See the Top 10 Universities in Canada
Canadian schools with top-notch research
With the coronavirus pandemic causing border closures and embassy shutdowns, the number of prospective international students considering colleges in Canada has recently decreased. After an average of 10% annual growth over the prior five years, Canadian universities saw a 2% drop in international student enrollment in 2020. Fifty-one universities experienced international student enrollment declines, with 26 of those institutions losing over 10% compared to 2019, according to Universities Canada, an advocacy membership organization. These are the top 10 Best Global Universities in Canada, ranked by U.S. News based on academic research performance and reputation.
10. Western University
Western University in Ontario was founded in 1878 and enrolls nearly 42,000 students, including affiliated colleges. More than 5,800 are international students from more than 128 countries. The university boasts a 96% employment rate two years after graduation, according to the school's website.
8. (tie) University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa in Ontario claims to be the largest bilingual English-French university in the world, offering studies in both languages. Two years after graduation, about 94% of graduate students in the Class of 2018 were employed, according to the university.
8. (tie) University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo in Ontario, founded in 1957, has the largest postsecondary co-op program of its kind in North America, according to its website. The program allows students to get paid between $8,400 to $19,800 per work term in Canada for work experience as part of their studies in a variety of subjects like business, health care and education.
7. University of Calgary
The University of Calgary was founded in 1966 and has five campuses -- four in metro Calgary, Alberta, and one in Doha, Qatar. The university's main campus spans nearly 500 acres, making it larger than Calgary's entire downtown area, according to the university's website.
6. University of Montreal
The University of Montreal in Quebec was founded in 1878, and the primary language of instruction is French. The university enrolled 9,809 international students in 2020. The university has eight campuses in locations like Laval, Longueuil and Saint-Hyacinthe, with an additional campus set to open in fall 2022 in Brossard.
5. University of Alberta
In 2020-2021, the University of Alberta enrolled 42,310 undergraduate and graduate students. Among the total student population, nearly 8,000 were international students, hailing from 135 countries. According to the school, it has graduated 75 Rhodes scholars and boasts more than 200 undergraduate programs and more than 500 graduate programs.
4. McMaster University
McMaster University was founded in 1887 in Toronto, but the university was relocated to Hamilton, Ontario, in 1930. With a total student population of 36,450, the percent of international students is on the rise: 16% of all students were international students in the 2019-2020 academic year, according to the university's website, representing 120 countries and 24% of the graduate student body.
3. McGill University
McGill University was founded in 1821, making it Montreal's oldest university, according to the school's website. More than 12,000 students in 2020-2021 were international, coming from more than 150 countries and making McGill Canada's most international medical-doctoral research university, per the school's website. One notable alum, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, graduated in 1994.
2. University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia has two main campuses -- the larger in Vancouver, British Columbia -- that serve more than 65,000 students from more than 140 countries. According to the school's website, the university is associated with eight Nobel Prize winners across the fields of chemistry, economic sciences, physics, and physiology or medicine.
1. University of Toronto
The University of Toronto in Ontario, founded in 1827, offers more than 700 undergraduate programs and more than 300 graduate programs across three campuses, as stated on its website.The university is home to one of the biggest library systems in North America, according to the school, with more than 15.5 million physical and electronic volumes across its 42 libraries.
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Best Canadian universities
-- 1. University of Toronto
-- 2. University of British Columbia
-- 3. McGill University
-- 4. McMaster University
-- 5. University of Alberta
-- 6. University of Montreal
-- 7. University of Calgary
-- 8. (tie) University of Ottawa
-- 8. (tie) University of Waterloo
-- 10. Western University
