Maclean’s University Rankings 2024: Best Canadian University

Updated on 20 September, 2024

Sachin Pundir

Sachin Pundir

University Admission Expert

Maclean’s University Rankings : Best Canadian University

Canada is the land of cutting-edge education and attracted 1,040,985 foreign students in 2023. If you are aiming for higher studies in the country, choosing the best university is a critical task. First published in 1991, Maclean’s University Rankings helps students make an informed decision about their higher education in Canada by analyzing academic institutions on 12 critical parameters. Read the full Maclean’s University Rankings 2024 here. 

Types of Maclean’s University Rankings

Maclean’s releases university rankings in different categories. The most noteworthy of these are: 

  • Best Medical Doctoral Universities

This ranking consists of the top medical schools that offer unparalleled education in the field of medicine and provide excellent research opportunities for PhD aspirants. 

  • Best Comprehensive Universities

Universities in this category are ranked based on the quality of their bachelor's, master's, and professional degree programs. This category also provides significant weightage to research activities being conducted in these universities. 

  • Best Primarily Undergraduate Universities

Universities considered in this category have exceptional undergraduate programs with few graduate programs and graduate students.

In addition to these major categories, you can also find ranking based on the student awards, student/faculty ratio, faculty awards, social sciences and humanities grants, medical/ science grants, scholarships and bursaries, student services, and reputational surveys. 

These in-depth ranking categories allow you to explore the ins and outs of all universities within Canada. Such inclusive rankings make the Maclean ranking system unique and noteworthy. 

Best Medical Doctoral Universities 2024

Maclean’s Best Medical Doctoral Universities 2024

University

1

McGill University

2

University Of Toronto

3

University Of British Columbia

4

McMaster University

5

University of Ottawa

6

University Of Alberta

7

University Of Calgary

7

Dalhousie University

9

Queen’s University

10

University Of Montreal

Top Comprehensive Institutions 2024

Maclean’s Best Comprehensive Universities 2024

University

1

Simon Fraser University

2

University Of Victoria

3

University Of Waterloo

4

York University

5

Carleton University

5

University Of Guelph

7

Memorial University of Newfoundland

8

University of New Brunswick

9

Concordia University

10

Toronto Metropolitan University

Top Primarily Undergraduate Institutions 2024

Maclean’s Best Primarily Undergraduate Institutions 2024

 

University

1

Mount Allison University

2

University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC)

3

Saint Mary’s University

4

Bishop’s University

5

Acadia University

6

University of Lethbridge

7

Trent University

8

Ontario Tech University

9

St. Francis Xavier University

10

University of Prince Edward Island(UPEI)

Best Universities by Scholarships and Bursaries Rankings 2024

Maclean’s Best Universities by Scholarships and Bursaries Rankings 2024:Primarily Undergraduate Universities 

University

1

Saint Mary's University

2

Algoma University

3

Mount Allison University

4

Acadia University

5

Trent University

6

University of Prince Edward Island

7

University of Lethbridge

8

Lakehead University

9

St. Thomas University

10

Bishop's University

Best Innovative Institutions 2024

Maclean’s Best Innovative Institutions 2024

University

1

University of Toronto

2

University of Waterloo

3

University of British Columbia

4

McGill University

5

McMaster University

6

University of Calgary

7

Queen’s University

8

University of Alberta 

9

University of Montreal

10

Simon Fraser University

Methodology for Maclean’s 2024 Rankings

Maclean’s differentiates universities into Best Primarily Undergraduate Universities, Best Comprehensive Universities, and Best Medical/Doctoral Universities for its flagship rankings list. This is usually done after evaluating the universities’ professional programs, levels of research funding, diversity of studies, and how extensive the graduate and professional programs are.

Here are the important aspects and methodology followed for ranking universities:

  • Maclean’s ranks universities by measuring their performance on 12 different indicators across five broad areas. For ranking universities, Maclean’s also collects data from a university’s affiliated and federated institutions. 
  • Maclean’s does not rank universities and educational institutions with less than 1,000 full-time students. It also does not consider schools with a religious or specialized mission, newly designated universities, or non-members of the National Association of Universities Canada. 
  • Maclean’s uses the most recently available public data. The financial figures used for ranking are from the 2021-22 fiscal year, student numbers are from 2020, and the faculty numbers are for 2021.  

Parameters on Which Maclean’s Ranks Institutions

Maclean’s analyzes an institute on the following parameters and weightage:

  • Students - 20% 

Maclean’s uses the data collected regarding student achievements, national awards, and other notable achievements for the past five years. This includes scholarships, grants, and other scholarships from professional organizations and federal grant-providing agencies. 20% weightage is given to such achievements. 

  • Faculty - 20%

Maclean’s considers the faculties who have won major awards within the past five years. Any research progress and breakthroughs faculties have made in the past five years are also considered.  In addition, student access to faculties is evaluated by measuring the number of full-time students per full-time faculty member. 

  • Resources - 22%

The general operating budget of the educational institution and the budget per full-time student are assessed to understand the scope, depth, and extent of availability of resources to students. 

  • Student Support - 18%

The expenditure on student services and the library is evaluated to understand the care and support the university provides to the students.

  • Reputation - 20%

For evaluating a university's reputation, Maclean’s explores the public view regarding the educational institution and analyzes their opinion on different aspects concerning the university.  These opinions are usually collected from alumni and business persons. 

Conclusion

If you want to pursue higher studies at one of the esteemed institutions in Canada, you can refer to Maclean’s in-depth rankings to gain insights and make meaningful choices to excel in your career. 

Discover More:

FAQs

What is the Maclean’s University ranking system?

Maclean is a current affairs magazine that annually publishes an inclusive and comprehensive list of university rankings by considering all educational institutions in Canada. They have stringent criteria for ranking the universities and are considered one of the most referenced domestic university ranking systems.

Which Canadian University has the best reputation?

As per Maclean’s Best University by Reputation Rankings 2024, the University of Toronto is the most reputed university in Canada. Maclean’s has reviewed the opinions of different researchers, senior faculties, and other administrators to declare the university as the most reputed.

What are the top 3 universities in Canada in 2024?

According to Maclean’s University Rankings 2024, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Waterloo are the top 3 universities in Canada for 2024. 

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Sachin Pundir

University Admission Expert

With over10 years of experience in the ed-tech sector, Sachin holds expertise in operations management, ensuring the smooth functioning of study abroad programs. He has deep understanding of the global university systems, acceptance rates, and selection process.

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