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.
University of Calgary/Facebook
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.
Best large universities
Concordia University/Facebook
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
Wilfrid Laurier University/Facebook
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
University of Prince Edward Island/Facebook
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.