Canada’s top schools just got their report cards, and Montreal’s McGill University didn’t exactly make the dean’s list.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 were released this week, comparing 2,191 universities across 115 countries. While the University of Toronto held its spot as Canada’s top-ranked school at #21 globally, McGill tied for #41, ahead of the University of British Columbia but still well behind its Ontario rival.
Toronto’s strong scores in research quality and international outlook helped secure its lead, while McGill was recognized for its research environment and teaching performance. UBC came in close behind at #45, rounding out the top three Canadian institutions.
McGill’s official profile on Times Higher Education notes that about 29% of its 30,000 students come from outside Canada, making it one of the country’s most international campuses. The school also reports a student-to-staff ratio of roughly 12 to 1, with women representing just over 60% of the student population.
When it comes to subjects, McGill shines in psychology, medicine, and law — ranked among the world’s top 35 in each — as well as life sciences and engineering. The university’s strong performance across these areas continues to reinforce Montreal’s reputation as one of the best student cities in the world.
For comparison, last year’s rankings placed McGill at #34, meaning the Montreal institution slipped several spots in the 2026 edition. The University of Toronto, on the other hand, climbed from #24 to #21.
Globally, the University of Oxford kept its crown for the tenth year in a row, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in second and Princeton University, which tied with the University of Cambridge for third.
Still, if you’re a McGill grad looking for bragging rights, it’s not all bad news. The school continues to outperform hundreds of major institutions worldwide, and it remains Quebec’s highest-ranked university.
The full 2026 rankings can be viewed at timeshighereducation.com.
