New university ranking reveals best schools in Canada for 2027

Choosing a university is a big decision, and a new ranking reveals which schools in Canada came out on top for 2027.

Maclean’s just dropped its 2027 Canadian University Rankings and has made some major changes.

According to a release, it previously categorized schools into medical doctoral, comprehensive, and primarily undergraduate categories. This year, universities are grouped by size based on full-time enrollment: large (over 30,000 students), mid-size (10,000 to 30,000), and small (less than 10,000 students).

“We heard that our traditional categories weren’t always easy for students and families to understand, so we took a fresh look at how universities are evaluated, including ranking systems around the world,” said Claire Gagné, director of special projects for Maclean’s.

Universities were also evaluated based on four new performance indicators: student retention rates, the percentage of students who graduate within six years, research output per faculty member, and research impact. In total, schools are assessed using 15 indicators that look at student resources and support, student experience and success, faculty quality, and reputation.

The rankings use the most recent publicly available data from the universities and their federated and affiliated institutions.

This year, Quebec’s McGill University nabs the top spot among large universities, B.C.’s Simon Fraser University is the best mid-size university nationwide, and Mount Allison University in New Brunswick was named the best small university.

With the new categories in place, here’s a look at how Canada’s universities stacked up. Some universities tied for the same spot in the rankings.

Best large universities

1. McGill University

2. University of Toronto

3. University of British Columbia

4. University of Waterloo

5. Queen’s University

6. University of Alberta

7. McMaster University

8. University of Ottawa

9. University of Calgary

10. Western University

11. Université Laval

12. Université de Montréal

13. York University

14. Toronto Metropolitan University

15. Concordia University

Best mid-size universities

1. Simon Fraser University

2. University of Victoria

3. Dalhousie University

4. Carleton University

5. University of Guelph

6. University of Saskatchewan

7. University of Manitoba

8. Université de Sherbrooke

9. Wilfrid Laurier University

10. Université du Québec à Montréal

11. Brock University

11. Memorial University of Newfoundland

11. Trent University

11. University of Windsor

15. Ontario Tech University

16. University of Regina

17. Thompson Rivers University

18. Mount Royal University

19. MacEwan University

Best small universities

1. Mount Allison University

2. University of Northern British Columbia

3. St. Francis Xavier University

4. Acadia University

5. University of New Brunswick

6. Bishop’s University

7. Saint Mary’s University

8. Lakehead University

9. University of Lethbridge

10. University of Prince Edward Island

11. St. Thomas University

12. Université de Moncton

13. University of Winnipeg

14. Laurentian University

15. Nipissing University

16. Brandon University

17. Mount Saint Vincent University

18. University of the Fraser Valley

19. Cape Breton University

20. Algoma University

20. Concordia University of Edmonton

22. Vancouver Island University

Check out Maclean’s full ranking. In addition, three Canadian universities ranked among the world’s top 100.

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