How Canadian Universities Rank Globally by Subject in 2025

QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ranking, which is one of the three most widely read university rankings in the world, released its fifteenth edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Credit: RDNE Stock project/Pexels

The rankings analysed 1700 universities across 100 countries and territories in 55 subjects and five faculty areas – Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences & Management.

Per the rankings, Canadian universities excel in Engineering and Biological Sciences. University of Toronto ranks in the top-50 in the world in 46 subjects

Best Canadian Universities for Arts & Humanities

Subjects: Linguistics, Music, Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies, Archaeology, Architecture and, Built Environment, Art and Design, Classics and Ancient History, English Language and Literature, History, Art History, Modern Languages, Performing Arts and Philosophy.

Rank 14 – University of Toronto, Toronto
Rank 19 – University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Rank 36 – McGill University, Montreal
Rank 144 – Université de Montréal, Montreal
Rank 160 – University of Alberta, Edmonton
Rank 180 – York University, Toronto
Rank 194 – Queen’s University at Kingston, Kingston
Rank 216 – Concordia University, Montreal
Rank 246 – University of Ottawa, Ottawa
Rank 246 – Western University, London
Rank 261 – University of Calgary, Calgary
Rank 298 – Simon Fraser University, Burnaby
Rank 360 – University of Waterloo, Waterloo
Rank 367 – McMaster University, Hamilton
Rank 373 – University of Victoria (UVic), Victoria
Rank 401-450 – Université Laval, Québec
Rank 451-500 – Carleton University, Ottawa
Rank 451-500 – Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Rank 451-500 – Université du Québec, Québec
Rank 501-550 – Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Toronto

Best Canadian Universities for Engineering and Technology

Subjects: Engineering – Chemical, Engineering – Civil and Structural, Computer Science and Information Systems, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Engineering – Electrical and Electronic, Engineering – Petroleum, Engineering – Mechanical, Engineering – Mineral and Mining

Rank 17 – University of Toronto, Toronto
Rank 31 – University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Rank 45 – McGill University, Montreal
Rank 47 – University of Waterloo, Waterloo
Rank 112 – University of Alberta, Edmonton
Rank 133 – Université de Montréal, Montreal
Rank 192 – University of Calgary, Calgary
Rank 207 – Queen’s University at Kingston, Kingston
Rank 227 – McMaster University, Hamilton
Rank 257 – Western University, London
Rank 273 – University of Ottawa, Ottawa
Rank 401-450 – Concordia University, Montreal
Rank 451-500 – Carleton University, Ottawa
Rank 451-500 – Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Rank 451-500 – University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
Rank 451-500 – Université Laval, Québec
Rank 501-550 – Simon Fraser University, Burnaby
Rank 501-550 – University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
Rank 501-550 – University of Victoria (UVic), Victoria

Within the subsection of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, five universities appear in the world rankings.

Rank 10 – University of Toronto, Toronto
Rank 23 – University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Rank 30 – McGill University, Montreal
Rank 34 – University of Waterloo, Waterloo
Rank 37 – Université de Montréal, Montreal

Best Canadian Universities for Life Sciences and Medicine

Subjects: Agriculture and Forestry, Anatomy and Physiology, Biological Sciences, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Psychology, Veterinary Science

Rank 13 – University of Toronto, Toronto
Rank 25 – University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Rank 27 – McGill University, Montreal
Rank 59 – McMaster University, Hamilton
Rank 86 – University of Alberta, Edmonton
Rank 109 – Université de Montréal, Montreal
Rank 126 – University of Calgary, Calgary
Rank 172 – University of Ottawa, Ottawa
Rank 182 – Queen’s University at Kingston, Kingston
Rank 207 – Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Rank 229 – Western University, London
Rank 231 – Université Laval, Québec
Rank 241 – University of Guelph, Guelph
Rank 247 – University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
Rank 316 – University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
Rank 387 – University of Waterloo, Waterloo

Best Canadian Universities for Natural Sciences

Subjects: Chemistry, Earth and Marine Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Geology, Geophysics, Materials Sciences, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy

Rank 20 – University of Toronto, Toronto
Rank 22 – University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Rank 48 – McGill University, Montreal
Rank 72 – University of Waterloo, Waterloo
Rank 102 – University of Alberta, Edmonton
Rank 182 – Université de Montréal, Montreal
Rank 213 – University of Calgary, Calgary
Rank 255 – Queen’s University at Kingston, Kingston
Rank 258 – McMaster University, Hamilton
Rank 276 – Western University, London
Rank 302 – University of Ottawa, Ottawa
Rank 319 – Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Rank 374 – University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
Rank 388 – Université Laval, Québec
Rank 401-450 – University of Victoria (UVic), Victoria
Rank 451-500 – Simon Fraser University, Burnaby
Rank 451-500 – University of Guelph, Guelph
Rank 501-550 – University of Manitoba, Winnipeg

Top Canadian Universities

Rank 25 – University of Toronto, Toronto
Rank 29 – McGill University, Montreal
Rank 38 – University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Rank 96 – University of Alberta, Edmonton
Rank 115 – University of Waterloo, Waterloo
Rank 120 – Western University, London
Rank 159 – Université de Montréal, Montreal
Rank 176 – McMaster University, Hamilton
Rank 189 – University of Ottawa, Ottawa
Rank 193 – Queen’s University at Kingston, Kingston
Rank 198 – University of Calgary, Calgary
Rank 275 – Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia
Rank 319 – Simon Fraser University, Burnaby
Rank 340 – University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
Rank 349 – University of Victoria (UVic), Victoria
Rank 362 – York University, Toronto
Rank 415 – Concordia University, Montreal
Rank 423 – Université Laval, Québec
Rank 456 – University of Guelph, Guelph
Rank 547 – University of Windsor, Windsor
Rank 661-670 – Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s
Rank 661-670 – University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
Rank 681-690 – University of New Brunswick, Fredericton
Rank 741-750 – Carleton University, Ottawa
Rank 801-850 – Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Toronto
Rank 851-900 – Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke
Rank 851-900 – Université du Québec, Québec
Rank 951-1000 – University of Regina, Regina
Rank 1201-1400 – Brock University, St. Catharines
Rank 1201-1400 – Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo