Only one B.C. university makes prestigious ranking of top 50 in the world
Only five universities in Canada cracked the top 100 on a new global ranking, and one institution is right here in B.C.
According to Time’s inaugural ranking of the World’s Top Universities of 2026, UBC came in at number 33, right behind Ohio State University and just ahead of the University of Bristol.
Time worked with Statista R to shortlist universities if they met at least one of three conditions, including having a highly cited researcher among their faculty, being a renowned and frequently mentioned institution, or having applied through Time’s open callout.
Eligible institutions also needed to be older than three years, offer bachelor’s degrees, and have more than 2,000 students enrolled.
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“The analysis is structured around three key pillars: academic capacity and performance, innovation and economic impact, and global engagement,” explained Time.
“Institutions receive scores on each pillar, which are then aggregated into a final score used to produce the ranking.”
The new global ranking also placed a strong importance on the level that students “achieve extraordinary success,” such as patenting new inventions or taking on leadership roles.
UBC was ranked second-highest in Canada at number 33, with a total score of 71.56.
The 118-year-old institution was nine spots back of the top-ranked University of Toronto, which landed in 24th place.
The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom was number one on the list with a score of 90.20.
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Three other Canadian universities cracked the top 100, including the University of Alberta at 73, McMaster University at 90, and the University of Calgary at 95.
Times’ list of The World’s Top Universities of 2026 also included two additional B.C. institutions in the top 300.
Simon Fraser University received a total score of 54.24, good for 187th spot.
And Vancouver Island’s University of Victoria landed at 215th with its total score of 51.99.
“The quantitative study highlights institutions that drive academic excellence globally,” added Time.
“These lists help us understand where students are likely to achieve the greatest success and contribute most to society as the world order shifts.”
UBC also recently ranked high on a list of Canadian universities that are the best for preparing students to land jobs.
The full ranking of The World’s Top Universities of 2026 can be found online.