New Best Universities In The World Ranking Shows Canadian Schools Are 'Slipping Down' The List

There is a new ranking of the best universities and it revealed that Canadian schools are "slipping down" the list of top post-secondary institutions.

On May 15, 2023, the Center for World University Rankings dropped the 2023 edition of its World University Rankings which includes 2,000 schools from around the globe.

To get the ranking for universities all over the world, 62 million outcome-based data points were analyzed according to four factors: quality of education, employability, quality of faculty and research performance.

There are 40 Canadian post-secondary schools, led by the University of Toronto, that feature in this year's best universities list.

It's not all good news though because Canada's schools are "struggling to compete" with schools worldwide, according to the ranking.

Also, more than two-thirds of Canadian universities are "slipping down" spots compared to last year.

In this 2023 world university ranking, 11 universities from Canada have improved from last year, two have maintained their spots and 27 have fallen down the ranking.

Apparently, the main reason behind the "decline of Canadian universities" is research performance and "intensified global competition" from post-secondary schools that are well-funded.

Nadim Mahassen, the president of the Center for World University Rankings, said that Canada is well-represented in the ranking this year but there is "increasing pressure" from universities from around the world.

"Funding to further promote the development and reputation of Canada's higher education system is vital if the country aspires to be more competitive on the global stage," Mahassen said.

When it comes to where Canadian schools landed on this best universities ranking, here's the breakdown.

The University of Toronto is the top school in Canada and moved up one spot to 23rd globally but declined in quality of education, employability and quality of faculty.

McGill University climbed two places to reach 26th overall, while the University of British Columbia dropped two spots to 51st overall.

Then, the University of Alberta is 76th and the University of Montreal is 122nd globally.

McMaster University is 174th, Western University is 188th, the University of Calgary is 195th, the University of Waterloo is 204th and the University of Ottawa is 212th overall.

If you're wondering what the best universities in the world are know that Harvard University has taken the top spot in this ranking.

It's followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Cambridge University, Oxford University, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.

There have been quite a few world rankings for post-secondary schools released in the last year that included Canadian universities.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings had the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and McGill University as the top-ranking Canadian schools.

According to the Canada's Best Universities ranking put out by Maclean's in 2022, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, the University of British Columbia, McGill University and McMaster University were named as the most reputable.

Then, in the QS World University Rankings, McGill University became the "new national leader" by overtaking the University of Toronto as the number one university in the country and 31st in the world.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.