country and/or region or an institution is given a count of one for each article that has at least one author from that country/region or institution.
Following its overview, the Nature Index listed U of T, McGill and UBC as some of the top schools in the world for natural and health sciences.
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto managed to land 18th overall on the Index, with a count score of 1162 and a total share score of 353.
The ranking indicates that the University of Toronto's share output for the past few years has seen some ups and downs with the 2023 score declining by several points from last year. The Toronto-based university received a share score of 361 in 2022, whereas its share score in 2023 saw nearly a 10-point decrease.
U of T's count score was highest in subjects such as health sciences (510), biological sciences (380), and physical sciences (196).
McGill University
McGill University landed in the 66th position, receiving an overall count score of 619 and a share score of 174.5. Per the Nature Index, McGill's overall share output also saw a decline in 2023. The Montreal institution received an overall share score of nearly 184 in 2022, a 9.5-point difference when compared to its score this year.
Nevertheless, McGill University excelled in several subjects receiving high count scores in academic areas such as health sciences (203), biological sciences 9247), and physical sciences (97). McGill may have been the only Montreal-based university to crack the top 100. However, two other Quebec schools managed to secure spots in the top 500. The Université de Montréal landed in 242 overall, while the Université Laval ranked 385.
Concordia University (586), Université de Québec à Montréal (725), and Polytechnique Montréal (734), are a few other Montreal schools that appeared further on in the ranking. HEC Montréal also made the cut, landing way back in the 3,215th spot — but then again, it's a business school, so nice work sneaking into a sciences ranking.
Now, back to the top 100.
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia was the final Canadian school to appear in the top 100. The West Coast-based university ranked 85th on the list, receiving a count score of 567 and an overall share score of nearly 149.
UBC saw the biggest decline when it came to share output over the last few years. In 2022, the Vancouver-based school received an overall share score of 170.5. When compared to its 2023 score, UBC saw a decrease of nearly 22 points.
Despite UBC's share score dropping, the academic institution still outperformed tens of other Canadian schools, performing best in subjects such as health science (192 count), biological sciences (188 count) and physical sciences (139 count).
A few other Canadian schools followed suit with the University of Saskatchewan (533), the University of Guelph (562) and York University (598) also receiving recognition for its work in the sciences.
Canadian Schools In The Top 500
Wondering which other Canadian universities made the cut? Here's the complete list of schools in Canada that were ranked among the top 500 best in the world for natural and health sciences:
- University of Toronto (18)
- McGill University (66)
- University of British Columbia (85)
- University of Alberta (155)
- University of Ottawa (208)
- University of Calgary (212)
- Université de Montréal (242)
- University of Waterloo (264)
- McMaster University (268)
- Western University (290)
- Université Laval (385)
- Simon Fraser University (429)
- University of Victoria (433)
- University of Manitoba (444)
- Dalhousie University (450)
- Queen's University (452)
In a recent ranking published by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a provider of services, analytics, and insight into the global higher education sector, the University of Toronto was ranked the top school in Canada.
QS analyzed over 1500 institutions across 104 worldwide locations, and from that data, we looked at the Canadian universities — a total of 30 Canadian schools managed to make the cut.
McGill University is sitting rather comfortably in the second spot (30th globally) with an overall score of 83.7 — trailing behind the number one school in Canada — the University of Toronto by a mere 2.6 points.
What are the top three universities in Canada?
When it comes to the top three universities in Canada, the academic trinity in most rankings has remained McGill University, the University of Toronto (U of T), and the University of British Columbia (UBC).
What is the Harvard of Canada?
The Canadian university that is often regarded as the "Harvard of Canada" is a heavily debated subject. So much so that a TikToker claiming that the University of Toronto was the "Harvard of Canada" received a lot of backlash, with many claiming that the title rightfully belongs to Montreal's McGill University.
While no concrete criteria have been set in place to determine which institution is truly considered to be at Harvard's level, McGill is often regarded as Canada's Harvard, while the University of Toronto is considered by some to be Canada's Oxford. These characterizations, of course, carry no weight and as with many qualitative comparisons they have a degree of subjectivity that makes any definitive conclusion impossible.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
