2024 Maclean's University Rankings: Comprehensive Schools

Find out which universities have a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.

School rankings are a great way to help you make your decision on where to go to school. Some universities excel in different areas, like research, scholarships, student services, and more. But, what if you want a school that is more well-rounded and excels in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs? Then you’re in luck! Maclean’s has released their 2024 rankings for Canada’s best comprehensive universities!

These are universities that have a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs without focusing heavily on any one area in particular. Maclean’s has determined this list using 12 performance indicators, such as student awards, student/faculty ratio, total research dollars, scholarships/bursaries, and more. Explore Maclean’s University Rankings 2024: Methodology for more information.

Check out 2024’s rankings:

1. Simon Fraser University

Last year’s rank: 1

The Simon Fraser University is Canada’s leading comprehensive university. SFU is a world leader in research, knowledge development, and sustainability with three campuses in Burnaby, Surrey, and Vancouver.

2. University of Victoria

Last year’s rank: 2

The University of Victoria is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities with over 22,000 students. The University of Victoria combines three elements: dynamic learning, vital impact, and their extraordinary academic environment to give their students the UVic Edge.

3. University of Waterloo

Last year’s rank: 3

With more than 42,000 students attending annually, the University of Waterloo is #1 in Canada for experiential learning and employer-student connections. UW fosters innovation to solve problems on a global scale.

4. York University

Last year’s rank: 5*

York University, located in Toronto, Ontario, has over 54,000 students enrolled in 200+ undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In the 2021-2022 school year, York awarded $48.8 million in scholarships for their students. York is a top international teaching and researching university and a driving force for positive change.

This year, York University pushed out the University of Guelph to secure their rank in number four!

There you have it — the top 20 comprehensive schools in Canada for 2024! While rankings are a great tool to help you get a better idea of what each school does best, make sure you consider other factors that are important to you when choosing your school.

Since this list only included schools with a wide range of undergrad, grad, and professional programs, you can also explore Maclean’s other rankings to learn about more schools, like the best undergraduate universities for 2024 or the best universities for scholarships and bursaries in 2024.