University ranks in the top 2.1 per cent of more than 2,000 institutions worldwide
McGill University continues to stand among the top institutions globally, placing 45th – up from 49th last year – in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings published October 9. This positions McGill in the top 2.1 percent of universities in the world.
“It is very satisfying to see that McGill has been recognized once again as one of the top 50 universities in the world, for the 15th consecutive year,” said Professor Deep Saini, McGill President and Vice-Chancellor. “This is testament to the dedication and hard work of our world-class faculty and staff, our outstanding students, and McGill’s commitment to upholding academic excellence.”
Of the 33 Canadian universities that made THE’s list, McGill and the University of Victoria are the only two that improved their global rankings.
McGill ranked fifth among Association of American Universities peer institutions and ninth among North American public universities.
Most rigorous THE rankings to date
A record 2,092 universities were ranked by THE this year, a 9.7-per-cent increase over last year, the largest rise in the past five years. The number of countries or territories represented increased from 108 to 115. The ranking analyzed more than 157 million citations across 18 million research publications and included survey responses from 93,000 scholars worldwide.
THE’s World University Rankings used 18 performance indicators, grouped into five area:
- Teaching (the learning environment)
- Research environment (volume, income, and reputation)
- Research quality (citation impact, research strength, research excellence, and research influence)
- International outlook (staff, students, and research)
- Industry (income and patents)
The University’s THE rankings have been on an upward trend over the past three years, with improvements in teaching scores, industry scores and overall scores.
The solid performance in THE rankings is consistent with other rankings this year.
- In June, McGill placed 29thout of 1,500 institutions worldwide in the QS World University Rankings
- In May, McGill was ranked 27th by the Center for World University Rankings
- In April, the University had three subjects in the global top 10 in the QS Rankings by Subject.
- In February, McGill jumped to 47th in the Times Higher Education Reputation Rankings.
Consult the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings