These are the top universities in Canada in 2026, according to a new report

Times Higher Education has published its annual ranking of top universities in Canada, along with their global standings.

The University of Toronto enjoys the top position, a spot it has held since at least 2011.

McGill University and the University of British Columbia continue to hold strong positions, both in the national and global rankings.

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National Rank

Times Higher Education’s 2026 Canada University Rankings features 34 universities in total.

While UofT maintained its position at number one, McGill rose to second place among Canadian universities, ahead of the University of British Columbia, which held second place in the 2025 ranking.

All other universities in the top 10 held the same ranks, as compared to the 2025 ranking.

National rank	University
1	University of Toronto
2	McGill University
3	University of British Columbia
4	McMaster University
5	University of Alberta
6	Université de Montréal
7	University of Waterloo
8	University of Ottawa
9	University of Calgary
10	Western University
=11	Queen’s University
=11	Simon Fraser University
=11	University of Victoria
=14	Dalhousie University
=14	University of Saskatchewan
=16	Université Laval
=16	University of Guelph
=16	York University
=19	Carleton University
=19	Memorial University of Newfoundland
=19	Université du Québec
=19	University of Manitoba
=19	University of Windsor
=24	Concordia University
=24	Toronto Metropolitan University
=24	University of New Brunswick
=27	Ontario Tech University
=27	University of Regina
29	Lakehead University
=30	Brock University
=30	St Francis Xavier University
=30	University of Northern British Columbia
=30	Wilfrid Laurier University
34	University of Lethbridge

Rankings with “=” signal that a university is tied with one or more other institutions.

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Global ranking

Times Higher Education also ranked top global universities in 2026 – with three Canadian universities making it to the list of top 100 educational institutions worldwide.

In total, nine universities made it to the top 200 list. The following table showcases the global rankings of the top 10 Canadian universities along with their performance metrics and overall scores.

World University Rank 2026	University	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook	Overall
21	University of Toronto	78.2	92.9	92.3	95.8	92.3	88.5
=41	McGill University	71	70.8	86.2	77.5	89.2	77.1
45	University of British Columbia	64.1	73.9	88.6	77.4	93.5	77
=116	McMaster University	42.2	49.3	93.1	100	84.6	65
119	University of Alberta	49.1	55.4	78.1	100	88.4	64.6
150	Université de Montréal	41.4	50.5	83.1	95.5	84.1	61.9
=162	University of Waterloo	42.7	47.6	83.4	77	85.5	60.9
=187	University of Ottawa	38.2	44.5	85.4	81.7	86.2	59.5
200	University of Calgary	37.8	43.1	83.6	91.4	83.3	58.7
201–250	Western University	39.9	42.6	77.5	99.8	86.9	56.4–58.6

The University of Toronto maintained its global ranking in the 21st position – the same as in 2025.

Many universities climbed the Times Higher Education 2026 World University Rankings, compared to the 2025 list, including McGill University (from the 45th position to tying in the 41st position); the University of Waterloo (which went up one place, from ranking 163rd to tying in the 162nd position), and the University of Ottawa (which rose from 191st position in the 2025 list, to tying in the 187th place).

The University of Calgary, which featured between 201 and 250 in the last ranking, rose to the 200th position.

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Methodology

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings assesses universities around the world across their core missions.

The rankings are built on five key pillars of evaluation: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry engagement. The pillars are made up of a series of 18 performance indicators.

Every category is assigned a specific weighting, which contributes to a university’s overall score out of 100.

The pillars and the performance indicators underneath them are listed below:

Category	Weight	Performance Indicator	Weight
Teaching (the learning environment)	29.50%	Teaching reputation	15%
		Staff-to-student ratio	4.50%
		Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio	2%
		Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio	5.50%
		Institutional income	2.50%
Research environment	29%	Research reputation	18%
		Research income	5.50%
		Research productivity	5.50%
Research quality	30%	Citation impact	15%
		Research strength	5%
		Research excellence	5%
		Research influence	5%
International outlook	7.50%	Proportion of international students	2.50%
		Proportion of international staff	2.50%
		International collaboration	2.50%
Industry	4%	Industry income	2%
		Patents	2%

Institutions were excluded from consideration if they did not offer undergraduate studies, or had fewer than 1,000 relevant publications published over the past five years.

Applying for a Canadian study permit?

If you’re a foreign national planning on travelling to Canada for a study program that is longer than six months, you most likely need to have a study permit.

To be eligible for a study permit, you must apply to a designated learning institution and get accepted.

Apart from that you must

• Prove that you have enough money for your tuition fees, living expenses (for yourself and any family members that choose to come with you), and transportation to and from Canada;
• Ensure you are not inadmissible for criminal reasons (be able provide a police certificate, if applicable);
• Be in good health and show a medical exam (if required); and
• Demonstrate genuine intent to leave Canada when your study permit expires.

You can apply for a study permit online.

Some documents you need to submit include a letter of acceptance, a provincial attestation letter (PAL) or territorial attestation letter (TAL), proof of financial support, medical exam, and any other additional documents required by the visa office.

Canada is home to many world-renowned educational institutions, and international students are often the strongest contenders for Canadian immigration.

That’s because Express Entry, The Canadian federal government's flagship system for managing permanent residence applications, values Canadian education. International students can gain up to 30 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for completing a program of study in Canada.

Meanwhile, many post-secondary educational degrees offer access to a Post Graduation Work Permit that allows graduates to gain valuable Canadian experience, which helps them quality for Canadian Experience Class draws.

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