Top 5 Universities in Canada with High Rankings for International Students
A total of 33 Canadian universities have made it onto the Times Higher Education (THE) 2025 World Universities Ranking report.
The University of Toronto made an appearance as Canada’s top-ranked university, a spot it has enjoyed since at least 2011.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) ranked as Canada’s second most prestigious educational institution.
Continuing to be known for its world-class faculty and international outlook, McGill University secured third place nationwide.
THE ranked each university according to 18 performance indicators grouped into five categories: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry.
The rest of this article will cover
- The national ranking of the top 10 Canadian universities;
- The global ranking of the top 10 Canadian universities;
- The methodology THE used to determine these rankings; and
- How foreign nationals can apply for a Canadian study permit.
Discover your options to study in Canada
National rank
On February 18, THE released their 2025 World University Rankings, showcasing how Canadian universities stack up against global institutions.
In their annual report, which evaluated more than 2,000 universities from 115 countries and territories, 33 Canadian institutions secured positions in the rankings.
Here are the top 10 Canadian universities in 2025 according to THE:
| National rank | University |
|---|---|
| 1 | University of Toronto |
| 2 | University of British Columbia |
| 3 | McGill University |
| =4 | McMaster University |
| =4 | University of Alberta |
| 6 | Université de Montréal |
| 7 | University of Waterloo |
| 8 | University of Ottawa |
| =9 | University of Calgary |
| =9 | Western University |
Note: “=” means that a university was tied with one or more other institutions.
Notably, the 10 schools featured above are all located in Canada’s four most popular provinces for newcomers.
Global rank
Three Canadian universities ranked among the top 100 educational institutions worldwide, with the University of Toronto consistently coming in at number one year over year.
A total of eight made it into the top 200 in 2025, maintaining patterns seen the previous year.
Notably, McMaster University and the University of Alberta stand out for their perfect scores in industry impact (100).
The following table presents the global rankings of the top 10 Canadian universities, detailing their overall scores and a comprehensive breakdown of the performance metrics contributing to those scores.
| Global rank | University | Overall score | Score for teaching | Score for research environ-ment | Score for research quality | Score for Industry | Score for inter-national outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | University of Toronto | 88.3 | 76.2 | 93.5 | 93.4 | 94.9 | 91.8 |
| 41 | University of British Columbia | 77.8 | 62.3 | 76.7 | 89.7 | 79.8 | 94.3 |
| 45 | McGill University | 76.7 | 66.2 | 70.9 | 88.6 | 78 | 91.6 |
| =116 | McMaster University | 65.2 | 41.2 | 50.2 | 93 | 100 | 87.6 |
| =116 | University of Alberta | 65.2 | 48.2 | 56.7 | 79.3 | 100 | 90.4 |
| 125 | Université de Montréal | 64.3 | 49.3 | 53.2 | 79.5 | 97.8 | 86.8 |
| 163 | University of Waterloo | 60.9 | 41 | 48.9 | 83.1 | 77.1 | 88.4 |
| 191 | University of Ottawa | 59.2 | 37.2 | 44.7 | 85.1 | 81.4 | 87 |
| 201-250 | University of Calgary | 55.8-58.6 | 34.4 | 42.8 | 83.6 | 88.9 | 85.7 |
| 201-250 | Western University | 55.8-58.6 | 39.5 | 42.1 | 76.7 | 99.5 | 87 |
Comparison with 2024 rankings
The universities that ranked top 10 nationally in 2025 were nearly identical to those in 2024, with little change in their ranking within Canada.
The only national ranking differences between the top 10 in 2024 and 2025 are
- McMaster University and the University of Alberta are now tied for fourth place rather than each maintaining their own rank; and
- The University of Calgary and Western University are now tied for ninth place rather than each maintaining their own rank.
Overall scores amongst the top 10 experienced a slight decline from 2024 to 2025, with the exception of McGill University, which saw a modest increase.
McGill University is also the only institution that moved up in the global rankings, with the remaining schools featured below either maintaining their global rank or dropping.
| National rank for 2024 | Global rank for 2024 | University | Overall score | National rank for 2025 | Global rank for 2025 | University | Overall score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | University of Toronto | 88.6 | 1 | 21 | University of Toronto | 88.3 |
| 2 | 41 | University of British Columbia | 78.0 | 2 | 41 | University of British Columbia | 77.8 |
| 3 | 49 | McGill University | 76.0 | 3 | 45 | McGill University | 76.7 |
| 4 | =103 | McMaster University | 66.3 | =4 | =116 | McMaster University | 65.2 |
| 5 | =109 | University of Alberta | 65.9 | =4 | =116 | University of Alberta | 65.2 |
| 6 | =111 | Université de Montréal | 65.8 | 6 | 125 | Université de Montréal | 64.3 |
| 7 | =158 | University of Waterloo | 61.7 | 7 | 163 | University of Waterloo | 60.9 |
| 8 | =177 | University of Ottawa | 60.2 | 8 | 191 | University of Ottawa | 59.2 |
| =9 | 201-250 | University of Calgary | 55.9 – 58.6 | =9 | 201-250 | University of Calgary | 55.8 – 58.6 |
| =9 | 201-250 | Western University | 55.9 – 58.6 | =9 | 201-250 | Western University | 55.8 – 58.6 |
Discover your options to study in Canada
Methodology
Each university featured in THE’s 2025 World University Rankings report was judged by 18 performance indicators combined into five categories reflecting the core missions of leading global institutions.
Each of the categories was weighted to provide an overall score, determining a university’s ranking. The highest score a university can receive is 100.
Institutions were excluded from consideration if they did not offer undergraduate studies, had less than 1,000 relevant publications published over the past five years, or lacked more than one critical value (international students, research income, academic staff, etc.).
Below you’ll find a series of tables outlining the performance indicators in each category, as well as the definition of each performance indicator and the associated points.
Teaching
| Performance indicator | Definition of performance indicator | Score given per performance indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching reputation | The perceived prestige of institutions in teaching based on votes obtained in the Academic Reputation Survey (November 2023 to January 2024). | 15% |
| Student-to-staff ratio | How many students there are for each staff member at a university. | 4.5% |
| Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio | The number of doctorates a university awards by the number of bachelor’s degrees it gives out. | 2% |
| Doctorates-awarded-to-staff ratio | The number of doctorates issued divided by number of academic staff, weighted by subject. | 5.5% |
| Income-to-staff ratio | *An institution’s income divided by the number of academic staff. | 2.5% |
| Maximum score for teaching: 29.5% |
*Income is adjusted on the basis of the purchasing power parity.
Research environment
| Performance indicator | Definition of performance indicator | Score given per performance indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Research reputation | The perceived prestige of institutions in research based on votes obtained in the Academic Reputation Survey (November 2023 to January 2024). | 18% |
| Research income | *A university’s research income per academic staff member. | 5.5% |
| Research productivity | An institution’s success in publishing papers in academic journals, based on the number of publications per scholar and staff adjustments. | 5.5% |
| Maximum score for research environment: 29% |
*Income is adjusted on the basis of the purchasing power parity.
Research quality
| Performance indicator | Definition of performance indicator | Score given per performance indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Citation impact | How often other researchers use and reference a university’s work. | 15% |
| Research strength | The quality of a university’s research, looking at the 75th percentile of the Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) of papers published between 2019 and 2023. | 5% |
| Research excellence | How much of a university’s research ranks among the top 10% most-cited worldwide (using FWCI), showing its contribution to high-quality research. | 5% |
| Research influence | The influence of a university’s research, analyzed based on corresponding citations. | 5% |
| Maximum score for research quality: 30% |
International outlook
| Performance indicator | Definition of performance indicator | Score given per performance indicator |
|---|---|---|
| International students | The proportion of international students on campus. | 2.5% |
| International staff | The proportion of international academic staff on campus. | 2.5% |
| International co-authorship | How much of a university’s research is done with international partners. | 2.5% |
| Studying abroad* | International student mobility based on number of outbound exchange students. | 0% |
| Maximum score for international outlook: 7.5% |
*This metric was not used in the calculations for this year’s ranking.
Industry
| Performance indicator | Definition of performance indicator | Score given per performance indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Industry income | *How much money a university earns from working with businesses on research and innovation. | 2% |
| Patents | How many patents reference a university’s research. | 2% |
| Maximum score for industry: 4% |
*Income is adjusted on the basis of the purchasing power parity.
THE employed rigorous and transparent methodology to collect and analyze their data, including the following.
Institutional submissions: Universities provided a significant portion of the data directly to THE. This included data points such as student-to-staff ratios, research income, and number of degrees awarded.
THE then verified this data.
Reputation surveys: THE conducted large-scale academic reputation surveys to gather insights from scholars worldwide, asking them to identify universities they believe excel in teaching and research.
These results contributed to the teaching and research performance indicators.
Bibliometric data: Elsevier, a global leader in academic publishing, supplied THE with over 157 million citations from various academic sources so THE could analyze how well each university contributes to the advancement of global knowledge.
Performance metrics including teaching (all but teaching reputation), research (all but research reputation), research quality (citation impact), international outlook (all but studying abroad), and industry were normalized after calculation.
How to apply for a study permit
If you’re planning on studying in Canada for more than six months, you’ll be required to apply for a study permit.
To be eligible for a study permit, you must
- Secure a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI);
- Obtain a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) from the province or territory the DLI is based in (unless you are exempt);
- Demonstrate sufficient financial resources to cover your first-year tuition fees, living expenses, and round-trip travel costs to your home country;
You must also not be criminally or medically inadmissible to Canada and must be able to satisfy the immigration officer handling your case that you intend to return to Canada once your study permit expires.
Most foreign nationals must apply for a study permit from outside Canada, with US citizens being a notable exception.
The processing time for study permits varies by country, but you can get an estimate here.
Study to immigrate pathway in Canada
If you graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution, you may be eligible for an open work permit for up to three years in duration.
This open work permit can allow you to accumulate Canadian work experience and/or secure a job offer, enabling you to become a more competitive candidate for Canadian permanent residency under Canada’s economic immigration pathways.
If you plan to study to immigrate, ensure that your program meets the requirements for you to be issued a post-graduation open work permit (PGWP).
Read our article comparing study to immigration pathways in Canada versus Australia.
Original article: https://www.cicnews.com/2025/03/the-top-10-universities-in-canada-according-to-new-report-0352418.html
