Kelowna 
Maclean’s has released its 2027 Canadian University Rankings, and this year’s results come with a major change in how universities across the country are compared.
For the first time in two decades, the publication has replaced its traditional university categories with three groups based on student enrolment.
McGill University, Simon Fraser University and Mount Allison University have taken the top spots in the new Large, Mid-Size and Small university categories, respectively.
The rankings, released October 15, cover 56 Canadian universities, including six institutions added this year.
Canada’s Top Universities for 2027
The top universities in each category are:
Large Universities: More Than 30,000 Students
- McGill University, Montréal, QC
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
- University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
- Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
- McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON
- University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
- Western University, London, ON
- Université Laval, Québec City, QC
- Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC
- York University, Toronto, ON
- Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON
- Concordia University, Montréal, QC
Mid-Size Universities: 10,000 to 30,000 Students
- , Burnaby, BC
- University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
- Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
- Carleton University, Ottawa, ON
- University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
- University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB
- Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC
- Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON
- Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC
- Brock University, St. Catharines, ON (tied)
- Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL (tied)
- Trent University, Peterborough, ON (tied)
- University of Windsor, Windsor, ON (tied)
- Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON
- University of Regina, Regina, SK
- Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC
- Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB
- MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB
Brock University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Trent University and the University of Windsor are tied for 11th place, followed by Ontario Tech University at 15.
Small Universities: Fewer Than 10,000 Students
- Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB
- University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC
- St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS
- Acadia University, Wolfville, NS
- University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB
- Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, QC
- Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS
- Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
- University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB
- University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE
- St. Thomas University, Fredericton, NB
- Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB
- University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB
- Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON
- Nipissing University, North Bay, ON
- Brandon University, Brandon, MB
- Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS
- University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, BC
- Cape Breton University, Sydney, NS
- Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
- Concordia University of Edmonton, Edmonton, AB
- Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC
Algoma University and Concordia University of Edmonton share 20th place, followed by Vancouver Island University at 22nd.
University size is determined using full-time-equivalent enrolment rather than simply counting all registered students.
What’s Different About the 2027 Rankings?
Previously, Maclean’s grouped universities into Medical Doctoral, Comprehensive and Primarily Undergraduate categories.
The new system replaces those classifications with enrolment-based groupings and expands the evaluation criteria.
Four new indicators have been introduced: student retention rates, six-year graduation rates, research output per faculty member and research impact.
Together with existing measures covering scholarships, student services, faculty awards and research funding, the rankings now use 15 indicators across four areas.
“We heard that our traditional categories weren’t always easy for students and families to understand,” said Claire Gagné, Maclean’s director of special projects.
She explained that the changes aim to make university comparisons more intuitive while offering a broader picture of academic quality and student experience.
The 2027 rankings also include six additional institutions: Mount Royal University, Thompson Rivers University, MacEwan University, Concordia University of Edmonton, University of the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island University.
Per the news release, the rankings use information from sources including Statistics Canada, federal research funding agencies and a reputational survey conducted with Angus Reid Group.
Students and families can explore the complete 2027 Canadian University Rankings online.
