Canadian schools dropped in this best universities ranking and U of T isn't at the top
University of Toronto didn't reclaim the top spot.
University of British Columbia campus. Right: People at University of Toronto.
A new ranking of the best universities in the world includes so many Canadian schools.
While the University of Toronto is still one of the best in this country, it didn't reclaim its spot on this list as Canada's top post-secondary school.
On June 18, 2026, global higher education experts QS Quacquarelli Symonds released the QS World University Rankings 2027.
Each post-secondary school on the list is ranked based on research and discovery, employability and outcomes, learning experience, global engagement, and sustainability.
This edition of the ranking features more than 1,500 universities globally.
For the 2027 ranking, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the best university in the world by QS for the 15th consecutive year.
Then, Stanford University and Imperial College London are tied for second, University of Oxford is third, Harvard University is fourth, University of Cambridge is fifth, California Institute of Technology is sixth, UCL and ETH Zurich are tied for eighth, and National University of Singapore is tenth.
The 2027 edition of the QS World University Rankings includes 30 top Canadian universities.
But the higher education experts said that Canada is "under pressure" because 66% of schools are ranked lower than last year.
Even though Canada's big three are still the top universities, the University of Toronto isn't the best school in the country, according to QS.
McGill University maintained its rank as the national leader, ranking 30th overall. This is the second year in a row that McGill has topped the University of Toronto in the QS ranking!
Despite being crowned the top school in Canada, McGill has gone down three spots in the 2027 ranking.
The University of Toronto is 32nd overall, which is a three-spot drop from last year's ranking, and the University of British Columbia is 45th overall, which is a five-spot drop.
After those top schools, the University of Alberta is 96th, the University of Waterloo is tied for 113th, Western University is tied for 142nd, Université de Montréal is tied for 162nd, McMaster University is tied for 174th, Queen's University is tied for 179th, and the University of Ottawa is tied for 228th.
Here's how other Canadian universities ranked on this list:
- University of Calgary — 249th
- Dalhousie University — 298th
- Simon Fraser University — 312th
- York University — 322nd (tied)
- University of Victoria — 370th (tied)
- University of Saskatchewan — 411th (tied)
- Concordia University — 497th (tied)
- Université Laval — 526th (tied)
- University of Windsor — 537th (tied)
- University of Guelph — 546th (tied)
- University of Manitoba — 560th (tied)
- Toronto Metropolitan University — 669th
- University of New Brunswick — 677th (tied)
Then, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Carleton University, Université de Sherbrooke, Université du Québec, University of Regina, Brock University and University of Northern British Columbia are further down the 2027 best universities in the world ranking.
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This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.