The top three universities in Canada according to the 2025 QS World University Rankings

For the second year in a row, three Canadian universities have secured spots in the top 40 of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.

QS, a leading authority in global higher education analysis, claims that its World University Rankings are unique in evaluating both employability and sustainability performance.

Where did Canada’s top schools rank in QS' World University Rankings for 2025?

Looking ahead to next year, QS has ranked the following three Canadian schools near the top of its 2025 World University Rankings.

This year's list included over 1,500 institutions.

Notably, these top-ranked schools are located in Canada’s three most popular provinces for newcomers. In fact, all but one of the schools in Canada’s top 10 for 2025 (according to QS) are situated in Ontario, British Columbia, or Quebec. The exception is the University of Alberta. For more details on Canada’s top 10 schools for 2025, see the end of this article.

University of Toronto (UofT)

• Overall Rank: 25
• Overall Score: 84.1

Score by Factor:

• Academic Reputation: 99.7
• Faculty/Student Ratio: 44.9
• Citations per Faculty: 50.8
• Employer Reputation: 96.9
• International Faculty Ratio: 96.9
• International Student Ratio: 96.1
• Sustainability: 100
• Employment Outcomes: 98.7
• International Research Network: 97.7

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What to Know About UofT

Despite dropping a few spots from its 21st-place finish in last year's QS World University Rankings, UofT remains Canada's highest-ranking post-secondary institution for the second consecutive year.

Notably, UofT secured the top spot globally in QS' sustainability rankings.

With scores above 96.0 in academic reputation, employer reputation, employment outcomes, international research network, and both international faculty and student ratios, UofT continues to be recognized as one of the world's leading universities.

This marks the fifth time in the past six years that UofT has placed within QS' top 30, with 2023 being the only exception, when it ranked 34th.

McGill University (McGill)

• Overall Rank: 29
• Overall Score: 83

Score by Factor:

• Academic Reputation: 94.3
• Faculty/Student Ratio: 62.3
• Citations per Faculty: 57.9
• Employer Reputation: 87.6
• International Faculty Ratio: 83.7
• International Student Ratio: 89.6
• Sustainability: 99.1
• Employment Outcomes: 98.3
• International Research Network: 94.2

What to Know About McGill

McGill has climbed one spot from last year's 30th place, marking its return to the top 30 of QS' World University Rankings for the first time since 2022. This achievement continues a 13-year trend of McGill consistently ranking within the top 35 of QS' World University Rankings.

University of British Columbia (UBC)

• Overall Rank: 38
• Overall Score: 81

Score by Factor:

• Academic Reputation: 98.3
• Faculty/Student Ratio: 34.5
• Citations per Faculty: 57.7
• Employer Reputation: 94.3
• International Faculty Ratio: 95.5
• International Student Ratio: 72.8
• Sustainability: 99.8
• Employment Outcomes: 74.6
• International Research Network: 96.2

What to Know About UBC

UBC has dropped four spots in QS' 2025 World University Rankings, moving from 34th last year to 38th.

Despite this decline, UBC achieved scores above 94.2 in five of QS' eight assessed criteria, particularly excelling in academic reputation and sustainability. Notably, UBC ranks fourth globally for sustainability, just a few spots behind the University of Toronto.

Which Schools Rounded Out Canada’s Top 10?

While UofT, McGill, and UBC all ranked within the top 40 of QS' world rankings, several other Canadian universities also made the list. Here are Canada’s top 10 post-secondary institutions for 2025 according to QS:

1. University of Alberta (#96 overall)
2. University of Waterloo (#115 overall)
3. Western University (#120 overall)
4. Université de Montréal (#159 overall)
5. McMaster University (#176 overall)
6. University of Ottawa (#189 overall)
7. Queen’s University (#193 overall)

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